SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 22nd, 2016 – Folks from Sarasota sure have a broader smile these days as the city pulled ahead of other larger Florida urban centers in the recent U.S. News & World Report on the best places to live in the country.
Sarasota’s top ranking amongst Sunshine State cities, just one amongst several it received recently, this time was good for 14th place overall in the U.S. News list. But what’s even more heartening, the city has various measures in the pipeline by which it can build upon to further improve quality of life within its locality. Ultimately, these steps surely could elevate Sarasota homes for sale even higher as desirable market choices.
A hospitable business environment contributing to job strength, one of the criteria where Sarasota excelled in the U.S. News ranking, is one of the areas where continued improvement is in the city’s template. Towards this end, a downtown circulator, envisioned to contribute much in economic and quality-of-life benefits, is now being actively pursued as the backbone of a transportation system in the city center as spelled out under the city’s comprehensive plan to “move people, not vehicles.”
A circulator vehicle has already been endorsed by the Downtown Improvement District (DID) and the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association. The circulator’s advocates at the DID are optimistic that endorsements from the Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association and the Downtown Sarasota Alliance will follow, paving the way for the city to thresh out logistics of the operation.
What is high on the list for DID operating manager John Moran is operating the Polaris GEM, a six-seat electric car similar to a golf cart but can operate all day without a battery recharge. The heart of its system is a lithium ion battery that lasts for 12 consecutive hours on a single charge. Having a fleet of just six of these environment-friendly vehicles operating in the Main Street would make a downtown circulator in this area available at designated stops every five minutes, Moran estimates.
North of the downtown, major overhauls are now being considered for Fruitville Road between U.S. 301 and U.S. 41 to make this arterial street more pedestrian-friendly. Options on courses of action have already been presented in a workshop in March which amongst other things call for widening the Fruitville sidewalks by 10‒16 feet and the construction of a series of roundabouts at Cocoanut, Central and Lemon Avenues to help traffic flow improvement.
This plan eventually carried out should certainly bring a boost for Sarasota homes for sale in communities within Rosemary District and Gillespie Park. Additionally, neighborhoods at the intersection of Beneva and Fruitville Road can also benefit from the local residents’ current campaign for improvements in their nearby Fruitville Road Park which has gained attention from city officials.
The short-term improvements voiced out include creating a distinct park identity upon which the community around it could anchor with. Establishment of a parking area and walking trail, as well as tree maintenance and replanting were also some of the proposals from the residents. They hope that these will not only enhance nearby communities but also draw some mixed-use developments in their area. One of the existing neighborhoods here is Glen Oaks where Sarasota homes for sale typically have floor plans from about 1,000 square feet up to 2,000 square feet priced in the $100s and the $200s, indeed attractive price points in a city consistently ranked as a good place to live.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 7, 2019 – Property values of communities in the Sarasota-Manatee region now face lesser threat from neighborhood eyesores brought about by abandoned, foreclosed homes. Known in the real estate trade as zombie foreclosures, these properties have shrunk significantly in the region. According to an August report of ATTOM Data Solutions, abandoned […] more>>