ULI presents findings

The town of Longboat Key’s codes and Comprehensive Plan should be thrown away and completely redone.

The town’s 30-day rental restriction mandate should be relaxed — in the offseason only — to bring more people to the Key and to help businesses survive in the summer months.

Bayfront Park should be a future recreational hub of outdoor activities, but the site shouldn’t include a new community center.

The Bay Isles Road area near the Longboat Key Publix should be revamped to create a new walkable Main Street town center walkability concept the Longboat Key Publix site. The new Main Street site would include 30,000 square feet of new commercial space, a park and a community/cultural center.

A roundabout should be placed on Gulf of Mexico Drive near Broadway on the north end of the Key.

Those are just some of the recommendations an Urban Land Institute (ULI) panel provided to the Longboat Key Town Commission and more than 60 people in attendance this morning at Town Hall.

ULI spent the entire week on the Key, interviewing residents and business owners, touring the island and drafting recommendations that will be submitted officially to the town in a 40-page document in the next 60 to 90 days.

That report will include an implementation strategy to accomplish the suggested goals.

The following strategies and recommendations were presented to the town Friday:

• Build the community together
• Adapt to a changing market
• Focus on the future
• Relax rental restrictions
• Împlement early actions
• Complete the town center
• Locate the community/cultural center at the town center
• Improve mobility

The Town Commission plans to meet again in the next two weeks to discuss the suggestions offered by ULI.

“I feel very good about what we heard today and I look forward to discussing it further in public meetings ,” said Mayor Jim Brown.

For more information, pick up a copy of next week’s Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].