Crew purchases Osprey property

Sarasota Crew is expanding — by 3.2 acres.

The nonprofit youth rowing organization purchased three parcels of land on Bayview Lane in Osprey for $975,000 Nov. 10.

The crew has been launching out of Bay Preserve in Osprey since 2008; before that, it used a launch at Historic Spanish Point. Since the program began in 2002, however, it’s attracted more athletes, and now it needs a new space.

“We’ve seen substantial growth since 2002,” said Susan Kenyon, executive director of the organization.
The site at 120 Bayview Lane is already home to eight buildings and a dock. Kenyon said the dock would probably have to be refurbished to accommodate Sarasota Crew.

The organization is working to build a long-term plan for growth and hopes the new property can be the centerpiece. However, plans for the bayfront parcel are not solidified, Kenyon said.

“It’s exciting for us. … We hope to have more information soon,” she said.

Sarasota Crew is applying to the county to rezone part of the property from residential into planned unit development. Although there aren’t any specific plans for the property yet, Kenyon said the goal is to build a boathouse. The organization plans to start a community fundraiser in 2015 to raise money for construction.

The organization funded the land purchase with a loan from Friends of Sarasota Crew LLC.

Friends of Sarasota Crew is registered under Richard M. Goldberg, who is a radiologist and managing partner for one of the crew’s sponsors, Partners Imaging Centers. Some of the Sarasota Crew families, including Goldberg, raised the funds for the loan, Kenyon said.

Casey Galvanek has worked with the organization since 2007, and became head coach in 2009. Since then, the program has expanded from 45 high school and about 20 middle school students to 361 students combined this year.

The new property will aid the expanding program, he said.

“It was an incredible deal for us — the amount of property we got,” Galvanek said.

Besides the obvious benefits of expanding, the new property can be developed to fit the organization. With direct access from U.S. 41 and a location central in the county, it will provide easier access for everyone, Galvanek said.

Also, a new location could help alleviate traffic concerns at Bay Preserve, which neighbors have complained about in the past.

During a March 16 Sarasota County Commission meeting, at which the commissioners discussed a possible zoning change to Bay Preserve, several neighbors voiced their displeasure with the amount of traffic Sarasota Crew was causing on Palmetto Avenue.

At the meeting, Commissioner Nora Patterson told the team it should consider moving part of its operations to a new location.

In response to neighbors’ complaints about traffic, Sarasota Crew re-worked its parking plan, appointed a parent to direct traffic at the facility each day and asked participants to enter and exit through the Historic Spanish Point entrance.

The Osprey purchase was also a response to the neighborhood frustration.

“We want to reduce our impact on the neighbors, but we will continue to use Bay Preserve,” Kenyon said.

Sarasota Crew has invested in the Bay Preserve location — including a $45,000 improvement to a two-lane parent pick-up lane and the installation of a new dock — and Kenyon said the team will still use this facility in addition to its future site on Bayview Lane.

For now, though, the organization will be waiting on the county’s decision to the rezoning request before making any design plans.

“We want to make sure it’s appealing visually,” Galvanek said. “We don’t want it to cause a problem.”

Kenyon said, ideally, the facility would be completed by September 2017, in time for the World Rowing Championships scheduled to take place in Nathan Benderson Park.