Workshop set for St. Armands complete street project

Citizens will have an opportunity to provide input regarding a proposed St. Armands Key Complete Streets improvement project during a public workshop from 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18 in the SRQ Media Studio in the City Hall Annex, 1565 First St.

The city selected a consultant in December 2022 to study and design a complete street improvement project on St. Armands. Because of rising design and construction costs and insufficient available funding, the project has been paused.

Three options will be presented:

• Wait for additional funding from the State of Florida for a comprehensive complete streets project.
• Move forward with a limited streetscape beautification project.
• Shelf the project.

“We’re seeking input with the decision-making process,” said Sarasota Chief Transportation Planner Alvimarie Corales. “We’ll explain the history of the proposed complete streets project and share different project options. We’d like citizens’ feedback to inform our decisions and next steps.”

The meeting will include a presentation by city staff with project options, timelines and proposed costs; a question-and-answer session; and the opportunity for community input. An online survey will also be shared with attendees to help with feedback.

A complete street is an age-friendly design that promotes safe travel whether walking, biking, riding the bus or driving a vehicle. Features may include enhanced sidewalks, street lighting, benches, street trees and landscaping, public art and more.