As two architectural firms compete to design a new downtown parking garage, Bradenton officials believe its design will set the standard for future downtown development.
“We are pretty frugal here but also very entrepreneurial,” said Mayor Wayne Poston. “We understand how iconic this building needs to be, and we are concerned about design in everything we do.”
Harvard Jolly and Fawley Bryant architects made their final pitches to the city council on Thursday. The garage will be located on the corner of Third Avenue West and Old Main Street.
The design is to complement existing architectural elements of downtown and serve as an expansion of Old Main Street retail.
Project goals include a garage accommodating up to 450 spaces and determining how many of those spaces would be dedicated to public parking. Some of the spaces may be reserved for city emergency vehicles, and 100 spaces are dedicated to the new Spring Hill Suites by Marriott that is expected to begin construction this spring to the west of city hall.
To read the full article, click here.