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Old Main Street Study Aims to Shape Downtown Bradenton’s Future
Bradenton Magazine
Bradenton Magazine

Old Main Street Study Aims to Shape Downtown Bradenton’s Future

By: Lisa Neff

Bradenton’s community redevelopment agency is asking residents, business owners and visitors to help shape the future of downtown through a new planning effort focused on Old Main Street and the surrounding area.

The work is part of an urban design study called Destination Downtown: Old Main Street Activation Plan, which focuses on the Old Main Street/12th Street West area that serves as the downtown’s central north-south corridor.

The CRA, in collaboration with the University of South Florida School of Architecture & Community Design and the Florida Center for Community Design & Research, is exploring opportunities to strengthen the downtown through public space improvements, community activity, local business support and a Main Street-style approach that builds on the character and identity of the area.

Integral to the planning is gathering input from residents, business owners and others. To collect feedback, the CRA held a charrette to gather ideas and insights at 1008 4th Ave. W., Bradenton, on May 16, the event coinciding with one of the last Bradenton Public Markets of the 2025-26 season.

At the market, there was no shortage of opinions about today’s downtown and thoughts about tomorrow’s downtown.

Here are a few remarks:

  • “Downtowns are vital to community, to a city,” said Danielle Lorbach of Bradenton. “And we’re blessed because we’ve got a Main Street that leads right to the riverfront. Just add a boutique grocery and a couple of stores and you’ve got everything.”
  • “OK, if you want a wishlist,” said west Bradenton resident Pete Sawyer, “I’d love an Indian restaurant. And a sushi place.”
  • “I know we have a great library, but I’d love an independent bookstore downtown,” said Helene Tipton, who lives near Wares Creek. At the charrette, attendees could share more wants, as well as learn about the initial findings in the study:
    • Activity along the Old Main Street corridor shifts significantly between weekdays and weekends, with most weekday foot traffic tied to work, errands and routine visits.
    • Activity typically increases in the evening as restaurants, bars and entertainment venues draw people downtown.
    • Weekend use broadens with a stronger mix of leisure activity and longer periods of street life.
    • Events play a major role in generating traffic and economic activity in the area. Regular attractions such as the Bradenton Public Market, along with the Bradenton Winter Wonderland, the Bradenton Art and Music Festival and the De Soto Grand Parade, bring large crowds downtown and often spill activity into the Old Main Street corridor.

In addition to the public info session, the CRA is conducting an online survey, which people can access at cityofbradenton.com/mainstreetplan.

The survey asks about the frequency of downtown visits, the timing of downtown visits and the purpose of downtown visits:

  • Do you live or work downtown?
  • Do you visit during the day? For work? Services? Leisure? Lunch? Shopping? Boating?
  • Do you head downtown at night? For dining? Entertainment?
  • Do you think older and contemporary buildings with ground-floor uses contribute to Old Main’s economic vitality and pedestrian activity?

Other survey questions are more complex. Like:

  • “With most of the City’s remaining historical multi-use commercial buildings situated on Old Main Street, is this corridor significant in Downtown Bradenton’s evolution, does it retain an important part of the city’s early history and culture, does Old Main Street contribute to Downtown’s visual character and its unique sense of place?”
  • “Does the Old Main Street corridor and adjacent areas have any family-oriented public open spaces or other features that are easily accessible during the daytime?”
  • “What type of uses, features and amenities do you think are lacking along the Old Main Street corridor that would make it a frequent daytime and nighttime destination?”

At a Bradenton City Council workshop earlier this month, councilmembers and the mayor did some brainstorming on this question.

There were mentions of bringing in a shoe store, a grocery and a big-brand steakhouse.

What’s on your wishlist?

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