Opportunities
North Trail Overlay District
The character of the North Trail corridor began to change following the completion of Interstate 75 in the early 1980's. What was once a thriving segment of US 41 consisting of many destination businesses slowly began to deteriorate. Since 1989, various studies of the North Trail corridor have been undertaken in an effort to revitalize this part of the city. The studies have provided guidance on how to transform the corridor into a thriving, walkable district that supports local community redevelopment objectives and new urbanism concepts. This community-based vision has continued to evolve through close consultation with the people living and working along the corridor with the ultimate goal of creating sustainable redevelopment with quality buildings and streetscapes that are compatible with adjacent residential neighborhoods. It is a long-term vision that will need to occur in phases over time.
The North Trail corridor is a critical, but underutilized and undervalued gateway to some of Sarasota's most culturally and economically significant assets. US 41 provides mobility for roughly 40,000 automobiles a day as a major regional transportation corridor, but lacks a sense of place and positive cultural identity. Rather than favoring pedestrian and neighborhood movements, US 41 simply functions as a pathway facilitating automobile travel and is viewed as perilous for pedestrians. However, the North Trail has the potential to function as a destination attraction.
The vision for the corridor attempts to transform the image of the North Trail into a true, definable, and marveled place known for its historical, cultural, educational, civic, neighborhood, and commercial assets. Converting US 41 to a downtown main street is not the answer. The solution is in re-making the cross streets and key focal points of the US 41 corridor where people can feel comfortable gathering and lingering in well-lit, accessible, and visible centers of activity. (City of Sarasota Zoning Code, Sec. VI-910. - North Trail overlay district.)
City of Sarasota
Explore incentive areas, opportunity zones, zoning, historic, and land use along the North Trail.
Innovation 41 Study
The Innovation41 – Transforming Path into Place – A Study of the US41 Education and Cultural Corridor master plan project was conceived to “create a public process and conceptual design for a designated area of higher education, history and culture along the North Trail on US 41,” and to “assist in developing a master plan for the corridor that will recognize and enhance the educational, cultural, and transportation features of the corridor.”