Pictures Worth a 1000 Words?

The pictures above show two views of Main Street. One picture shows a view of toward lower Main with the tree canopy from the black olives shading the sidewalk and providing a memorable sense of place. The other picture shows a view to the east where the City has planted "High Rise"oaks (an oak bred specifically for a non-spreading, column like form) in order to minimize maintenance costs.

We question whether the loss of "sense of place", a shady canopy setting, is worth the savings in maintenance costs. The feeling of a nice, tree shaded downtown, is very different from the sense one gets from walking on the sidewalk next to the High Rise oaks. The High Rise oaks along the sidewalk remind one of cutting across a mall parking lot to get to the indoor stores. Not exactly a memorable downtown "ambience."

A tree canopied Main Street, lined with unique, local businesses makes for a wonderful sense of place that will continue to draw visitors and locals to Sarasota's downtown. Let's build on the assets we have.