Taking a big-picture approach to solve a parking crisis.

In coming up with a parking solution for the popular St. Armands Key shopping district in Sarasota, planners had to alleviate a dramatic space shortage without compromising the area’s distinctive charm. The project — St. Armands first parking garage — would also need to be completed in the midst of a bustling downtown urban setting during low season to minimize impact to the local restaurants and retail stores. The solution would be a public-private partnership with the team of Jon F. Swift Construction/Haskell at the helm of CMAR services.

Swift/Haskell steered the complex, seaside project into a global benchmark.

The four-story, 484-space precast concrete garage was built on an existing surface lot. With abundant natural lighting, a durable exterior and a stainless-steel mesh and cascading external stairwell, the inviting structure offers easy access to law enforcement, event parking, public restrooms and paid parking that supports the nearby community. The project, which included burying overhead power lines and installing median improvements and signage, included a solar panel array intended to offset almost 50 percent of the building’s energy needs and benefited from $2 million in value engineering during preconstruction.

Making access easier and appealing for visitors, retailers and residents.

More than 13,000 vehicles parked in the structure in the first two months it was open. The garage increased parking capacity, alleviated traffic congestion and created a paid parking program that’s won local and worldwide accolades. The garage was the world’s first municipal-owned garage to earn a USGBC LEED Parksmart Silver Award. In 2019, it took home the Florida Parking and Transportation Association’s Awards of Merit for design and architecture and received an American Society of Civil Engineers Project of the Year Award from the Florida Engineering Society Myakka Chapter. The Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) granted it two design awards in 2020 – one for an All-Precast Concrete Solution and another for Best Parking Structure (All-Precast).