Developer advances plans for Lido Key hotel site

The redevelopment of the Gulf Beach Resort Motel on Lido Key is set to include about 65 condominium units, according to a presentation at Wednesday’s meeting of the city’s Development Review Committee.

The developer, Naples-based The Ronto Group, offered limited specifics about its intentions for the property at 930 Benjamin Franklin Drive in a preliminary application to the city. At previous meetings, representatives for the developer indicated the project would be 10 stories tall.

The developer is concurrently in the process of obtaining a new zoning designation for the 3.89-acre property that will enable the residential redevelopment. On Monday, the City Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on final adoption of the rezoning and associated proffers limiting the intensity of any development on the land.

The rezone application seeks to change the land use classification from Residential Multiple Family 4 to Waterfront Resort. The zoning change increases the maximum buildable height on the property from 95 to 135 feet. Although the proposal drew some complaints from neighboring residents at a first public hearing in June, the majority of the City Commission said it believed the project would be compatible with its surroundings even after the height increase.

To accommodate the condo and associated uses such as a restaurant, the developer intends to demolish the Gulf Beach Resort Motel and Coquina on the Beach, two buildings that date to 1946 and 1955. The city’s Historic Review Board approved the demolition of the Gulf Beach Resort Motel in 2020.

The conditions associated with the rezoning creates a cap of 70 units allowed to be built on the property. Those units cannot be rented for any time shorter than a month, and they cannot be rented more than three times in a year. Any accessory commercial uses, including a restaurant, may be built only if their use is limited to residents and guests at the condo.

The developer also agreed to provide a 5-foot access easement on the north side of the property for pedestrians to access the beach from Benjamin Franklin Drive. The developer will be required to incorporate the existing Gulf Beach Resort Motel sign into the redevelopment of the property.

According to the preliminary development application, the project team estimated the construction value of the project at $125 million and is targeting a completion date in winter 2024.

Park pact

Also on the agenda for Monday’s City Commission meeting consideration of a settlement for a long-standing dispute over a segment of land near Paul Thorpe Park in downtown Sarasota.

Under the terms of a proposed settlement, the city would sell a strip of land adjacent to the Northern Trust parking lot to EDM-Sarasota for $275,000. EDM-Sarasota said it would use the land to build two-story food court, and the company is asking for the right to use a portion of the park for outdoor café seating.

The city agreed to sell the land to a real estate firm in 2016 despite objections from some residents who said the grassy strip of land has functionally served as part of the park. In 2017, however, Githler Development Inc. said it was the rightful owner of that property, and the city had no right to sell it. By 2018, the dispute over the ownership of the land had expanded to the point EDM-Sarasota, the owner of the Northern Trust property, was suing the city.

Earlier this year, a judge in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court determined the city owned the property, rejecting EDM-Sarasota’s claims. EDM-Sarasota has filed an appeal, and in November, an attorney representing the company contacted the city with the settlement offer.

Opponents of the settlement said the proposed sale would encroach on areas of the park where the city made improvements in 2019, affecting amenities such as seating, landscaping and a pergola. In an email to city officials, resident Barbra Campo encouraged officials not to accept the offer.

“Simply put, there is no compelling need that warrants the sacrifice of this park’s irreplaceable offerings of shade trees, a beautiful winding pergola with lovely swings and most of all, quietude,” Campo wrote.