Potential park site slated for development

For residents in Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores, the five-year push for the creation of a park on Bay Shore Road has seemingly come to an end.

The saga concluded much as it began, with a developer moving forward with plans for a 23-home residential complex on the 8.4-acre property many residents sought for parkland. Level Homes, a Baton Rouge, La.,-based company, recently made its foray into the Sarasota market by purchasing the land for $4.1 million, and it has submitted its plans for the development to the city.

The land at 4200 Bay Shore Road was originally viable as a target for parkland because initial plans for the residential complex fell through following the recession. At that time, neighborhood leaders pushed for the county to purchase the land from its owner and convert it into a park, which residents said the large neighborhood was sorely lacking. In 2010, the County Commission approved an agreement to buy the land for $3.3 million, but the contract was never executed.

Earlier this year, the county considered acquiring the land through its Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program. The Bank of Commerce, which owned the property, valued the land at $4.1 million. Although it was the eventual selling price, that figure exceeded the county’s appraisal, and no action was taken.

David Morriss, president of the Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores Neighborhood Association, said there’s no formal attempt to fight the development as there had been with the initial project. He said the county and the neighborhood missed the optimal window to acquire the land, and it was now beyond their control.

“The market beat us out,” Morriss said.

Although the dreams of a park on the land are dashed, Level Homes does think the residential development will add to the neighborhood. Bob Hilliard, the president of Level Homes’ coastal division, believes his firm’s project is filling a void in the area.

“There’s very little development that’s happened west of the trail, and there’s very little that’s happened on the north side west of the trail,” he said. “The development that’s happened has been scattered.”

Now that the single-family housing development is moving forward, Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores residents are looking elsewhere for potential parkland. Morriss said that the neighborhood, which has more than 1,200 homes, is perhaps the most underserved area in the county with regard to parkland, and he still hopes the need will be filled.

“We are looking around,” Morriss said. “We haven’t given up, although there’s obviously not going to be a site that big in our neighborhood again.”

One potential recurring obstacle could be the improving real estate market, Morriss said. The Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores Neighborhood Association board will discuss a new potential target later this month, but the waterfront location may make the land cost prohibitive.

“The problem is, I think the market is going to get ahead of us,” Morriss said.

The neighborhood may be facing a challenge in its search for a new park, but it’s determined to keep looking.

“I know that there’s certainly a desire in the neighborhood,” Morriss said. “We’re going to try to find ways to do it.”