The results of Sarasota’s latest redesign project are in your hands.
The city will transform 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts into “complete streets,” which include unique visual concepts and accommodations for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Resident preferences will determine the final designs.
Input is welcome down to the minutia — so if you’re passionate about bike lanes and bench formations, it’s your time to shine.
The project will modify the stretch of Boulevard of the Arts from Sarasota Bay to Orange Avenue and the stretch of 10th Street U.S. 41 to Orange Avenue. Construction, according to the project plan, will replace the existing four lanes with two wider lanes for more distance between cars and easier boat access to the bay, add widened sidewalks and bicycle lanes and create raised intersections to highlight crosswalks, among other enhancements.
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These streets represent two of the areas addressed in Sarasota in Motion: the city’s first master transport plan approved by the Sarasota City Commission in 2020. Corinne Arriaga, project manager and Sarasota’s senior transportation planner, said survey of more than 1,000 residents reported safer, more widespread access to the bay as a high priority, making 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts two of the 10 most important streets to redesign.
Visual redesign concepts include arts and culture, coastal and aquatic, fruit, local historical and nature, and environmental. The city hopes these redesigns will help solidify Sarasota’s sense of place — something project manager and Sarasota’s senior transportation planner Corinne Arriaga said residents also expressed a need for in community feedback sessions.
“Placemaking was a huge deal for them,” Arriaga said. “They really wanted to see that in corridors, so that’s why we’re paying special attention to those elements.
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The project will cost an estimated $15 million for construction. Its planners hope to receive $12 million in grant funds and secure a $3 million match from the city.
Though the project has no estimated construction date, Arriaga aims to complete 60% of its design by next spring and recruit potential contractors and designers to add the final touches. The city plans to host a meeting inviting additional public input before then.
With alternatives to cars increasing in popularity and local resources closer than ever, Arriaga said the redesigns are steps to create accessible infrastructure for all Sarasota residents.
“Future forward, we have to consider other people,” she said. “By creating these spaces, we give people the opportunity to move about differently.”
Contact Herald-Tribune Growth and Development Reporter Heather Bushman at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @hmb_1013.