Downtown discussion

There's been much ado about driverless cars lately, and the buzz-worthy technology was part of the conversation at a recent Downtown Horizons breakfast in Sarasota.

Serial entrepreneur Jesse Biter, a panelist at the event presented by the Commercial Investment Division of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, thinks his 3-year-old won't ever drive a car. That's how confident he is in the technology that could affect how cities construct parking garages and roadways. Other panelists included Steven Stancel, the city of Sarasota's chief planner; Steven Cover, the city's planning director; and developer Kevin Daves.

Daves says walkability of downtown is key: “You have to be able to park your car and forget about it.”

The panel discussed how Sarasota could improve mass transit, with Cover saying he thinks it could be a more diverse system. He'd like to see the community expand bike trails in the community. “Having a good bike system is good for economic development,” he says, because it can help bring millennials and other groups of people to the city.

The city's fleet of iRide Sarasota on-demand electric vehicles that circulate downtown is one way it aims to improve transportation. Stancel calls the program step No. 1 in “what we hope will be a more efficient shuttle system.” The future of that system could also include water taxis, he says.

The panel also discussed plans for 42 city-owned acres around Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. “Make the Bayfront more interesting if you want to connect people to downtown,” Biter says. By giving more people a compelling reason to cross the street, he says, there would be safety in numbers, which could potentially alleviate concerns about pedestrians crossing U.S. 41.

Daves says of the project, “It's a good opportunity to do community-minded development.”