- December 13, 2025
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While hearing progress reports, current and funding requests for future work at The Bay as a member of the Bay Park Improvement Board and the Sarasota County Commission, Mark Smith asked if the Chidsey Library building still had that distinctive aroma he recalled as a child.
As the second of five historic structures that stand in the Cultural District being restored and repurposed at the eastern gateway to The Bay park, the ribbon cutting for the 6,000-square-foot Chidsey was Oct. 24.
That smell is gone, BPC Founding CEO AG Lafley assured Smith, but what remains is the original terrazzo flooring, nearly all the glass block, the exposed brick and some of the book stacks that have stood since 1941.
With two historic buildings now restored, the BPC turns its attention to finishing Phase 2 and planning for Phase 3. Already completed is the renovation of the Sarasota Garden Club building. Work has begun on the Bayfront Community Center, and renovations to the Municipal Auditorium will begin next summer.
“As part of Phase 2, next summer we will build the Town Square, which will be between (ArtCenter Sarasota) and the Municipal Auditorium,” said BPC Chief Operating Officer Diana Shaheen at the Chidsey ceremony. “We will open up our Canal District in the next few weeks that will offer day docks for the community to access the park and the city by water. We will start the resilient shoreline, which is in the procurement process with the city as we speak.”
So far, The Bay has surpassed 930,000 visits since opening Phase 1 along the north side of Boulevard of the Arts in November 2022, which Shaheen reminded the gathered revelers was previously pavement. Vice Mayor Debbie Trice likened progress of The Bay to the Joni Mitchel song Big Yellow Taxi and the lyric “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”
“Fortunately, we had a cohort of resourceful, imaginative people who said, ‘we're going to bring back paradise,’” Trice said. “Each year, a little bit more becomes reality.”
Plenty of parking lot remains to be transformed into a park — the 850-space Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall parking lot.
As Phase 2 work continues, Phase 3 planning has already begun, which includes an overhaul of Centennial Park boat launch area at the northern end of The Bay park at the 10th Street canal basin. That project will expand parking, add a fourth boat ramp and more day docks.
The highlight of the third phase is a plan to transform the Van Wezel parking lot — the single largest producer of polluted stormwater over the entire 53-acre site — into green space gradually rising from the bay front toward the east to conceal three levels of parking.
“We're going to build resilience from the shoreline all the way to the center of the park,” Lafley said. “We’re going to install a stormwater treatment train underground, on the ground and above ground to treat the biggest volume of storm water from the site. We’re going to provide green space with playgrounds, with more food and beverage, with water features, with all the things that we know park guests want to experience.”
On Oct. 21, the Sarasota City Commission approved the future transfer of funds from the tax increment financing district revenue for construction of Phase 3A — largely the Centennial Park work — and preliminary planning for Phase 3B. The next day, the Sarasota County Commission took a more cautious approach before making an identical commitment, opting to await next year’s legislative session when the matter of a possible statewide referendum to eliminate future property taxes will be discussed.
Per the BPC’s request, for Phase 3 the city and county would each chip in one-third of the cost and the conservancy the remainder. The entire estimated $200 million project is based on half of the funding from the city and county TIF revenue and half from private contributions to the BPC.
“It's going to be the most important development that we do,” Lafley said of Phase 3. “It's going to be the most complex development that we do. The planning will get done next year, and I sincerely hope we'll be moving to construction year after that.”
South seawall and day docks
Status: Nearing completion
Bayfront restaurant: $5.8 million
Status: Concept phase
Resilient shoreline: $18.0 million
Status: Design complete, city procurement soon to begin.
Promenade/Parking project
Status: Complete
Town Square
Status: Construction to begin summer 2026
Blue Pagoda
Architect Victor Lundy designed the Blue Pagoda in 1956 for the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. Known for its distinctive sweeping roof covered in blue celadon ceramic tiles, it is a prime example of mid-century modern architecture and the Sarasota School of Architecture. Used for three years as the offices of the Bay Park Conservancy, renovations will make it into a visitor center for The Bay park.
Renovation cost: $300,000
Status: Pre-concept
Sarasota Garden Club
Designed by architect John Crowell, the dedication for the Sarasota Garden Club building was in 1960. It features a Japanese-inspired design with the addition of a Japanese garden house designed by Bert Brosmith in 1962.
Renovation cost: $700,000
Status: Complete
Bayfront Community Center
Originally conceived as part of an 11-acre bay front recreational complex, the 1937 completion of a Community Center became part of a complex that included and recreational facilities. In 1940, they added a second floor to the Municipal Auditorium.
Renovation cost: $3 million
Status: Under construction
Chidsey Library
Built in 1941 thanks in large part to a donation from John and Ida Chidsey, the Chidsey Library was Sarasota's first public library, Designed by Thomas Reed Martin, it served as the city's library until 1976 when the Selby Library opened. The building served as the Sarasota County History Center and the Visitors and Convention Bureau, and is now home to the Bay Park Conservancy.
Renovation cost: $700,000
Status: Complete
Municipal Auditorium
Completed in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project, Municipal Auditorium features the art deco/modern style by architects Thomas Reed Martin and Clarence A. Martin. It served as a hub for recreation and community events, including dances, graduations, performances and more. Now operated by the Bay Park Conservancy, it will undergo renovation in summer 2026.
Renovation cost: $3 million
Status: Pre-concept
Phase 3A:
Phase 3B:
