The Journey to Rosemary Park
The idea to build a park in the Rosemary District was first mentioned over 20 years ago in the Sarasota Master Plan.
With a lack of open and accessible green space in the community, the idea to create a central, walkable gathering space was proposed in the Sarasota Master Plan. And now, with the efforts of individuals around the Rosemary community, the idea has been brought to life.
Site Selection
3 sites were identified in order to determine where would be the best place to build Rosemary Park.
1371 Blvd of the Arts
1370 Blvd of the Arts
531 Central Ave and 1386 Blvd of the Arts
After careful consideration, it was determined that the site at the corner of Central Ave and Blvd of the Arts was the perfect site for a pocket park to be built.
The 10,500 square foot lot offers an excellent location with high visibility within walking distance to members of the Rosemary community.
Who paid for the site?
Park impact fees covered about 95% of the park site costs. In order to close the funding gap, there was a one-time contribution from a generous group of individual donors in order to secure the site.
Selection of a Park Designer
The Parks Committee was a group of committed individuals from the Rosemary community tasked with interviewing potential vendors, making a recommendation for vendor selection and laying the foundation for welcomed community input.
After a thorough interview process, it was determined unanimously to recommend Kimley Horn, who were selected by the City to proceed with the design of the park.
What’s next?
Community
Outreach
September-October
Through early October, the City surveyed the community to gather stakeholders thoughts and opinions surrounding what they value in a park.
Ideation +
Initial Concepting
October-December
Results from the survey were shared and utilized to understand and identify features and components in the development of a set of design ideas by Kimley-Horn.
Looking for the design concept boards? Click here
Next Design Round
Early Q2 2022
Kimley Horn will take the survey results from the initial 3 ideas and refine into 2 possible choices for the Rosemary Park.