Final approval for a new performing arts center in Sarasota has been postponed until March, as officials brace for the city’s biggest projects in decades.

The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation is overseeing plans for the new venue under a partnership with the city of Sarasota. The nonprofit first signed an agreement with the city in April 2022 to work together on planning, the design, funding, construction, operating and management of a new arts center.

The initial deadline for a project green light was the last day of this month. But that date was pushed back after a series of hurricanes impacted Sarasota in the late summer and fall.

Now, the foundation will have until March 31 to present a new implementation agreement for the Sarasota Performing Arts Center (SPAC) to the City Commission.

The latest agreement addresses details such as a preliminary site plan, a permitting and construction schedule, budgeting and funding options, and what approvals are necessary to begin development, according to the contract commissioners approved.

Jennifer Jorgensen, the city’s director of governmental affairs, appeared before the commission on Monday morning with two SPAC executives, CEO Tania Castroverde and Chairman Jim Travers.

Jorgensen said that after the foundation had asked for a postponement, it determined the implementation agreement itself needed to be revised. Castroverde said more time would “allow us to strengthen the implementation agreement by answering additional questions from the commission.”

Castroverde added the extension would allow the foundation to personally brief newly elected Commissioner Kathy Kelley Ohlrich on the project.

Hurricanes, election affect timeline; questions raised on finances

The trio of hurricanes that caused widespread damage in the Sarasota area stalled some of the project’s momentum. Support for a new performing arts center on the commission was also dampened when former Commissioner Erik Arroyo was unseated by Ohlrich, who is much more of a development skeptic than her predecessor.

Monday was Ohlrich’s first regular City Commission meeting since she was sworn in Nov. 8. As eastern Sarasota’s newly elected representative on the board, she expressed concern about whether the new performing arts hall site would have adequate parking and pricing so as to be accessible to all local residents, not just those who live downtown.

“From my point of view and from what I heard from citizens, we need to assure them they won’t be stuck paying a lot of money for something they can’t afford to go to,” Ohlrich said.

Some of the most pointed questions came from Vice Mayor Debbie Trice, who now may be the board’s clearest swing vote on development issues.

“We’re at the point now that I would hope we would have some sort of proof of concept, so we know the performing arts center would be financially sustainable in the future, operationally,” Trice said.

The vice mayor said she couldn’t believe the project has gone “this far down the road without knowing money in, money out, operationally.”

Trice made clear she wanted to see a plan on how the foundation intends to keep a new performing arts center financially even. At a previous workshop, she said, the foundation’s numbers showed their annual fundraising for the Van Wezel would need to double to accommodate the new venue.

Castroverde and Travers agreed to coordinate with city staff to attach a business plan to the updated agreement.

Motion on new timetable passes 4-1

Mayor Liz Alpert, who ran on her support for a new arts center, reminded her fellow commissioners they are in the midst of a years-long operation before ground is even broken. Not all questions about maintenance, actual cost, and parking, the mayor said, could have definitive explanations at this point.

“I think we need to consider that not everything can be answered right now, but that we have to have the vision and and and the faith moving forward that we will come up with these answers, and we will have these answers,” Alpert said. 

The motion passed 4-1, with Jennifer Ahearn-Koch in dissent.

The designs for what could be the region’s cultural hub were drawn up by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the Italian architecture firm that designed the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, and were first unveiled in August.

Many in Sarasota have eyed a modern, larger performing arts center to replace the 1,700-seat Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as both an investment in the city’s 21st century and a way to become more culturally competitive. The new venue calls for a main theater with 2,500-2,700 seats, a medium venue seating between 600 and 800, and a smaller flexible seating space that could be used for performances and educational programs.  

An improved central venue could expand Sarasota’s cultural web locally and entice more in-demand and prestigious touring Broadway shows to visit. However, it also comes with a hefty price tag: Up to $300 million to be split between the city and the foundation.

The Van Wezel sustained extensive flood damage from Hurricane Milton in October. Up to four feet of seawater affected the interior and flooded the orchestra pit. Dressing rooms, production offices, and the kitchen were heavily damaged. Performances at the Van Wezel were canceled through December.

Moskalenko said in an October statement to the commission that Milton’s damage to the Van Wezel only emphasizes the need for an updated, more resilient venue.

“This is not just a temporary setback – it is a wake-up call and a sign of what’s to come,” Moskalenko said. “Without swift and decisive action, we risk losing not only a vital cultural hub and Sarasota’s primary arts and culture economic drive, but also a crucial piece of our community’s heart and spirit.”

Herald-Tribune Arts Editor Jay Handelman contributed to this story.

Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at [email protected] or [email protected]