Bradenton Beach soon may have another park.
During an Aug. 3 Community Redevelopment Agency meeting, Mayor John Chappie and city attorney Ricinda Perry outlined a conceptual park in the area fronting Sarasota Bay between the Historic Bridge Street Pier and the city’s dinghy dock.
The CRA has been considering the possible removal of an aging cistern located at the foot of the city pier and the creation of a boardwalk and pocket park in its place.
Chappie broached the idea in a Manatee County Council of Governments meeting Aug. 1, explaining the scope of the project to county officials, and then again at an Aug. 3 Bradenton Beach CRA meeting.
“This area that we are working in our CRA is about 1,800 feet in length. It’s a great area,” Chappie told the CRA.
He said the proposed boardwalk would connect to the city’s dinghy dock, which is where people moor boats in the bay, just south of the pier. He said there would be room for about 17 boats and boaters could come ashore, walk, shop, visit the pier and the beach and enjoy Bridge Street.
He said the CRA is seeking funds to connect the pier and the dinghy docks, creating a seamless transition between amenities.
Chappie alluded to increases in visitor traffic from the newly launched Manatee County water taxi program, which will dock ferries at the pier for embarking and disembarking passengers.
“The conceptual project is the Bridge Street bayside park. This area is what’s going to connect the dinghy dock, the clock tower and our resiliency project on Bay Drive South,” Chappie said.
He said plans include tables and seating to allow visitors to take in views of Sarasota Bay from the park.
He said the cistern is defunct and the CRA had been in talks with the South Florida Water Management District about its possible removal.
The proposed boardwalk extension also would include landscaping along the waterfront, where the vista is blocked by existing foliage.
Perry said the CRA is nearly finished with the floating pier work but there are some additional ideas they were pursuing for the cistern area.
She said she spoke with Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Falcione was in favor of the park concept.
“He said that he would be quite willing to extend the TDC funds and if we wanted to change the match from 50/50 to something else, including 100% funding, he would be supportive of that,” Perry said.
