Commission offers support, guidance for bayfront plan

Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 leaders went before the City Commission Monday looking for support for the visioning process they've led over the past six months, and came away with positive vibes — as well as some direction regarding their next steps.

Since early 2014, Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 has worked to guide the development of 75 acres of bayfront land near the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 42 of it publicly owned. The group has gathered the support of 29 local organizations toward its mission: creating a master plan for the bayfront land, with a focus on ensuring public access and strengthening the city's cultural institutions.

Monday's workshop served as a trial balloon for the commission's reaction to most of Bayfront 20:20's work, undertaken since the last time the two groups met in July. The centerpiece of those efforts is a series of six guiding principles, developed over a series of meetings and public forums at which residents shared their thoughts regarding the development of the bayfront land.

Those principles are designed to steer future conversations surrounding the bayfront. According to development consultant Candace Damon, who has been working with Bayfront 20:20, the principles are nearing completion after 17 drafts. Currently, the principles are:

+ Aspiration — making the bayfront an iconic, public destination focused on the city’s cultural institutions and natural environment
+ Cultural Heritage — strengthening the bayfront’s identity as a cultural and arts destination
+ Bayfront/Natural Assets — developing publicly accessible space and enhancing views of the bay
+ Activation — building amenities and creating activities that will support the active usage of the bayfront throughout the day and year-round
+ Connectivity — enhancing the connectivity of the bayfront to adjacent neighborhoods and the entire region
+ Sustainability — ensuring that whatever development is both ecologically and economically sustainable

After endorsing the group's work twice in 2014, the commission largely reiterated its support Monday. Commissioner Suzanne Atwell was encouraged by the degree to which the community had been engaged.

"It's one of the first major projects that the city has dealt with with so many people involved," Atwell said.

Michael Klauber, leader of Bayfront 20:20, said he hoped to appear before the commission again in February to seek formal adaptation of the guiding principles from the city. In the ensuing four to six months, Klauber said he anticipated a three-pronged approach to move toward implementing those principles:

+ Bayfront 20:20 will continue its community outreach and research best practices undertaken in other communities to complete similar projects.
+ Cultural institutions — particularly the Van Wezel and the Sarasota Orchestra — will evaluate their needs for the future to assist with the planning process.
+ City staff will examine technical conditions surrounding the site, such as zoning and environmental issues.

In addition, Damon added, the group will attempt to engage nearby private landowners and raise funds as necessary. Once those pieces fall into place, Klauber said, the involved parties will be able to assess what the next steps are — including funding, design and planning for the development of the site itself.

The commission also shared some thoughts on what work may still need to be undertaken. Commissioners suggested reaching out to new stakeholders such as the Florida Department of Transportation, forming an advisory board to facilitate the process for the commission and collaborating with the group that recently purchased the adjacent Quay property, among other steps.

Before the meeting dispersed, at least one commissioner encouraged the group to aim high when it came to the bayfront land in question.

"When we built the Van Wezel, we knocked their socks off — nationally, and in some respects internationally," Commissioner Stan Zimmerman said. "I want to see the same kind of effort here, not just the same old stuff."

For more information on Sarasota Bayfront 20:20, pick up a copy of Thursday's Sarasota Observer.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].