Haskell and Jon Swift Inc. partnered to restore one of Sarasota’s most important public spaces.

Sarasota Bay is a principal source of tourism, recreation and conservation for the city. To transform 10 acres of bayfront into a revitalized public destination, The Bay Park Conservancy selected Haskell and Jon Swift Inc. to deliver the first phase of their master-planned project.

Phase I covered a broad scope of waterfront and public improvements.

The $20.5 million scope included demolition of existing parking areas, landscape enhancements, walking paths, pedestrian boardwalks and bridges, roadway improvements, infrastructure and utility upgrades, new restrooms and pavilion facilities. Improvements enhance the shoreline’s ecological resilience.

Phase I begins a master plan that could reach $300 million over the next 10 to 15 years. Phase II, budgeted at $55 million, includes the Cultural District, Bayfront Community Center, Sarasota Municipal Auditorium renovations, the Living Resilient Shoreline and Canal District. Phase III will bring a new parking garage for a future performing arts building and renovations to both Centennial and Pioneer parks.

Building along a fragile tidal bayou required careful environmental coordination.

The project corridor runs along an ecologically sensitive tidal bayou, where construction activity risked disturbing the surrounding habitat and water quality. Haskell coordinated closely with environmental stakeholders to sequence work to protect the bayou throughout construction. The team also removed invasive exotic species found on site, restoring the natural environment to its original condition.

Overlapping scopes across land, shoreline and water demanded precise scheduling.

The project site is adjacent to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and other active civic facilities. Diligent phasing kept public access available, safe and disruption-free. Haskell and Jon Swift managed simultaneous scopes across land, shoreline and open water, each with its own sequencing requirements and constraints. This dynamic terrain demanded an equally dynamic schedule, which progressed consistently to meet the client’s timeline.

Phase I gave Sarasota residents a transformed connection to the bay.

New gathering spaces, improved pedestrian access and restored natural shoreline have redefined Sarasota’s stretch of bayfront as a community destination. This work makes for a strategic start to one of Florida’s most ambitious public waterfront transformations.