SCAT analyzes downtown transfer station move

More than three years after Sarasota County originally considered moving the downtown Sarasota County Area Transit bus transfer station from its First Street home, a recent report revisits the logistics of a potential relocation. 

Sarasota County Area Transit Director Rocky Burke presented the findings of an independent analysis of the transit service’s operations to county commissioners on July 12. According to the report, the primary focus of the study was to address the future of the downtown transfer station, located at First Street and Lemon Avenue.

Although some residents and county officials believed the downtown land would be better used as a private, redeveloped parcel, the study found that the station’s current location is ideal based on current route patterns and ridership levels. That would change if service expands, however.

“Given the way we operate today, it works fine for us,” Burke told Sarasota County commissioners. “If we were to have a major expansion, we would probably need to relocate.”

The report identifies expanding into the neighboring City Hall parking lot as the ideal option to maintain the existing location, but notes the historical significance of City Hall and the surrounding land may complicate that process.

A secondary option is to relocate the transfer station to the Sarasota County parking garage on Ringling Boulevard, creating a circulator route from the transfer station to downtown Sarasota. Two other locations were considered in the report: one on Lemon Avenue near Ninth Street and another near Payne Park. 

The report notes the station is already operating at capacity at certain times of the day and does not accommodate the 40-foot busses used for express lines, which currently make stops on Lemon Avenue. 

SCAT has no immediate plans to expand or relocate the downtown transfer station because the station is compatible with current service levels. However, the City Commission has already requested a presentation from county officials to get more information on the report.

A date has yet to be set for the presentation, but city staff hopes to arrange a presentation in the fall after the county's August recess.