Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/352007
some kind of graduation from a shelter into affordable, permanent housing. He is asking for $395,000 from the city to refur- bish an old police substation on 890 Central Ave. into a "low-demand shelter" open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (See the related story in this issue.) He was told that will take some zoning work, but if it is approved for a "fast track," the change could happen in three or four months. "My opinion is, the county jail should not be the highest quality of life you experience in Sarasota County," Frizzell said. The commissioners also heard a report from the other end of life's spectrum — the future of high-end retail in Sarasota. Consultant Bob Gibbs explained his review of four shop- ping areas in town and their future after the opening of the new mega-mall at University Parkway and Interstate 75. "You are a strong market," said Gibbs. "But when the new retail center opens, you are going to look dated." Gibbs reviewed downtown, St. Armands, the Rosemary District and the Newtown corridor along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. "Many downtown stores look dated; they have a 20- to 30-year-old look to them," he said. "You should consider some sort of storefront improvement program." St. Armands Circle, he continued, "is too top-heavy with restaurants. There will be a tipping point where it becomes an enter- tainment district, and it will be difficult for retailers to survive. It's now about 60-percent retail. You want a shopping district with a lot of good restaurants." A flag marks the location of the Town Hall Restaurant on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Newtown. Image from Google Maps Sarasota News Leader July 25, 2014 Page 17