City advances MLK Jr. Memorial Park plans; project receives partial sign-off and staff lists tree and right‑of‑way clarifications
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Summary
Parks and Recreation presented a master-plan-based renovation for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park; staff issued a partial sign-off while requesting tree surveys, root-management plans and right-of-way clarifications tied to prior surveys and property lines.
City of Sarasota Parks and Recreation presented design plans for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park during the Aug. 3 DRC meeting and received partial sign-off from staff pending clarifications on trees and existing right-of-way conditions.
Why it matters: The project is tied to a community-development block grant timeline and involves public-right-of-way, landscape and tree-protection work that city reviewers said must be documented before full approval and bidding.
John DePazos of Parks and Recreation summarized the master-plan-driven scope — new sidewalks, paved areas, recreation spaces, lighting, landscaping and parking-lot renovations — and said the team hopes for swift sign-off in order to advertise the work for bid under a CDBG funding timeline.
Engineering staff reported one substantive issue: the existing-conditions plan on sheet C2 differed from the city’s survey records. Steve Zdrozny (engineering) said portions of sidewalk and curb appeared to extend onto private property; he asked staff and the design team to reconcile the discrepancy and noted he would coordinate with a colleague who had historical knowledge of past property transactions.
The City Arborist, Jackie Hartley, requested detailed tree exhibit calculations and a root-management plan. Hartley said required setbacks and recesses should not be counted as buildable area when calculating tree canopy and root-zone impacts, and asked the applicant to explain total square footage marked as unbuildable on the exhibit, with a breakdown showing root-zone, canopy and shade-effect calculations. Hartley also noted that any tree roots larger than three inches in diameter cannot be severed without a certified arborist’s root-management plan and said a separate tree-removal permit is required for the one tree identified for removal.
Other reviewers provided advisory comments: Police offered CPTED (crime-prevention) suggestions, building staff reminded the project team to list applicable Florida building codes on plans and Fire and Traffic offered standard access and ADA recommendations. Public Works said there were no waste/recycling comments for the park design and Utilities confirmed existing irrigation and meter arrangements would remain unchanged.
Outcome and next steps: Staff granted a partial sign-off and asked the Parks and Recreation team to (1) correct the existing-conditions survey discrepancy with city records and (2) submit the tree-exhibit square-footage calculations, root-management plan and a tree-removal permit for the identified palm. Parks staff said they would coordinate with the city’s surveying contact and with the City Arborist to resolve the outstanding items; the project remains subject to final sign-off before bidding.
