Day docks near final approval for Sarasota's Centennial Park

With unanimous recommendation for approval from the Sarasota Planning Board, the Bay Park Conservancy is now a City Commission endorsement away from its plans to build 18 day docks in the canal at Centennial Park.

The floating dock is an integral part of plans for Phase II of The Bay to make the park, and by extension the downtown area, more accessible to visitors arriving by boat. It is part of the expansion and enhancement of Centennial Park, which will become part of the 53-acre, city-owned The Bay park.

Representatives of the Bay Park Conservancy appeared before the Planning Board on Jan. 8 seeking two affirmative recommendations for City Commission consideration: a Major Conditional Use Application and a Governmental Zone Waiver that will allow for the construction of the dock. The waivers are needed to allow for construction in the existing boat basin, for dock pilings to be 14.5 feet above the mean high-water line, and for the seawall to exceed 5 feet above the mean low-water line.

Phase II is divided into four projects: 

• The Canal District, including upgrades and expansion of the current Centennial Park boat launch on the north side of the canal and the day docks on the south side.
• The resilient shoreline, which is focused on the waterfront trail and some aspects of Hog Creek to make environmental, resilience aspects and water quality improvements in those locations. 
• The Cultural District, which is the frontage along U.S. 41, a comprehensive refresh including building a promenade along the eastern frontage of the park and to restore historical resources along U.S. 41.
• The Sunset Pier, which remained mired in the Army Corps of Engineers permitting process.

“This is the southern portion of the of the upland cut, and it will provide 18 boat slips for visitors,” said Philip DiMaria of consultant Kimley-Horn of the day docks. “This is important for The Bay park individually, but also Sarasota as a whole. There's a limitation to the number of boat slips on Sarasota Bay and the addition of these 18 slips will open up Sarasota for folks visiting from the water.”

The plan met with few concerns of the three members of the Planning Board conducting the public hearing — Shane Lamay recused himself from the proceeding and Daniel DeLeo was absent — other than questioning the absence of a safety railing between the dock and the southern seawall.

Courtesy image

That concern was borne of the personal experience of board member Daniel Clermont, whose wife is still recovering from slipping head first between a dock and a wall at Marina Jack, where there is only a 15-inch separation. The tight space made it difficult for her to escape the situation.

“My concern is a safety matter, and that is a railing on the inside of the dock,” Clermont said. “Obviously you can't have one on the outside of the dock. That's where the boats are. I can't in my right mind vote in favor of something where there is not a safety rail there.”

Prior to the meeting, Clermont had expressed his concerns to staff. He asked the BPC’s panel if there had been follow-up discussions.

“In the time since being notified of some of your concerns, we spent some time analyzing our proposed dock, its design, and compared it to some of the other docks in the city for safety,” DiMaria said of project designers and consultants. “In their professional opinion, this is an extremely safe design and matches the context of this specific boat basin whereas in other situations it may not make as much sense to not have a railing there.”

The primary difference, Clermont was told, is the clearance between the floating dock and the seawall is 11 feet versus 15 inches, so nobody would become trapped if they fell. Also, a railing would not stop a child from falling in but could impede in rescue attempts. Finally, because the floating dock heaves with the waves, rails would have to be horizontally separated, creating possible pinch points. Additionally, the dock will be 10 feet wide, plenty of room for maneuvering without approaching the edge of the structure.

While Clermont was satisfied with the space between the dock and seawall, as well as the width of the dock itself, board member Douglas Christy wondered about the hours the dock would be in use — specifically late at night.

“The real answer is, we don't know,” said AG Lafley, founding CEO of the Bay Park Conservancy. “But I'll tell you two things: the operating hours of the park conform with city public parks, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. I do believe for Centennial Park — and I don't know whether it extends to the south side of the basin — that it is open for 24 access for fishing and for the return of boats.”