Downtown Streetscape Project Moves Forward

Sarasota's downtown street and sidewalk improvements are closer to reality after an approval Monday by the City Commission as the Community Redevelopment Agency.

The city's approval is conditional that each section of the component will be brought before the commission to give the OK to move forward. Commissioners want to avoid having lengthy construction go into peak tourist season like the Ringling roundabout project.

"We can't keep setting up roadblocks," Mayor Suzanne Atwell said. "We need to move forward on this."

City staff tried to accommodate that with a tight schedule, including starting work on North Palm Avenue this summer. That work will start, but everything else will start conditional upon approval.

"Staff's good but they're overloaded," Commissioner Shannon Snyder said. "I know everybody wants it done, I think it's almost too aggressive of a schedule."

Snyder's concerned about the length of time it takes utility companies to respond to requests to move lines and finding surprises underground.

"We're talking about an area that's 120 years old that lord knows what's in the ground," he said.

The next technical move to get this project started is to have the Downtown Improvement District formally approve its $2 million contribution to the project.

The project was met receptively by the public commenting on the project Monday, including several Florida Studio Theatre employees and donors.


Here's how the plan would go with tentative construction starts:

North Palm Avenue ($236,753.66) — 2012
• Parallel parking
• Sidewalk widened to 17 to 20 feet wide.
• Increased landscaping

First Street from US 41 to Pineapple Avenue ($1.34 million) — 2013/2014
• Widen street
• Plant shade trees
• Install irrigation system
• Bury utilities while replacing some
• Brick paver crosswalks
• Concrete sidewalks, without brick accents

Main Street from Bayfront Drive to Five Points Park ($1.3 million) —2013
• Parallel parking on north side
• Enhanced landscaping and limited bulb-outs
• Replace pedestrian lighting with black poles
• Brick paver sidewalks
• Asphalt road; repave and mill
• Enhanced gateway at or near Gulfstream intersection

Main Street from Five Points Park to Orange Avenue ($150,000) — 2012
• Retain angled parking
• Enhance landscaping
• Bulb-outs at The Gator Club and C'est la Vie
• Maintain existing lighting fixtures, replace lights with clear globes
• Asphalt road; repave and mill

Orange Avenue to Goodrich Avenue ($800,000) —  2013
• Additional modified bulb-outs to narrow road
• More greenspace
• Brick crosswalks
• Concrete sidewalks with limited brick accents
• Utility and drainage improvements
• Clear globe bulbs in light posts
• Site furnishings

Orange and Main streets Roundabout ($1 million) — 2014
• Roundabout and right-of-way acquisition

Osprey Avenue to Washington Boulevard (deferred)
• Retain angled parking
• Some enhanced landscape
• Modified bulb-outs
• Repair/replace concrete sidewalks
• Brick crosswalks
• Concrete sidewalks with limited brick accents
• Enhanced gateway to Washington Boulevard
• Site Furnishings
• Limited Drainage Improvements

This is how the project's going to be paid for, according to Chief Planner Steve Stancel:

Accounts Used To Fund Projects

• Sale of Garage Retail Space $1,587,934
• Downtown Improvement District Contribution $310,000
• North Palm Avenue $224,911
• Tax Incremental Fund Balance $838,750

Reduction in:
    • Downtown Redevelopment Plan $500,000
    • Palm Avenue Garage $82
    • Citywide Mobility $50,000
    • Wayfinding $300,000
    • Pedestrian Sleeves — Fruitville Road $335,287
    • Downtown Pedestrian Streetlights $589,736

Total: $4,736,700