Short rides pitched to solve downtown Sarasota's parking woes

As residential development continues in the downtown area, infill projects are expanding into the outer reaches of the downtown zone districts. 

Not as within walking distance as the occupants of the taller condo towers in the Downtown Bayfront and Downtown Core zone districts, these new residents will more likely find themselves driving into the central business district to search for parking within convenient proximity of their dining or shopping destinations.

Or they may just go somewhere else.

Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association board member David Lough brought that warning to the Dec. 2 meeting of the Downtown Improvement District Board of Directors, seeking an advocacy partnership to bring a micro transit option not unlike the former i-Ride service the city canceled in 2018, or a low-cost circulator into those neighborhoods.

Lough’s pitch was met with somewhat mixed reactions. Board Chairman Ron Shugar reminded his colleagues and Lough that the board’s first and foremost obligation of time and treasure is to those who pay additional taxes within the overlay district to the city for enhanced services and special programs, and the DID does not exist to pursue greater convenience for the downtown condo residents.

Longtime board member Eileen Hampshire — who is not only a commercial property owner but also a business owner and resident within the DID — said the organization should consider the hand that feeds them.

“I wear all these hats and live downtown. I really think we gain,” she said of a possible collaboration with condo association. “You’ve got the goose that laid the golden egg. Where do people come from to come to our stores? They bring all kinds of money. It's lively at night. David's constituents bring the money to us.”

According to a draft transportation needs assessment prepared by DSCA:

• Common short trips for many of its residents are far too long to walk and too short to drive. 
• Critical population and density mass is close to being reached in downtown.
• New housing continues in and around The Quay, along the Main Street corridor and in the Rosemary District.
• Travel is growing to the increasingly popular The Bay park.
• A complement to Sarasota County’s Breeze OnDemand service is needed, and at a lower cost

Many of the issues could be resolved, according to DSCA, with tried and true micro mobility systems used in other cities, such as a point-to-point shuttle and/or circulator van service running a continuous loop through the downtown area and nearby neighborhoods.

Photo by Andrew Warfield

Board member Wayne Ruben agreed with Lough’s observation that downtown residents are crucial to the commercial property owners and their merchants amid competition from the continually growing University Town Center complex.

“We’re fighting the big beast out east,” Ruben said. “Free parking, great selection, great lighting and cleanliness; that's our competition. We appreciate the support of the residents downtown to shop local, and you're right about parking. Parking is a challenge.”

Board member Chris Voelker characterized Lough’s pitch as a conversation starter and the talks should continue off-line until more developed, and that a partnership of some form between the DID and DSCA may be worth pursuing.

“I'm trying to put the ball in play,” Lough concluded.