Traffic worries create bumpy road for Siesta Promenade

Residents of Siesta Key and   mainland neighborhoods nearby have several concerns about Benderson Development Co.’s new plan for Siesta Promenade, but most boil down to one issue: traffic.

Benderson originally pitched plans for a commercial development on the northwest corner of Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41 in 2014. At the time, the developer’s plans for Siesta Promenade included two hotels and 250,000 square feet of commercial space, but no residential development. Those plans were amended after discussions with residents.

New plans call for 525 residences, one 150-unit hotel and 140,000 square feet of commercial space.

Benderson says it revised the project to include residential space to create a barrier between the existing neighborhood and the commercial property. 

But the latest plan still concerned residents at the June 2 Siesta Key Association meeting, during which Benderson Director of Development Todd Mathes gave a presentation.

Debbie and David Daniello, who live a mile from the site, fear the addition of residential properties will exacerbate traffic congestion.

“It’s a lot of cars, lots of people,” Debbie Daniello said. “At least with retail, at 10 o’clock, it’s gone.”

Representatives from mainland communities near Siesta also  worried that the new development could clog access to the Key at Stickney Point Road, leading drivers to cut through their neighborhoods to bypass traffic.

A concept map of the development shows the addition of two stoplights — one north of the Stickney Point and U.S. 41 intersection and one west of the intersection — to control traffic.

Benderson has already conducted traffic studies in the area.

But Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Robin Stublen said his agency would need to do its own studies before making any modifications. FDOT will not take any action until plans are approved by Sarasota County.

“When we have a set of final plans in our hands, we can start our process up here, but not until then,” Stublen said.

Of the two proposed lights, Mathes told the Sarasota Observer that he is hopeful the light west of the intersection on Stickney Point Road will be added before Siesta Promenade opens. But he said it’s unlikely a light will be added north of the intersection on U.S. 41 because it would be just 750 feet from an existing light, and Florida codes require stoplights to be at least 1,320 feet apart.

Mathes insists the development will not increase traffic.

“You’ll never know the difference with our project in place,” he said. “What we expect to happen always happens on the roads, and we have seen that time and time again.”

But many at the SKA meeting scoffed when Mathes promised the packed parish hall at St. Boniface Episcopal Church that the development would not bring congestion.

But not everyone opposed the plans. Siesta Pointe resident Ellen Ross applauded the possibility of a Whole Foods and does not believe traffic will be a problem.

“We like the idea of having the stores,” Ross said. “We want to walk there.”

Mathes expects construction to begin in spring 2017. But first,  Benderson must obtain a special exception from the county to build an 85-foot-tall residential structure. The project also hinges on a special exception to increase the residential density of the site to 13 units per acre.

Currently, Benderson is allowed to build nine units per acre — a number SKA Publicity Chairman Joe Volpe believes is more appropriate.

“The project becomes more tolerable if density is cut in half,” Volpe said during last week’s meeting.

Mathes will hold two more public meetings on June 14 and June 30, at Pine Shores Presbyterian Church. He hopes bring the plan to the Sarasota County Commission for approval within a year.

“I hope we can be responsive to the neighborhood’s concerns and gain support,” Mathes said. “We are absolutely going to move forward, however that plays out.”

Despite their skepticism about current plans, many residents believe Benderson’s engagement with residents is a sign the developer is receptive to feedback.

“It seems like Benderson wants to work with the community,” David Daniello said. “Otherwise, we would have the first projected plan.”