Rosemary District resumes evening market

On Thursday, vendors and residents will gather in the heart of the Rosemary District as part of the latest attempt to establish an open-air market in the neighborhood.

The Rosemary Art and Design District Night Market is a collaboration between the Rosemary Art and Design District and DreamLarge, a benefit corporation whose offices are located in the neighborhood. The market, which will feature music, food and other goods, is scheduled to run from 5-8 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts.

This isn’t the first market the Rosemary District has hosted. In 2018, the Sarasota Farmers Market launched a series of smaller evening markets near the CitySide apartment complex. In June, the team behind the RADD Night Market launched a previous incarnation of the event, planned for the first Tuesday of the month.

DreamLarge Founder Anand Pallegar appeared at Monday’s City Commission meeting to share information about the market and to encourage officials to support the event.

Pallegar said organizers saw the market as a way to allow residents to experience the neighborhood’s offerings.

“We really believe it’s a huge placemaking opportunity for the Rosemary District,” Pallegar said.

Park progress report

More than 850 people responded to a survey asking for input on plans for a small park in the Rosemary District at 531 Central Ave., the latest in an ongoing effort to add public open space to the growing neighborhood.

The city intends to use the results of that survey to guide the design of the future park. The city is working with consultant Kimley-Horn on plans for the park. The city said an initial conceptual design should be finished by mid-November, and Kimley-Horn hopes to have a concept finalized by mid-January. A timeline for construction plans will not be available until the conceptual design is finished, the city said.

In 2020, the city agreed to purchase a quarter-acre at Central Avenue and Boulevard of the Arts to convert into a park. The city committed $890,000 toward the purchase, and the Rosemary District Association raised an additional $120,000.