Our view

Anyone with an imagination can drive the stretch of Tamiami Trail in Sarasota from the former Quay up to Sarasota Bay Club and come to a quick conclusion about all of that mostly bayfront property:

It is almost priceless.

And: What a waste.

Imagine the amazing possibilities.

Thank goodness someone is doing just that. To his credit, Michael Klauber, owner of Michael’s on East and chairman of VisitSarasota, has recognized that it’s time. Time to transform that amazing, albeit poorly utilized property, into a magnificent, one-of-a-kind cultural park that puts Sarasota on the world map.

Over the past few months, Klauber and VisitSarasota President Virginia Haley have spearheaded efforts to bring together the boards of VisitSarasota, arts organizations, economic development organizations and the Van Wezel Foundation to begin discussions on how to make that dream and transformation become reality.

Just imagine: Imagine a cultural park that replaces the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with a Kennedy Center-like plaza able to accommodate comfortably halls for Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Ballet and Sarasota Opera simultaneously. Imagine a cultural park with the rehearsal studios and facilities to create suitable, permanent homes for these cultural gems.

Imagine a linear, landscaped park for all to enjoy, stretching the length of the property from Sarasota Bay Club south to the Beau Ciel condominium. And imagine an attractive mix of additional hotel and meeting space, offices, condominiums and appropriate restaurants and retail — bustling with visitors and residents alike.

It can happen. And it should.

Getting there, however, is practically a pipe dream.

Here’s why: The Sarasota City Commission and city of Sarasota government.

With all due respect to those good people on the commission and working inside City Hall, history has shown for nearly a half-century these institutions are incapable of big things. Even little things.

Sure, we have the 10-year-old Ringling Bridge, the most significant addition to Sarasota since the 1960s. But even that took a decade to come to fruition, not because of leadership from city commissioners or the city itself, but largely because of one man, Gil Waters, who had the persistence and passion to rally public support. It was one of the most excruciating, contentious and ugly times in modern city history.

So imagine. Knowing what you know about how the City Commission has such an uncanny knack of bungling and obstructing economic opportunities, imagine the City Commission trying to make decisions on what should or shouldn’t be developed on the Van Wezel property. Imagine the exhausting, interminable debates. Imagine the city commissioners meddling into every detail of what is placed where on the property. Imagine them caving in, as they typically do, to the vision-less naysayers who resist any attempt to make Sarasota a more vibrant place.

Imagine the Sarasota City Commission leading the transformation of the Van Wezel and G-WIZ property into a world-renowned cultural park.

Sorry, it won’t happen.

There is a way, though.

If Klauber, Haley, all of the interested arts organizations, business leaders, neighborhood associations and believers in the potential of Sarasota are serious about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they must persuade the city and commissioners to let go.

Turn over ownership and governing control of the entire 75 acres, including the Quay property, to a special taxing district and authority. In effect, create another Reedy Creek Improvement District — the governing authority over everything that happens within the confines of Walt Disney World’s 25,000 acres in Central Florida.

After the late Walt Disney accumulated all of the property for his City of Tomorrow, he obtained approval from the Legislature to create Reedy Creek. Because it owns the property and appoints members to its board of supervisors, decision-making is fast, bureaucratic delays are non-existent.

To be sure, many of Sarasota’s City Hall meddlers would shudder in horror at the idea of the City Commission giving up control of how the Van Wezel property is developed, governed and managed. But it’s the only way the dream will come true. To leave decision-making up to the votes of five elected commissioners will assure failure, or, at best, a frustrating disappointment and botched opportunity.
We’re not sure an exact replica of the Reedy Creek Improvement District would apply to a Sarasota cultural park. In the case of Disney World, the Walt Disney Co. essentially is the Reedy Creek Improvement District. As such, it has had access to capital and counted on its attraction to generate the cash to fund construction and maintenance of its City of Tomorrow.

Similar financing may not feasible for a cultural park. Certainly it would help if the privately owned Quay property paid in taxes to a special cultural district taxing authority what it would otherwise pay to the city and county.

But those are details to be addressed. The key point here is if there is to be a world-class cultural park, there must be owners — an independent governing authority — with “skin” in the game. It won’t work with just “renters” and elected politicians. Just look at what exists now as proof of that.
City commissioners must give up control.

REEDY CREEK: HOW DISNEY GOVERNS DISNEY
The following is from the website of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, rcid.org:

The idea of a special district taking responsibility for all the services normally associated with county government — water, power, emergency services, waste disposal, roads, bridges, etc. — was unheard of.

So was the idea that the landowners within the district, in this case, primarily the Walt Disney World Co., would agree to pay all costs for those services. …

The District was given authority and responsibilities to provide government services such as land use regulation and planning, building codes, surface water control, drainage, waste treatment, utilities, roads, bridges, fire protection, emergency medical services and environmental services.

And only the landowners within the District, primarily the Walt Disney World Co., would pay to build and maintain those services. Local taxpayers, meaning residents of Orange County and Osceola County, would not have to contribute.

The enabling legislation provided for a five-member board of supervisors, elected by property owners, to govern the District. The board of supervisors, each of whom is a landowner in the District, would be in charge of levying taxes and imposing fees within the boundaries. That money would pay for all the services the Reedy Creek Improvement District would provide. The board also would communicate with local, regional, state and federal regulatory agencies on matters that crossed jurisdictional lines.