Let's talk

This Monday, the Sarasota City Commission will take up an important topic: How to move forward with the Ringling Shopping Center, which I purchased with another investor in 1998.

We have been working for more than a decade to redevelop the property into an attractive and modern retail destination that is worthy of the property’s long, vibrant history and its close proximity to downtown and the neighborhoods that surround it. But the process has been bogged down by a vocal minority of Sarasota residents who have stifled attempts to inject life into a shopping center which has almost emptied since the departure of its previous anchor, Publix.

Additionally, residents want to be assured safe access to Payne Park and the future Legacy Trail from the Gardens of Ringling Park neighborhood.

My proposal on how to move forward is simple: Let’s talk. Some have criticized our attempt to come to a favorable conclusion through the legal system. When the Sarasota City Planning Board approved redevelopment in 2013 and a majority of the residents most affected by the plan were in favor of the design, a strategic and orchestrated behind the scenes campaign was set in motion by a former city official with an ulterior agenda and therefore propelled these efforts off course at the detriment to the community. For the past ten years we have tried to work through these challenges to no avail. It is due to our past experiences that we felt the need to file both a lawsuit and a pending claim under the Bert Harris Act. We recognized the court would likely recommend mediation which could spur meaningful conversation with city commissioners and the city attorney under the watchful eyes of the legal system, and will come to a resolution quickly- rather than go through another long drawn out process to delay the center’s redevelopment.

By coincidence we found out just this week that on Monday the city attorney will recommend a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning of our property which will lead to another lengthy delay of public hearings, divisive dialogue, and a litany of meetings and discussions that will only be a repeat of what has occurred over the past 10 years. Mediation provides an opportunity for the parties to sit together and mediate an amenable solution and get this center moving in the right direction for the hundreds of residents and business owners who are tired of waiting for action.

The Ringling Shopping Center is a vital piece of Sarasota’s growing, thriving downtown. Redevelopment now will not only give immediate relief to neighbors and business owners wanting change immediately, but it will also counteract the blight which has overtaken the area.

Before taking any action on Monday, I simply ask the Sarasota City Commission one thing: Please sit down with us, and talk. I urge the city commission to vote against the proposal brought before you Monday night which we feel is premature and will delay a timely resolution. See a video here.

Louis Doyle

Property Owner, Ringling Shopping Center