Commission approves Palmer Ranch apartments

The Spanos Corp. received approval for a 240-unit community of three-story apartment buildings in Palmer Ranch despite objections from residents of the nearby Wellington Chase neighborhood.

At the Oct. 27 Sarasota County Commission meeting, residents argued that apartment buildings will loom over Wellington’s single-family homes, especially along Weymouth Drive, the closest street to the proposed apartments. 

The apartments are planned for a 20-acre portion of a parcel under contract for purchase by Spanos.

“It’s the wrong fit for this type of neighborhood,” Wellington Chase resident John Cleary said.

The proposal originally called for two buildings with four stories  and a combined 252 units, but Spanos made concessions during the commission meeting that resulted in six buildings with three stories and 240 units instead.

“We think the plan approved, with the stringent conditions, will result in a project that will exceed what’s required by the county code,” said attorney Charles Bailey, who represents Spanos. 

Dan Lobeck, an attorney representing the Wellington Chase Homeowners Association, said compatibility is at the crux of the issue, noting that appropriate densities for development are tied to adjacent land use, and large disparities in density should be avoided.

The Wellington HOA hoped to persuade commissioners to approve two-story development with a density of 5 units per acre instead of the approved three- story building and 12 units per acre. Wellington Chase’s density is less than 2 units per acre.

At press time Cleary said the Wellington Chase HOA board of directors planned to decide at their Oct. 28 meeting whether to appeal the decision.

Commissioner Charles Hines cast the lone vote against the measure.

“It’s a little too dense in regard to building height,” he told the Sarasota Observer, adding that the proposed landscape buffer between developments wouldn’t block enough of the view.

The parcel is part of a larger development, the Palmer Ranch Commerce Park, which has 177 acres of mixed-use development.