Vendor Chosen to Plan and Design the Future Rosemary Park
SARASOTA, Fla. – The City of Sarasota has announced the selection of Kimley-Horn as the lead designer for the future Rosemary Park, a highly anticipated pocket park being developed by the City in the heart of the Rosemary District.
A 2-month process, led by the Rosemary Park Committee, culminated in the unanimous recommendation of Kimley-Horn to the City of Sarasota. One of three firms in continuing services contracts, the Kimley Horn team brought both the design experience and passion to be selected as the Lead Planning and Design consultant for the Rosemary Park. Selection criteria, set forth by the Rosemary Park Committee included:
Team & Background
Portfolio of Parks
Communication & Timeline
Community Commitment
"Kimley Horn brought exceptional understanding, energy, and experience to the committee during our evaluation process," said Anand Pallegar, Chair of the Rosemary Park Committee. "They showed the broadest and most diverse outreach overall out of the three vendors. They also demonstrated a passion for the project that stood out above any of the other presenters and the committee felt that given the options available, they would be the most committed team to partner with on the design of such a landmark park in our neighborhood.”
“As urban designers, landscape architects, and planners, we’re passionate about creating vibrant, meaningful public spaces. As the center of one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Sarasota, the Rosemary District Park will become a nexus for neighborhood activity, providing, social and entertainment opportunities for multigenerational use. We are excited to engage the community and develop a vision for the park that reflects the neighborhoods dreams, objectives, and desires, and transforming an overlooked corner into a great public space.” – James Pankonin and Philip DiMaria, Kimley Horn.
About Kimley-Horn
As a planning and design consulting firm with 90+ offices and 4,500+ employees—over 220 of which are creative and talented landscape architects and planners—Kimley-Horn offers a wide range of professionals who can provide solutions for a variety of parks and recreation project types. Kimley-Horn’s landscape architects believe that their role is to guide the efficient, effective, and responsible use of land where density and intensity of uses demand the development of functional and pleasing visual spaces with meaningful themes and strong connections to the environment—all while being sensitive to budget and long-term maintenance. We offer expertise in open space design, recreational planning and design, feasibility studies, park master planning, multi- and shared-use paths, hardscape design, and site planning. We leverage our planning and design experience to help redefine our built environment and create accessible places where people want to spend their time. The result? Visual environments with meaningful themes, distinctive images, and a strong sense of place.
About the Rosemary Parks Committee
The Rosemary District Park Committee was a group of volunteers from the Rosemary community who shared a common vision of building an accessible and inclusive park in the neighborhood. Members of the committee comprised a broad representation of the community including residents, business owners and property owners. The committee was formed with the intent of carrying out a recommendation from the Sarasota Master plan, written over two decades ago, to build a park at the corner of Central Ave and Boulevard of the Arts. They worked in tandem with the City of Sarasota to evaluate and recommend a vendor for the design of the Rosemary Park, a 0.24-acre pocket park.
Rosemary Park is on track to become a premier, safe, walkable and accessible pocket park for the enjoyment of all. The idea to build a park in the Rosemary District was first mentioned over 20 years ago in the Sarasota Master Plan. In 2020, a group of individuals with a shared vision for the park gathered together to raise the last of the funds needed to support the City of Sarasota in their efforts to purchase a vacant property on the corner of Central Avenue + Boulevard of the Arts.
For more information about Rosemary Park, visit rosemarypark.org.