At a May 21 public meeting, the City of Sarasota will present three conceptual design options for the Main Street Complete Streets project, the next stage in a long-range effort to reshape the 1.2-mile corridor from U.S. 41/Bayfront Drive to School Avenue into a more walkable, shaded and flexible downtown street. The meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Selby Public Library’s Jack J. Geldbart Auditorium, 1331 First St.

The three options are not final designs. The city describes them as "conceptual approaches," meant to illustrate the overall look and feel of a rethought Main Street rather than final materials or specific amenities. Attendees will be able to review the concepts, learn more about the project’s background and offer feedback that will help guide the next phase of the project.

The meeting follows the completion of the project’s visioning phase, which drew on nearly two years of work and public outreach. The city’s June 2025 Vision Plan included door-to-door canvassing, online surveys and mapping, public workshops, open houses, stakeholder meetings and one-on-one briefings with business owners. An initial online survey collected 1,536 responses, while a second survey on the earlier vision concepts collected 194.

That earlier phase established a broad direction that's now being carried into design. The Vision Plan calls for a Main Street that remains a downtown hub for businesses and activity while improving safety, connectivity, public space and accessibility. It identifies wider sidewalks, improved landscaping, integrated street amenities, accessible parking and adaptable design solutions as key elements of the long-term vision.

Public feedback also revealed the project’s central balancing act. Residents and stakeholders expressed strong interest in wider sidewalks, more shade trees, public gathering spaces, traditional red brick and decorative street treatments. At the same time, there were concerns about the loss of angled parking while creating more room for pedestrians.

Those ideas could play out across different stretches of Main Street. Between Five Points Roundabout and Orange Avenue, the earlier vision called for a flush-curb design that could create a more continuous public realm and make temporary street closures, events and plaza-style activation easier. Between Orange and Osprey avenues, it proposed widening sidewalks in some areas by converting angled parking to parallel parking, while adding landscaping, bicycle and micromobility infrastructure and improved pedestrian crossings. Farther east, between Fletcher and School avenues, the vision called for more green space, public seating, art and recreation opportunities, along with a possible connection to the Ringling Trail.

Main Street Complete Streets is now in the planning and design phase, with engineering, planning, and design firm Kimley-Horn hired to conduct project development and environmental work and design. Construction timing has not yet been determined, and the project is still years away from execution. The upcoming meeting is the public’s next chance to shape what that design process produces.

The Main Street Complete Streets meeting is Thursday, May 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Selby Public Library, Jack J. Geldbart Auditorium, 1331 First St., Sarasota. Click here to learn more.