Laurel Park project clears first hurdle

A three-building, 24-residential-unit mixed-use development along Orange Avenue and Alderman Street passed an initial test, receiving an enthusiastic reception from Laurel Park residents at a preliminary community workshop.

The proposed complex includes a four-story building at 635 S. Orange Ave., which will include about 3,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 15 residential units. Behind that, two three-story buildings will sit facing Rawls Avenue, featuring an additional nine townhomes.

The development, slated for property along the border of Laurel Park and Burns Court, is the work of Vandyk USA. It’s the Canadian company’s second project in the Sarasota area. The development is a slight departure from One88, the luxury condominium project on Golden Gate Point that served as Vandyk’s entry into the market.

Karin Silver, Vandyk’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the company’s second Sarasota project is more in line with the developments it has spearheaded elsewhere. She said Vandyk attempted to reflect the project’s surroundings when developing the plans for the housing complex.

“We’re taking the neighborhood into consideration in the build,” Silver said. “Downtown, we want to provide more of an opportunity for anybody to live there — for the people who live and work in downtown.”

Silver also said that the commercial aspect — which could eventually house a retail store or serve as office space — would help provide a better pedestrian experience in the area.

“I think as the retail and the community moves toward Mound and 41, it’s going to add an extension of the walkability of that area,” Silver said.

On Monday, representatives for Vandyk held a community workshop regarding the project. Because the project would be located within the Laurel Park Overlay District — created after Laurel Park residents pushed for more oversight regarding developments adjacent to their neighborhood — residents had the opportunity to offer their feedback on the proposal.

Unlike the first proposal to go through the Laurel Park Overlay District review process — the proposed expansion of the nearby Woman’s Exchange, which generated concern at a meeting in May — the Vandyk project drew few worries from the residents in attendance.

Those present inquired about the potential character of the commercial space, the adequacy of the parking provided and the construction plans, but they were largely satisfied with the answers they received.

One potential issue could eventually emerge if the Planning Board doesn’t approve an aspect of the proposal. Plans call for the use of a drainage easement off of Orange Avenue as an entry point into the complex — a use that isn’t allowed under the city code, because Orange is a primary street.

Vandyk will go before the Planning Board seeking an adjustment to permit the use of that easement; planning consultant Joel Freedman said the matter would likely be considered in November. If the Planning Board doesn’t approve that adjustment, the complex would instead use Rawls Avenue as one of its points of entry — a narrow street, the use of which has been a point of concern for Laurel Park residents in the past.

For now, however, the proposal has gone over well with Laurel Park residents. Vandyk will begin the process of requesting the adjustment from the Planning Board and gathering the required construction documents. If all goes well, Freedman said, the developer will apply for a building permit in January, at which point another community workshop will take place.

If no issues arise down the line, Vandyk is currently targeting a construction date as early as spring 2015.