Phase 1 of The Bay Park to Open in Year Ahead
Phase 1 of The Bay Park to Open in Year Ahead
City Approves The Bay Park Phase 1 Site Plan
SARASOTA, Fla. – March 9, 2021 – The Bay Park Conservancy (BPC), the non-profit organization responsible for overseeing the redevelopment of 53-acres of City-owned land along Sarasota Bay into a public park, is pleased to announce that the Phase 1 Site Plan was approved 4-1 by the Sarasota City Commission on March 8.
The milestone moment, backed by tremendous community support, allows The Bay Park Conservancy to continue to bring The Bay Park to fruition.
Construction will continue to progress on the first phase of The Bay Park, the 10-acre area to the north of Boulevard of the Arts and south of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center. Phase 1 will include the Mangrove Bayou Walkway, scheduled to open at the end of this month, the Living Shoreline, Sunset Boardwalk, the Lawns, a Kayak Launch and a Concession Plaza with restrooms.
“The city’s endorsement is the next big step forward for The Bay, a park that will be open and accessible, free and welcoming to all,” said AG Lafley, Founding CEO for The Bay Park Conservancy. “We are grateful for the support of the city, and all the thousands of Friends of The Bay throughout the community.”
“Our beautiful Phase 1 of the Bay Park is just the beginning and will really lay the groundwork for the balance of what will be an amazing civic asset for our community,” said Bill Waddill, Chief Implementation Officer for The Bay Park Conservancy.
To learn more about thefeatures of The Bay Park Phase 1, please visit here. For more information about The Bay Park Conservancy, visit www.bayparkconservancy.org.
About The Bay Park
The approved Bay Park master
plan will conserve 53 acres of city-owned land and create an iconic public park
along Sarasota Bay. The park will cost about $100-150 million and will take
between 10-15 years, over 5 or more phases to complete. The Blue Pagoda serves
as a welcoming center for visitors and an on-site office for The Bay Park
Conservancy. For more information or general inquiries about this initiative,
please visit www.thebaysarasota.org or call
941-203-5316.
About The Bay Park Conservancy
The Bay Park Conservancy
(BPC) was formed as a 501c3 not-for-profit organization in 2019 to implement
the master plan approved by the Sarasota City Commission to conserve 53 acres
of public land for a community park on Sarasota Bay. The BPC entered into a long-term
partnership with the City and will fund, develop, operate and sustain the park
for the benefit of the community, now, and for generations to come. For more
information, visit www.bayparkconservancy.org.
