St. Armands clinic variance requests revived

A Sarasota Memorial Hospital satellite clinic on St. Armands Circle is being resuscitated with the city of Sarasota’s Board of Adjustment next month.

SMH spokeswoman Kim Savage said a resubmitted application that now includes three variances instead of four will come before the zoning board 1:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Sarasota City Hall.  

“We went back to the drawing board,” Savage said. “The revised project has been scaled back to address the Board of Adjustment’s concerns.”

To address concerns, SMH eliminated a request for space for an imaging center on the third floor of the clinic. By eliminating that space and opening up a stairwell, Savage said the interior area space has been reduced, which eliminates the need for a parking space variance of 15 extra parking spaces the zoning board took issue with when it denied four variances May 27.

Plans still call for the urgent care center proposed on the second floor and a surface lot/ground parking on the first level.

SMH now seeks three variances that ask for:

• A variance of 8% from the maximum building coverage requirement of 30%;

• A variance to permit four parking spaces in the 20-foot from yard along South Adams Drive;

• And a variance for 2.5-feet from the minimum 5-foot landscape buffer width requirement for a 60-foot segment of the eastern boundary to accommodate a drive aisle enclosed by a 6-foot concrete wall.

SMH has also filed a revised site plan application to reflect the changes that will be heard by the city of Sarasota’s Planning Board 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Sarasota City Hall.

In December 2014, SMH approved the $3.6 million purchase of Circle property that will eventually become its sixth satellite center. The hospital has considered a location in the Circle for six years.

SMH estimates a St. Armand’s Circle facility could treat at least 9,000 patients annually.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].