Palm Avenue merchants push for tree lights

Cheryl Burke thinks Palm Avenue deserves the same treatment that Main Street gets, which explains why she’s so passionate about tree lights.

Burke, owner of Burke Antiques and president of the Palm Avenue Merchants Association, has organized a campaign among businesses on the street asking the city to allow the installation of decorative tree lights between Cocoanut Avenue and Ringling Boulevard. On Monday, the City Commission will consider proposals from the Downtown Improvement District and the St. Armands Business Improvement District to add year-round tree lighting throughout both commercial areas.

Burke is upset the city financially supported seasonal tree lights on Main Street last year, but because of city procurement rules, Palm Avenue merchants ended up spending their own money to light up their street. She said Palm Avenue contributes significant tax revenue to the city and the Downtown Improvement District, and she doesn’t want efforts to enhance downtown to focus just on Main Street.

“We need to protect and promote our street,” Burke said.

She has drawn support from neighboring merchants, some of whom have contacted officials encouraging them to support the tree lighting proposal. Meg Krakowiak, the owner of an art gallery on Palm Avenue, said she thinks the lights would help draw people to businesses on the street. When the seasonal lights first went up on Main Street, she said she heard from visitors that they almost bypassed Palm Avenue because it wasn’t adorned in the same manner.

“They say, ‘We didn’t realize anything is going on down here because they don’t have the lights,’” Krakowiak said.

Ahead of Monday’s commission meeting, city staff wanted to clarify the conversation about lighting. Emails from Burke and Krakowiak expressed concern about safety on the street, suggesting the existing lighting wasn’t sufficient. But a response from Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown said decorative tree lighting was not an effective strategy for making a brighter, safer environment on the street.

“If truly year-round tree lights result in safety and security, then we should use it throughout the city and not only in select areas, since we get complaints from all neighborhoods and other areas of the city,” Brown wrote.

Instead, the city plans to install new globes on streetlights between McAnsh Square and Ringling Boulevard to allow merchants to consider whether that change would address safety concerns. Staff said when the city first installed the current streetlights on Palm Avenue, some merchants complained the lights were too bright. As a result, the city wants to test any changes before fully committing.

Although the City Commission could vote Monday on the tree light proposal, there are additional steps the DID must take before the lights actually go up, including the selection of a vendor to install the lighting. According to material included with Monday’s meeting agenda, the DID must also analyze its power needs and investigate how it would handle tree maintenance, among other considerations.

The DID concept plan calls for the lights to be added to 299 trees on Main Street, Palm Avenue, Lemon Avenue and State Street. Burke thinks the project will help make streets like Palm Avenue feel more vibrant — something she believes is essential for the success of commercial businesses.

“What can we have downtown that will make people continuously come down here and shop?” Burke said.