Longboat Observer 2.13.14

Page 6

6A

Café Don Giovanni

parking problem

Casual Italian Restaurant Delicious Dinners Nightly 4:30 - Close

Osso Buco • Veal Chop • Chicken • Lamb • Fresh Seafood Sea Bass • Dover Sole • Pasta • Pizza

(941) 383-0013

5610 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key

132671

Parties of three or more, please call for reservations:

J.L. BAINBRIDGE & c o m pA N y, I N c .

Investment Advisors Established in 1981

Jerry L. Bainbridge

118250

Barton L. Bainbridge

ADAM

JO

P

HN

N RI

GL

IN

G

P

FR

N

AN

KL

IN .

(941) 365-3435 www.jlbainbridge.com

PROPOSED PARKING GARAGE LOCATIONS

DR

1582 Main Street | Sarasota, Florida 34236

City staff and the consulting firm behind a parking study for St. Armands Circle held a meeting Feb. 6 to get feedback from people in the area — something St. Armands residents were more than willing to provide. Eight months ago, the city began work on a parking feasibility study to mitigate the parking issues around St. Armands Circle. Kimley-Horn and Associates, the consulting group unanimously chosen to conduct the parking study, recently completed its first draft and presented its findings to the community at the meeting. Mark Santos, the project manager with Kimley-Horn, said there were some nonstructural methods the city could implement to ease the parking woes. That included adding signage directing drivers to two public lots on Adams Drive, which were sometimes under capacity even during peak hours. Most of the conversation, however, pertained to the potential construction of a parking structure at those lots. The parking structures, up to four levels in height, could add between 200 and 500 additional spots to the area. Santos said no site or garage size was favored. Kimley-Horn still wanted input from people on St. Armands. Studies conducted in 2008 and 2013 suggest the district’s parking shortage is currently anywhere between 20 and 450 spots, with the area vastly exceeding its capacity during peak hours on weekends

.

John B. Leeming

Although businesses on St. Armands Circle say they need additional parking badly, nearby residents worry about how the garage will affect the surrounding homes.

DR

Visit our website to download our mid-year report and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Study names potential St. Armands garage sites

N

Joel G. oldham

by David Conway | Staff Writer

BE

K. David Schoonover

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

S

Fay E. Bainbridge

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

1 / 4 MILE

during which events are held. Estimated construction costs for the garage, which are still preliminary, ranged from about $5 million to $13 million. St. Armands residents had many concerns about the possible construction of a parking structure. Since the targeted areas of construction face residential streets, they said any garage should attempt to blend in with its surroundings. Numerous residents said they were concerned about the building’s size, aesthetics and layout, as well as potential traffic, sound and noise issues created by a garage. Residents said they felt the report, as it stands, was primarily concerned with the interest of businesses on the Circle. “These structures are both in the neigh-

CONTEST Enter for your Chance to Win (2) Travel Tickets* from one of the Following Carriers:

Go to: yourobserver.com/ itsreadeverywhere to enter and for more details.

SCAN HERE FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO ENTER ➤ e s t i m at e d C o m p l e t i o n Dat e

S u m m er 2 015

DO YOU SRQ?

San.Sa.Ra / noun /

*restrictions apply

132687

132181

S A N S A R A R E PR E S E N T S T H E CO N T I N U I T Y O F L I FE , FRO M O N E FO R M TO A N OT H E R , T H E CO N T I N U O U S FLOW O F B I R T H A N D R E- R E B I R T H


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.