Selby gains final approval for redevelopment plans

On Tuesday, the City Commission voted 4-1 to finalize approval of a site plan and other elements of a renovation project at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

The vote authorizes the first phase of a campus redevelopment initiative Selby Gardens first filed plans for in 2017. Following public input and an initial rejection from the City Commission, the plans have been subject to several revisions. Selby intends to construct a four-story, 450-space parking garage, an accessory restaurant and a 28,600-square-foot structure serving as a welcome center and plant research building.

Following the meeting, Selby said it hopes to break ground on the project this spring. The botanical garden has a three-phase, $92 million renovation plan. Phase one is expected to cost $42.5 million, of which Selby has raised $35 million. 

“We are thrilled to be able to stay in downtown Sarasota in a way that allows Selby Gardens to be environmentally and financially sustainable for generations to come,” Selby President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki said in a release.