Benderson plans Village construction

Siesta Key Village could have more than 8,000 square feet of new retail space if Sarasota County approves a building addition in Hanna Plaza, at 5221 Ocean Blvd.

Benderson Development, which owns the property (made up of a north and south parcel), plans to add an 8,000-square-foot addition on the north parcel, which sits next to Beach Bazaar, and a 400-square-foot patio on the opposite side of the plaza.

The addition would stretch to the sidewalk and overtake 14 parking spaces, according to the concept site plan.

Benderson purchased the property’s north parcel as the limited-liability corporation 5221 Ocean Blvd., in 2011, for $300,000. Other Benderson purchases include a parcel with additional parking across the street for $396,000 and the southern parcel in Hanna Plaza for $651,500 the same year.

The firm has invested roughly $2.7 million in Village properties since the beginning of 2011.

The two parcels that make up Hanna Plaza and the adjacent southern parcel are listed together as “Siesta Key Commercial” in Benderson’s current concept. Benderson will work informally with the Siesta Key Village Association and the Siesta Key Association, as well as the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, as the project moves through the design process, said Todd Mathes, Benderson’s director of development.

Siesta Key architect Mark Smith said, after an April 2 Village Association meeting, that he had spoken with representatives from Benderson about a stormwater plan for the rear of the property, but worried about the parking spaces subtracted from the property in initial designs. The firm will need an alternative parking agreement if the plans remain for the final development, according to comments from the Sarasota County Development Review Committee pre-submittal review.

The additional square footage leaves a void of about eight parking spaces to comply with the Siesta Key Overlay District (SKOD) and roughly 21 spaces to comply with the Sarasota County Code. The SKOD requires additional parking when restaurants increase the size of their patron area.

“Given the parking issues/concerns on Siesta Key, as a consideration, in-structure parking may ease the parking problem for new construction in this area,” the review said.

Siesta resident Lourdes Ramirez, who has been vocal about the island’s overlay district and land use on the Key, said the development would, in some ways, bring the property further into compliance with SKOD.

The development would be consistent with parts of the SKOD, which encourages new development to abut sidewalks and provide awnings for pedestrians.

Current tenants at the location, including Sea Pleasures & Treasures and Waterside Realty, did not know any details of the renovation. Mathes said the tenant structure is slated to remain the same, but said the project is too far in its infancy to make any concrete statements about leasing.

The last major renovation in the Village was in September, to prepare the former site of Total Tennis, on Avenida Madera, for the restaurant Eat Here.

Hanna Plaza was built in the early 1990s, according to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser website.
“We want to give the buildings more of a Village feel,” Mathes said.