Revitalization plan pitched

Nothing pains Vice Mayor Terry Turner more than agreeing to spend money, he says, especially with the city facing severe budget cuts again this summer.

But there he was during the City Commission meeting Tuesday, explaining to the rest of the board members that the only way to revitalize the U.S. 41 corridor through Northwest Sarasota is to spend at least $250,000 over the next 30 years on elements of a master plan crafted with community input.

“Our only hope is to create a regulatory environment in which private development can flourish in this area,” Turner said.

Near the end of the commission meeting Tuesday, Turner pitched a three-tiered proposal for the area:

• Convert U.S. 41 from a suburban highway to a 30 mph urban street;

• Convert the Seminole Railway to a bus rapid-transit roadway;

• Enhance the street grid and make it more pedestrian-friendly.

“A land-use proposal can lead to significant revitalization in northwest Sarasota,” Turner said.

An earlier revitalization concept for U.S. 41, called Innovation 41, was estimated to cost $45 million, he said. It won the support of both Sarasota County, which pledged about $170 million for it, and Manatee County, which committed approximately $70 million.

“We pushed hard to get it completely funded, but the concept was only deemed partially acceptable by the state, and it fell to the wayside,” Turner said.

However, Turner is not willing to give up on Northwest Sarasota. He said the city needs to work with both counties again, and it needs to search out grants to help spur changes in the depressed area. He wants a master plan that can achieve success by 2040.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Turner said.

Turner proposes the city first schedule meetings with community residents and local neighborhood groups, to find out what changes they can suggest to help stimulate roadway improvements and attract private development.

In the past, Turner noted that developers’ efforts to gain approval for projects and land-use changes in the area had failed because resident input came last. He cited the Payne Park Village proposal by developer Ron Burks as an example.

Just last week, Burks put that 9.5-acre parcel on the market. It is just east of Payne Park and adjacent to the Alta Vista neighborhood.

“There’s broad frustration with U.S. 41 and a willingness to change by the residents, to create a better atmosphere,” Turner said.

Asking both Sarasota and Manatee counties to include their neighboring jurisdictions in the master plan, Turner said, also could lead to more funding for the plan and enable the counties to increase their tax rolls, after properties have been revitalized.

Turner suggested the city start the process by hiring a facilitator for community meetings and enlisting the aid of new Florida Department of Transportation District 1 Secretary Billy Hattaway, whose previous career included acting as a consultant for large-scale roadway revitalization projects.

Turner also noted that Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport officials are supportive of their property north of University Parkway being included in the revitalization efforts.

Both the residents of Indian Beach Sapphires Shores and Bayou Oaks community associations have voiced support for the project.

Turner’s Northwest Sarasota Revitalization Plan
Vice Mayor Terry Turner proposes to revitalize Northwest Sarasota by 2040 through the following actions:

Roadway changes
• Convert U.S. 41 from a suburban highway to a 30 mph urban street
• Convert the Seminole Railway to a bus rapid transit roadway
• Enhance the street grid

Land-use changes
• Create a Northwest Sarasota Master Plan that’s supported by residents, compatible with roadway changes, flexible, responsive to changing market demand and able to stimulate private investment/development.
• Engage the public at the beginning of the process through community meetings designed to help identify desirable land-use changes.