Downtown residents work past construction roadblocks

One Palm, the 10-story hotel and condominium project at the corner of Palm Avenue and Ringling Boulevard, is rounding into shape — one of the first in a long line of high-rise developments under construction in downtown Sarasota.

Although city officials and many residents are welcoming the new activity with open arms, those who live in the immediate vicinity of the project have cause for concern if this project is a harbinger for how future construction efforts are handled.

Peter Fanning, a resident of Savoy on Palm, reached out to the city because he found a segment of Palm Avenue was being closed without any prior notice to residents in the area. The closures, which extended to Ringling Boulevard, made traveling throughout downtown difficult for those living along the street.

“I'm president of my own condo association and work with seven other condos along Palm for communication,” Fanning said. “None of them were getting any notifications.”

After getting no response from city staff on his first few attempts at flagging the problem, a message to city commissioners eventually achieved the desired result for Fanning. He says there have been two recent closures, both of which were noticed at least five days in advance, and is satisfied with the city and developer’s action.

“I think it makes life a lot easier,” Fanning said. “We're hoping this communication will continue as other projects come on line.“

That’s a point Fanning stressed, as several projects are either underway or planned for that same stretch of South Palm Avenue. Just down the block from One Palm, the groundbreaking for the Sansara condominium tower was held in May. Further down Palm Avenue, developers have filed paperwork for two condominium buildings, Echelon on Palm and South Palm Residences.

City spokeswoman Jan Thornburg said developers are required to provide notice of any construction-related closure to several city departments and other organizations at least 72 hours in advance, including the department of Neighborhood and Development Services.

In addition to the official requirements on the books, the city also encourages developers to be courteous to their neighbors whenever possible.

“Our staff, when they're issuing a permit, they'll just remind the applicant that it's really good public relations to reach out, go door to door, let the business owners and the managers and the residents know what they're going to be doing,” Thornburg said.

As the building environment continues to be fertile in downtown Sarasota, Fanning and other Palm Avenue residents just want to be sure that courtesy continues to be offered from developers.

“We're going to be hit with a lot of construction,” Fanning said. “We understand the construction is good for us, but we just need to be able to do it cooperatively.”