CRA director outlines Sanborn Square installation, TOD and connectivity studies and summer budget schedule

Mr. Brown, the CRA director, told the board the new barricades and planters for Sanborn Square are in a warehouse and are expected to be installed by May. He outlined a proposed summer schedule that would cancel some regular meetings in June, July and August and said staff would return with final dates and proposed budget workshop times to cover the operating budget, the capital improvement program and the CRA budget.

"We expect the barricades and planters at Sanborn Square to be installed by May," Mr. Brown said. He added that staff is finalizing an RFP for a consultant to prepare transit‑oriented development regulations for the city campus and portions of downtown.

Mr. Brown also said the CRA will pursue an RFP to study connectivity between the east and west sides of downtown rather than limit research to a single pedestrian bridge. On East Palmetto Park Road he said ALTA is conducting a survey and will host public meetings as part of a walkability master plan.

The director reported the downtown arts program has not yet started, the circulator is on the city agenda the following evening, and the Center for the Arts will present plans to the CRA on April 19; the CRA will have until October to provide feedback or approval of those plans. He closed by noting that routine downtown maintenance continues.

Why it matters: the updates frame near‑term public‑space improvements, the schedule for CRA budget decisions and forthcoming planning work that could affect downtown land use and mobility. Next steps: staff will present formal budget workshop dates and the RFPs when they are ready.