Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/256534
The Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) sta- tion in downtown Sarasota seems to function well enough. Buses arrive, drop off riders, pick up more riders and leave again. Customers can easily walk to a variety of shops and restaurants from the site at the intersection of Lemon Avenue and First Street. But some downtown advocates say the sta- tion is not the best use of the prime property across from the Whole F o o d s m a r k e t a n d City Hall. The facility also is near Pineapple S q u a r e 's r e l a t i v e l y new retail shops on Lemon Avenue. A number of observers fur- ther point out that the bus transfer station has been getting a little congested lately. The Downtown Improvement District (DID) board members recently were discussing ways to increase economic vibrancy and the tax base in the heart of the city when they began focusing on the bus station, which has been controversial since it was built. " We s t a r t l o o k i n g around and here sits a piece of property owned by the county, and it is not producing The Sarasota County Area Transit station in downtown Sarasota is on Lemon Avenue, just east of Whole Foods. Photo by Norman Schimmel COUNTY LEADERS AND STAFF ARE WEIGHING WHETHER TO MOVE THE DOWNTOWN SARASOTA SCAT STATION TO NEW SITE ON RINGLING BOULEVARD A RELOCATION UNDER CONSIDERATION I don't like the word 'can't.' We have to make it happen, if we can. Joe Barbetta Commissioner Sarasota County By Roger Drouin County Editor