County begins parking fix for North Shell Road

A large brown stuffed bear fell out of the tree it occupied for three weeks on North Shell Road Thursday as construction crews began clearing brush to make way for parking on the Siesta Key street.

Activists had placed the stuffed animal in the tree to protest Sarasota County plans to uproot it to create 17 regulated parking spaces on the popular north Siesta beach access. The bear represented some controversy surrounding the county construction project, but county commissioners and residents generally saw it as a compromise to alleviate the chaotic parking and partying they allege takes place during busy beach days.

“I think this is a balancing act,” County Commissioner Christine Robinson said during the commission’s April meeting before approving the plan. “I think this will allow enough parking to balance the public-access interest with the neighborhood interests. I understand not everyone will be happy, but I think this is a compromise.”

The $30,627 renovations will create parallel parking spots along the road, which currently has no delineated parking spots; a pedestrian sidewalk will be eliminated to add six of the parking spots. North Shell Road is located off Higel Avenue on the north end of Siesta Key.

The work, which began Monday, is slated to end July 3, said Sarasota County Project Manager Gary Spraggins.

“We wanted to be ready for the Fourth of July and the (Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix),” Spraggins said.
Sarasota County commissioners approved the plan by a split vote in April, with several commissioners calling the plan a “compromise” for the public and private residences nearby. County staff had proposed four options for commissioners to consider. Options ranged from 12 to 17 parking spots, and from $23,267 to $44,111 in cost.

Nearby residents pushed for the change, claiming beachgoers were vandalizing their property, littering, drinking excessively, using illegal drugs, playing loud music and committing other acts of public indecency.

Residents expressed concern about the lack of law-enforcement presence to enforce violations.

Beachgoers had been able to cram as many as 50 vehicles onto the small side street during season, according to neighborhood residents’ accounts.

“The issue is parking, and the salient point here is safety,” Siesta resident Robert Shaw said during the meeting.

With support from Commissioner Joe Barbetta, residents lobbied for fewer parking spaces than ultimately approved, but they generally supported the final plan.

But, Thomas George, a Fauble Street resident who lives just north of Shell Road, has pitched a plan to use part of the right of way on either side of the road for perpendicular parking, which he says would be easier for drivers to navigate. George also wanted to open access to Bayou Louise, a waterway that empties into Big Pass.

“I do appreciate your desire to create a water access to Bayou Louise,” said Commissioner Nora Patterson, a Siesta resident, in an email. “Unfortunately, on that tight street I don’t think that much activity would be acceptable to the neighbors even if we could accommodate it safely.”

George, who said he worked with Patterson on proposals to rein in parking on the street four years ago, said the county would regret its design once the public begins using the access this summer.

“What we found was removal of that vegetative growth to accommodate the perpendicular parking would have resulted in opening up those parcels and front yards,” wrote County Engineer Jim Harriott in a June 12 email to George. “Ultimately, the residents and subsequently the board decided that such a plan was unacceptable.”

By the Numbers
17 - Number of new parking spaces on North Shell Road

$30, 627 - Total cost of construction

15 - Number of days until completion

Contact Alex Mahadevan at [email protected]