A View on the Proposed Sky Plaza

Dear Commissioners,

When Save Our Sarasota signed a letter requesting the city create more connectivity to the bay, we never contemplated a major structure along the bayfront. We considered and discussed traffic calming measures such as landscaping, wider landscaped medians to provide safe refuge when crossing Route 41, traffic signals more responsive to pedestrian demand, pedestrian sleeves and other options.

We believe the Sky Plaza being proposed is inappropriate in character and overwhelming in scale and would detract from the beauty of our bayfront. It competes with and dwarfs the natural environment. It would also constitute an interruption to the view of the bay from Main Street.

And what about other areas that need to connect with the bayfront? We hope that full citizen input will be solicited in designing more graceful, less intrusive means of providing pedestrian access to the bayfront.

We have been in contact with the proponents of the Sky Plaza design and plan to meet with them to discuss various alternatives. Many of our civic objectives are shared by them.

Thank you for your consideration,

Save Our Sarasota Steering Committee

[A Pelican Press article about this proposal can be read here.]