TO ARCADE OR NOT TO ARCADE IS NO LONGER A QUESTION

Last evening, January 23rd, the City Commission voted down the option of arcades and the ability to build habitable space above them. Mayor Servian, Vice-Mayor Atkins, Commissioner Palmer all voted against arcades. Commissioner Shelin was against arcades but did not vote for the language presented. They did discuss they would like to discuss this option at a later date.


Through our Charrette with Urban Planner, Ramon Trias, we learned that arcades would work and sometime necessary in Burns Square. I spoke at the Commission Meeting last evening to express the view of the Burns Square Property Owners Association. This is what I said:

"Good Evening, my name is Denise Kowal and I am speaking as President of the Burns Square Property Owners Association and as a property owner, resident and business owner in the City of Sarasota.

I cannot speak with authority for the entire city but I can speak for the interests of Burns Square.

The Property Owners Association has invested tens of thousands of dollars in our process to create a long-term vision for development, which we hope to present to the City Commission, in an open public meeting sometime in March. Our vision includes arcades in some areas and we found in many cases they were not only completely appropriate in scale and effective but also necessary in Burns Square due to the current downzoning to DTC. The elimination of this option will drastically hinder our process that has been underway for months. We are quite proud of the work we have undertaken, our ability to work together with differences and create a shared vision that will benefit not only the businesses and property owners in Burns Square but the entire city.

We find it upsetting that the Burns Square Property Owners may not be recognized as responsible citizens, working diligently to grow their area into a wonderful destination with the possibility of arcades, should you rescind this option. We ask you to keep the possibility of arcades in the Master Plan and in the very least, keep them as an option that can be approved by the commission.

We hope you respect the work we have done and allow us the opportunity to present our vision before you deny it."

OWNERS SHARE PUBLIC SPACE VISION WITH LAUREL PARK

The Burns Square Property Owners Assoc. will be sharing its vision for public improvements for the Burns Square area with the Laurel Park neighborhood at the board meeting on Monday, January 9th. There are many issues that affect both areas such as pedestrian safety, parking and traffic. We will be speak about improvements the association will propose to improve public safety that will improve the quality of life for the many residents who walk, drive and Segway within or through the area. We will also discuss strategies, options and recommendations for public parking to eliminate the need for business people from Burns Square to use the streets of Laurel Park for parking. We also have ideas for Morrill, Laurel & Oak Streets, clearly defining the business area in Burns Square from the residential neighborhood of Laurel Park. We look forward to sharing our ideas with Laurel Park and hearing their input.

DESPERATELY BURNS SQUARE NEEDS PARKING

After a recommendation from Lance Stahl from the Trading Company, one of the Burns Square property owners, we started a petition requesting the city to purchase a location for a parking structure and it goes as follows:

BURNS SQUARE NEEDS PARKING DESPERATELY!!

PETITION To The CITY COMMISSION

I support the purchase of the lot on Dolphin Street and Orange Avenue by the City so they can build a parking facility for the Burns Square area. I feel this lot is centrally located within Burns Square making it an ideal location for a parking facility. I encourage the City Commission to move forward consistent with the Downtown Master Plan 2020 and The City Master Parking Plan and purchase the mentioned property with the TIF funds that were put in place for this purpose. It will never cost less!

End of petition

Signatures are being taken in the area shops. If you wish to support this effort, please stop by, if you can find a parking space and sign the petition. We already have over 200 signatures since December 21st.

Just kidding about if you can find a space. We do have on-street parking and some temporary parking locations. The temporary lot that is open to the public is on the East side of Orange Avenue just north of Laurel Street. We are also working on some other temporary lots that have not gone into construction yet. These locations are temporary and will be unavailable once developed. We thank you for your support.