Building the future: Why Sarasota needs a new performing arts center now

David Lough. Contributed photo

There has been considerable discussion lately about whether Sarasota should build a new Performing Arts Center (PAC). As an actively involved resident who has heard both support and concerns, I would like to offer a different viewpoint than many other people have expressed and share additional information with our newly constituted City Commission.

I believe this project could provide significant benefits to our community and deserves serious consideration.

Keeping a city relevant — especially its downtown — means creating spaces that continue to draw people in, where they find value and feel connected. It is about staying lively, inclusive, economically strong, and forward-thinking. While The Bay Park has been a wonderful addition, providing a beautiful complex of green space and enhancing our waterfront, it is not enough to underpin the city’s arts foundation. For Sarasota, a new PAC would be a valuable addition as a cornerstone for our city’s cultural and economic future.

Below are the three key reasons.

The reality of regional growth

Sarasota County’s population has surged. New population estimates from the University of Florida show a 10.4% growth rate in just the past four years, with the county having added 45,000 people. That brings the county’s population to 479,000.

With the county’s adding almost the entire population of the city in just four years, the PAC’s potential audience includes residents of a growing and diverse region, ready to support a prosperous arts scene.

The population of the combined metro area of Sarasota and Manatee counties is nearing 1 million. This rapid growth is not seen by everyone as a positive, but it is the reality — and it is likely to continue. Most of these new residents, along with many new businesses, are moving to areas south and east of the city, in communities such as North Port, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch.

While this shift of growth away from the city illustrates the challenges of too much growth too quickly, it also underscores the need to keep the downtown area of the city of Sarasota relevant and attractive to the broader region. A PAC on Sarasota’s downtown waterfront would attract both nearby neighbors and those farther afield, further enhancing and protecting a cultural hub for a vibrant metropolitan region.

A strong cultural anchor, such as a new PAC, would help ensure Sarasota’s downtown remains a central draw in the metro area, even as the region expands.

And let’s not forget that key cultural institutions and employers also are relocating. The Sarasota Orchestra, Mote Marine Laboratory — and even the Sarasota County administrative facilities — are moving out of the city. A new PAC can help Sarasota retain its identity as the cultural heart of the region amid these shifts.

The need for a dynamic, functional venue

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, while beloved and iconic, no longer meets Sarasota’s needs or supports the ambitions for a performing arts center in a region nearing a population of 1 million. The Van Wezel’s 1,741 seats and aging infrastructure limit our ability to attract top-tier performances earlier in their life cycles.

It took Hamilton eight years to make it to Sarasota, even though it sold out a 22-show run here.

The facility is too small to be economically viable for many shows we want; the numbers simply do not work for the city or the producers. Many high-demand theatrical works, including Broadway touring productions and large-scale shows, require venues with sufficient seating capacity to cover largely fixed production costs.

For those who believe the Van Wezel’s size is adequate, I would ask whether it will remain truly worth a drive of 45 minutes to one hour from places such as North Port and Lakewood Ranch in the years ahead.

Is it compelling enough to make Sarasota a destination, or to encourage people to stay for dinner or to make a day of it downtown?

A new PAC also would offer modern amenities that today’s audiences expect, from enhanced acoustics to improved entry options and — yes — that long-desired center aisle. This would be a venue created with the audience, performers and backstage personnel in mind, accommodating everything from Broadway shows and concerts to innovative performances and community events. In other words, Sarasota needs a venue that is more than what it has today.

And I will not even get into the feasibility — or lack thereof — of hardening the Van Wezel and its environs to withstand weather events more severe than those of recent storms.

And the final, most critical point — long-term relevance

Sarasota’s relevance as a cultural hub is hard to quantify, but it is essential for our city’s future. The arts and cultural sector is one of Sarasota’s largest employers, following only our hospital, school system and local government.

Soon, the city of Sarasota will represent only about 6% of the region’s total population. Sarasota’s identity as the region’s cultural center is not guaranteed; it requires investment. Without a modern PAC anchoring downtown, we risk losing our position as the cultural heart of the region.

Imagine a “line of pearls” stretching from the Asolo Repertory Theatre and The Ringling, past The Bay Park and on to Selby Gardens — a cohesive cultural corridor along Sarasota’s waterfront. A new PAC would be the anchor for this vision, ensuring Sarasota stays economically resilient and culturally strong for generations to come.

Given that it will likely take five or more years to complete the PAC, it is essential to keep what momentum there is moving ahead. The next critical step is agreeing on a thoughtful and solid Implementation Agreement — which the city attorney already has provided important input on — to move this plan forward.

This is Sarasota’s opportunity to build a Performing Arts Center that attracts people from both across the street and region, strengthens our role as an arts and cultural hub, stimulates economic growth, and keeps downtown relevant. As the to-be-seated city commission considers its vision for Sarasota’s future, this project stands out as a valuable investment.

David Lough
Rosemary District resident