Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/301152
the company to lease the rooftop and install solar panels. Commissioner Paul Caragiulo said of the garage plan, "I've supported this from the beginning, to develop nearly an acre of the downtown area. There are some issues with spending. The 50-percent increase does not give me confidence I would like to have, but parking garages are an important part of our downtown." Caragiulo then voted against the project, joined by Mayor Shannon Snyder. But the other three commissioners voted in favor of it. The same vote split was repeated when it came time to approve the funding scheme. The city is obligated under a contract with the developers of Pineapple Square to provide the garage by February of next year. Stancel says it will be a race to the finish line. Expect a groundbreaking in May. IMPACT FEE TAKES A HEADER Although a raft of public hearings will still be required, the city commissioners cleared the way for Sarasota to opt out of the county's road impact fee system and replace it with a more dexterous "mobility fee" that can be used for more than just road improvements. City Engineer Alex DavisShaw has been work- ing on the plan for many months. It requires undoing many codes, interlocal agreements, ordinances and coordination with Sarasota County. At issue on the afternoon of April 21 was a resolution declaring an intent "to terminate the road impact fee inter-local An artist's rendering shows one view of the State Street parking garage design. Image courtesy City of Sarasota Sarasota News Leader April 25, 2014 Page 61