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The Bay

The City of Sarasota in partnership with The Bay Park Conservancy is conserving and revitalizing 53-acres of city-owned land to create an iconic public park along Sarasota Bay for broad-based enjoyment of the bayfront by our community. The park, once complete, will be the first signature park in the city’s history and will be the only major amenity in Sarasota that will be open, accessible, free and welcoming to everyone in the community.

Fast Facts

Park Location
A scenic, central location on Sarasota Bay, situated between Boulevard of the Arts in the South and including Centennial Park in the North.
Park Size
53-acres of public, city-owned land
Park Timing
The Bay Park development will take 10-15 years over 5 or more phases
Park Cost
The estimated total cost of The Bay Park is $100-150 million. The Bay Park will be open, accessible, welcoming, and free to all.
Master Plan:

The Master Plan, approved by the City of Sarasota in September 2018, envisions a new performing arts center and a signature park with a wide array of amenities for the public. The Bay Park Conservancy and the City of Sarasota have entered a long-term, 15-year partnership agreement for design and planning, co-funding, development, management, operations, and sustainability of the park. The Bay Park Conservancy continues to collaborate with the City of Sarasota and the Van Wezel Foundation as they plan for a new performing arts center inside the park

  • The master plan delivers on community aspirations and provides for a park that will offer a full range of fitness, health, and recreation activities, arts, cultural, and educational opportunities, and an array of programming limited only by the imagination of the community and The Bay Park Conservancy.
  • Notable amenities include: a sunset boardwalk, restored mangroves and coastal wetlands, event lawns, a food and beverage pavilion, restored gardens and treelined walkways in the first phase. The Blue Pagoda serves as a welcoming center for visitors and an on-site office for The Bay Park Conservancy.
Project Team:

The Bay Park initiative is led by the following team members:

  • The Bay Park Conservancy. Founding CEO, AG Lafley.
  • Chief Implementation Officer. Bill Waddill, a designer and developer of parks and public spaces.
  • The Agency/Sasaki Design Team. Gina Ford and Susannah Ross. World-class design and planning team, with a specialty in civic spaces and public parks on waterfronts.
  • Communications and Marketing. ATLARGE; Media contact: Nicole Miskovic

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