Bayfront group seeks consensus

In addition to developing a master plan for a vast swath of bayfront land, the Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 group is taking on another substantial challenge: constructing that vision by community consensus.

Michael Klauber, the leader of Sarasota Bayfront 20:20, says the current level of participation in that process is unprecedented for the past 30 years — 17 community organizations have signed off on the group’s visioning process for city-owned bayfront land. On Monday and Tuesday, the group held a pair of town hall-style meetings, allowing hundreds of new voices to join that conversation.

The response from the public was significant, with residents filling the Sarasota Garden Club to offer insight on the future of the bayfront land. Now, Bayfront 20:20 is working to incorporate that insight into its work to produce a vision acceptable to the broad coalition it has assembled.

Working with the endorsement of the City Commission, Bayfront 20:20 is hoping to produce a master plan for 42 acres of city-owned land surrounding the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The group is also looking at how adjoining private properties, such as the former Quay site, could fit into the overall vision for the area.

Right now, Klauber stresses, the group is working from the 10,000-foot view. It doesn’t want to get mired in the specifics of what goes where, opting instead to search for a series of guiding principles with community support. That, Klauber said, can help guide the eventual development of the land.

To assist in the process, Bayfront 20:20 brought in HR&A Advisors, a New York-based real estate and economic development consulting firm that has guided similar public-private partnerships. HR&A Vice Chairwoman Candace Damon outlined six guiding principles based on its initial work: aspiration, activation, cultural heritage, bayfront/natural assets, connectivity and sustainability (see box, right).

Although there was a variety of feedback offered, attendees generally endorsed those principles. Another message also attracted broad community support: This was an opportunity on which the city needed to capitalize.

“This project will outlive me — it will probably outlive my kids,” Sarasota resident Henry Porter II said. “So it’s important to have this conversation now, so we’re focusing on the future and not just on what our present needs are.”

The term “world-class” was frequently thrown around at the meetings, particularly regarding Sarasota’s cultural institutions. Porter emphasized the need to create a destination that appealed to a diverse set of interests with the ability to survive in the long-term. Above all, he wanted people to think big.

“Every time a guest comes, I don’t want them asking me to take them to the beach,” Porter said. “I want them to say, ‘Take me to the bayfront.’”

Jason and Laine Nixon own a property on Fourth Street, less than a half-mile from the city-owned bayfront land. Although they were aware of Sarasota Bayfront 20:20’s work, they came to a meeting to learn the specifics of the visioning process — and what might eventually be built.

“I think we were always very curious what would come here,” Laine Nixon said. “We would love to make it feel more interconnected.”

Interconnectivity was a recurring theme in the public’s conversations, Damon said. She now believes the connectivity principle is the most important to Sarasota residents. The level of engagement fostered by Bayfront 20:20 was encouraging to the Nixons, but they now want to see that feedback properly taken into consideration.

Damon said she was encouraged by the energy at the meetings. Although the conversation often strayed from the validity of the principles to specific amenities that could come to the bayfront, the consultants were happy with the response.

“I thought we had a great, robust conversation tonight that is going to inform some refining of the principles,” Damon said following Monday’s meeting.

Attendees were so engaged that Bayfront 20:20 leaders cut conversations short to wrap things up in a timely manner. Damon said she hoped to keep that energy going via social media. Already, the group has developed a hashtag, #CanYouSeeIt, that it encourages interested parties to use on Facebook and Twitter.

In January, Bayfront 20:20 leaders are slated to present their findings to the City Commission. In the meantime, the group will continue to hold community meetings in the coming months in pursuit of more precise principles. If all goes according to plan, Klauber said, it will be the first step toward a lasting legacy for the city.

“Almost 100 years ago, John Ringling had a vision for a cultural institution on the bayfront, which is now the Ringling campus,” Klauber said. “One hundred years later, it’s our turn.”

Guiding Light

Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 is working on a series of core values that can be used to guide the development of bayfront land near the Van Wezel. Here are the core values outlined by Bayfront 20:20 leaders — and the design principles in the city’s 2007 Cultural Park Master Plan, which sought to develop the same land.

Core Values

Aspiration: Making the bayfront an iconic destination that builds on the city’s cultural institutions and natural environment.

Activation: Creating recreational programming and urban amenities to allow for the active usage of the bayfront at all times of the day, year-round.

Cultural heritage: Embracing and enhancing the bayfront’s identity as a world-class cultural destination.
Bayfront/natural assets: Reserving publicly accessible open space along the bayfront for future generations.

Connectivity: Connecting the bayfront to various neighborhoods throughout Sarasota.

Sustainability: Ensuring the development of the bayfront can survive in the long-term, both from a financial and environmental perspective.

2007 Design Principles

Create a family-oriented recreational Bayfront Park for all Sarasotans that includes fishing, walking, biking, jogging and allows for special events.

Create pedestrian connections across Tamiami Trail to adjacent neighborhoods and to downtown.
Establish an identifiable “front door” image on Tamiami Trail.

Utilize 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts to provide direct access to the bayfront as extensions of the city grid and celebrate how they meet the bay.

Parking and service should be shared, hidden and supported by public transportation.

Provide a mix of uses that enhance the cultural experience.

Celebrate the bay as Sarasota’s greatest asset

Modest Proposals

Although this week’s meetings were focused on developing a series of community principles for developing the bayfront land, some attendees couldn’t resist offering ideas for amenities. Some of the ideas for the land included:

Open park space

Van Wezel expansion

Sarasota Orchestra building

Outdoor performance space/amphitheater/band shell

Water taxis

Trolleys

Underground/off-site parking

Bait shop

Bike trails

Boardwalk

Docking facilities

Restaurants and retail

Behind the Scenes

See what participants and Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 leaders had to say about the town hall meetings by watching the video on the Observer YouTube page.