Letter to Jane Robinson, Director Planning & Redevelopment

Dear Jane Robinson:

Save Our Sarasota believes the city should be giving more attention to the design of the NEW Sarasota.

Many of us decided to move to Sarasota, because it is the City of the Arts in Florida. It is architecture that makes this statement in the most visible way.

For years, neither expediency nor financial considerations were the overriding focus of building projects. Design and creative expression were important elements, making for Sarasota's rich and proud architectural history. We now see projects nearing completion in our downtown where this is obviously not the case.

The Advisory Board of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was established to permit citizens to review plans for development in this most critical area of downtown. The Advisory Board was set up to represent the public interest in the use of tax funds. The composition of its board, as mandated by the CRA Resolution, includes a planning or design person, as well as persons from other disciplines, thus creating a public advisory board with the expertise to comment on any plan that comes before it.

This important board should be reviewing in depth all significant projects that are to be built in our downtown. We note how very often their input is not being solicited.

And we strongly urge the City of Sarasota to not only encourage, but require, professional design input from its CRA Advisory Board. Mr. Dale Parks, who currently sits on that Board is highly qualified to fulfill that role.

Sincerely,

Janice Green, Chair
Save Our Sarasota

Editor's note: This letter was recently sent to Jane Robinson.