Residents cast doubt on Ringling’s soundstage plans

Earlier this month, the city of Sarasota and Ringling College were able to adjust the terms of a proposed land deal at the last minute. They hoped the changes would satisfy all parties involved as the school proceeded with a multimillion-dollar expansion.

When those changes were announced at the April 20 City Commission meeting, however, one group was still unsatisfied: residents of the adjacent Newtown community.

Just last September, Ringling and city officials broke the news of the proposed expansion, which would create an approximately 30,000-square-foot complex along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way between Central and Cocoanut avenues. At the time, those officials emphasized that the project was a crucial addition to Newtown, as well as a significant addition to the college.

“What we’re going to do here is not only going to increase what is Ringling,” Mayor Willie Shaw said. “It is going to increase this whole corridor as we go forward.”

Since then, residents feel the communication from the college has been lacking. Per the initial agreement between the city and Ringling, the school would acquire city land to incorporate into the soundstage project — including a parking lot used as overflow for nearby Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

In response, Ringling would allow a school-owned lot to be used for parking at the park. However, because of city regulations, the parking lot could only be used two times a year; the agreement stipulated those two days would be Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Fourth of July.

According to Barbara Langston, president of the Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association, Ringling representatives had met with residents in the area to discuss the soundstage project, but she assumed the process was just starting. The proposed agreement caught her by surprise.

“How did you all come to this agreement when we were sitting there waiting on you to come back and work with us?” Langston said at the commission meeting. “Who were you working with?” 

Although the deal had been adjusted just before the commission meeting — by changing the land designation of the Ringling lot, the city could allow parking for the park year-round — there existed a larger issue, Langston said. After the school’s attempted vacation of a portion of Old Bradenton Road, a proposal nearby residents successfully fought against, there was a growing feeling that Ringling saw itself as separate from Newtown.

Ringling College President Larry Thompson was dismayed by the perception surrounding the school among concerned residents. He was the leading advocate for placing the soundstage further into Newtown rather than along the North Trail, because he thought it could serve as a boost for the community.

“I felt it really essential, if I had the opportunity, to at least ignite and start some economic development in Newtown through this development,” Thompson said.

He attributed some issues to miscommunication. Residents were concerned about a café included in plans for the soundstage, suggesting that it would prevent workers in the complex from patronizing Newtown businesses. Staff explained that the café was more of a catering staging area designed to feed people during a day of filming. 

Although the college has been trying to keep residents informed, Thompson admitted that it’s been difficult given the speed with which the project is advancing.

“We've been talking with the neighborhood, but this thing has been developing very quickly in terms of the specifics of the building,” Thompson said. 

Thompson reiterated that he believed the project would be an economic boon for Newtown. Not only would the construction phase target the employment of members of the surrounding community, but there would be a steady flow of jobs after the building is completed, he said.

“They’re going to use some students, but there are also needs for food and housing and all those kinds of things for the people who are going to be coming,” Thompson said. “It translates into jobs in a number of ways.”

Thompson said Ringling officials met again with residents last week to discuss the concerns. With the project slated to go to the planning board in May, he said both the city and residents will be able to offer feedback.

Most importantly, Thompson stressed that Ringling values its connection to Newtown.

“It is the furthest thing on our mind to make it a closed community,” Thompson said. “We are a very, very open community — why would I fight to try to put the soundstage in the Newtown community if that was the case?”