Planning Board approves P.F. Chang's

Just more than a year after it was announced that Scottsdale, Ariz.,-based P.F. Chang’s China Bistro wanted to put a location in downtown Sarasota, the restaurant was approved by the Planning Board Dec. 14.

The new restaurant will start construction in February and could be operational by December 2012.

Sarasota developer Dr. Mark Kauffman worked with the restaurant chain officials to submit a three-tiered application that allows for the eatery to be built as a stand-alone location at 766 S. Osprey Ave., near Mound Street.

In November 2010, Kauffman’s land-use consultant, Joel Freedman, submitted a proposal to the city to develop the restaurant in place of an office building at the northwest corner of Osprey Avenue and U.S. 41.

The 4,164-square-foot building currently is used for executive suites, and Kauffman bought a parcel of nearby property to accommodate more parking spaces for the site.

While the site plan was approved by a unanimous 7-0 vote, the rezoning of the property for use as a restaurant received a 6-1 vote, because Chairwoman Susan Chapman believes the restaurant belongs somewhere else downtown and doesn’t fit with the character of the existing neighborhood.

“Would it be better located at places like the Ringling shopping center or on South Tamiami Trail?” Chapman asked. “I think yes. This is a major change in character for the Mound Street area.”
Freedman, however, told those in attendance that P.F. Chang’s has been looking for an appropriate stand-alone site downtown for the last 10 years.

“This is it for them and where they wanted to be,” Freedman said. “They don’t just build their restaurants in malls.”

The rest of the Planning Board had no issues with the application.

“I would like to point out that you have a very respected developer in Dr. Kauffman, who has done marvelous things with this community,” said board member Mort Siegel. “P.F. Chang’s is also one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever experienced personally, and I believe the community is very fortunate to have people of this caliber and this experience going for them.”
Board member Chris Gallagher agreed.

“The applicant has done an outstanding job of going above and beyond what’s required,” Gallagher said. “I don’t see the character of Mound Street being diminished. It’s a great improvement to the Mound Street area. And it’s good for downtown.”

The application took longer than expected to process, in part because of the company’s delays in resubmitting requested materials and working with nearby residents and business owners to make sure the future building, which will be designed by P.F. Chang’s in-house architectural team, was met with neighborhood approval.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc. operates two restaurant chains: the full-service P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and the quick-casual Pei Wei Asian Diner.

The company already operates a Pei Wei on University Parkway just west of I-75. Currently, the closest full-service P.F. Chang’s China Bistro restaurants are located in Fort Myers and Tampa.