Cabana Inn seeks benefits of new code

Rodney Dessberg’s attempts to build a new hotel on the current site of the Cabana Inn have been stymied in the past, but he’s still optimistic a change will come.

Dessberg, who owns the motel property at 2525 S. Tamiami Trail, has sought for years to upgrade the facility. Density regulations have served as the major hurdle for such a project. In 2009, the City Commission denied a request to increase the allowable number of rooms on the site from 64 to 88, a move requested to attract a national hotel chain.

On Tuesday, Dessberg appeared at an Arlington Park Neighborhood Association meeting with revamped plans for a new hotel at the site. Those plans called for a five-story building with an Element Hotels flag, a Starwood Hotels brand that allows for an emphasis on extended stays. The plans also included an even higher density — around 120 units — and, yet, Dessberg came away confident there was momentum behind his proposal.

“It would appear that way, with the reception we’ve seen tonight,” Dessberg said.

Many things have changed over the past five years, one of which created a new ally for Dessberg. The city’s pursuit of a form-based zoning code — and the establishment of the Urban Design Studio — may be a crucial break in a saga centered largely on density.

Led by Karin Murphy and Andrew Georgiadis, the Urban Design Studio has sought to avoid the traditional emphasis on density in conversations about developments in the city. Instead, the group has stressed the importance of how a project fits into its surroundings.

The Urban Design Studio is currently preparing to present a first round of code amendments to the City Commission, but it’s also worked with some neighborhoods to get an early idea of what a form-based code would look and function like.

Arlington Park is one of those neighborhoods, and the Cabana Inn has been a hot-button issue in the area. With many residents eager to see an oft-derided building replaced, others concerned about the density of a new project and a property owner interested in redeveloping, the motel could be a real-world crash course on how a new code would work.

“One thing that we’ve been asking Rodney to look at — even though the code has not been adopted and is not law — we’re asking him to test out some of the principles in advance,” Georgiadis said.

New regulations to allow for higher density are likely more than a year away, Murphy said, but Dessberg is already planning ahead for those rules. Perhaps, more importantly, he’s also incorporating the principles behind those rules.

Georgiadis said one of the biggest issues with the existing Cabana Inn is its white blank walls facing residences on Sunnyside Court and Sunnyside Lane. He suggested it would be better if the rear of the property mirrored the neighborhood it faced, a suggestion Dessberg embraced. In renderings presented Tuesday, residential units stood in the place of those walls.

Another crucial element that Dessberg said drives his proposal is demand. In 2009, then-Commissioner Terry Turner suggested a medical complex would be a better fit for the property. Dessberg has looked into developing a medical office building and found that a surplus of similar properties existed in the area.

One thing nearby Sarasota Memorial Hospital could also benefit from, Dessberg said, is a hotel that allows for extended stays. With at least five hotels in development in downtown Sarasota, Dessberg believes there’s a need for a different type of hotel in a different environment.

“What we need is a hotel in proximity to a hospital with 100-some-odd rooms,” Dessberg said.

Certain aspects of the design still need to be updated to meet the Urban Design Studio’s standards — particularly the placement of the parking lot, which currently sits in front of the building along U.S. 41. Still, the presentation received a positive reaction at Tuesday’s meeting.

Nan Morgan, a four-year resident of Arlington Park, said the proposal could cut down on crime at the property, allowing police to address other issues in the area.

“It helps property value and it’s attractive — I just see it as a win-win on all sides,” Morgan said. “I see no downside to this whatsoever.”