Pine Hills residents voice concerns and optimism for new Lynx bus transfer center

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A new bus transfer center will be right down the street from an apartment complex and a local business in Pine Hills.

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The Lynx Transfer Center will be built on Belco Drive and Silver Star Road.

The people who live within walking distance of the center said they’re waiting to see how it will impact their community.

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Resident Greg Washington said the empty lot that divides his neighborhood from a group of Pine Hills businesses was once a playground.

And Fritz Exhume said it’s a project for “growth and positivity.”

The House approved more than $2.8 million through Rep. Val Demings’s community project funding to go towards the $8 million project.

Some neighbors said they are concerned that some of the activity will include what they have seen in the downtown hub.

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“It is a big problem with homelessness there,” Washington said.

But Exhume disagrees.

“I don’t think there will be,” he said. “And with security, there shouldn’t be a lot of people hanging out.”

Lynx said they plan to include 50,000-square-foot building space for eight to 10 buses, including Neighborhood Lynx. This will serve as a central location for transfers.

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Depending on what happens in the future with the penny sales tax, it could also create new route structures to cut down travel times.

Washington said it will take a few stops to see how this new project will impact his family.

Lynx will also be rebuilding Belco Drive and installing a full access signal.

There still has to be a bid for this project expected around early September. Lynx said the project could be completed in about two years.

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