Florida Construction News staff writer
The City of Sarasota will reveal draft concepts for an Main Street improvements – part of the Main Street Complete Streets visioning project – at an open house meeting starting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the Selby Public Library, 1331 First St.
Participants will have the opportunity to view the drafts, provide feedback and talk with the project team. Concepts were created based on public engagement sessions in Spring 2024, including a visioning workshop, open house, one-on-one conversations with merchants and an online survey with more than 1,500 responses. Initial feedback indicated the top five priorities for Main Street should be:
- additional outdoor dining and shopping spaces
- lush landscaping
- attractive, inviting public spaces
- enhanced lighting
- additional shade
The Main Street Complete Streets project will transform Main Street, between U.S. 41 and School Avenue, into a vibrant more attractive corridor that fosters improved safety for walking, cycling and driving.
“Residents, business owner and visitors can help shape the look, feel and functionality of Main Street by participating in the visioning phase,” said Chief Transportation Planner Alvimarie Corales. “We hope to receive feedback from the community to ensure the design and vision palette represent the community’s preference to enhance Main Street as an inclusive and thriving hub of activity.”
In addition to the public meeting, an online survey about priorities and visual preferences for Main Street is open until Dec. 20.
All materials presented at the community meeting will be available within seven business days on the Main Street Complete Streets webpage at www.Sarasotafl.gov/MainStreetCompleteStreets.
