Plan submitted for Sarasota Checkers site redevelopment

Development consultant Joel Freedman said he is very sad the Checkers restaurant at the corner of East Ave. and Ringling Blvd. is gone. 

On the upside, its demolition brought him a new client who plans to build a seven-story, 22-unit multifamily development with a street-level restaurant.

On March 5, Freedman and MRM Management made their first submittal appearance for the mixed-use project before the city’s Development Review Committee. Besides the apartments, the proposal includes a 3,100-square-foot restaurant and 800 square feet of retail/commercial space at the street level. The developer will modestly price two of the apartments.

Among the usual list of comments to be addressed for an initial submittal was one contentious matter of what defines a wall. The developer intends to have an open-air dining area along the street, separated by a low wall with columns to support the floors above. That plan doesn’t meet setback requirements, said Chief Review Planner Noah Fossick, without enclosure from the top of the wall to the ceiling. 

Chris Gallagher of Hoyt Architects said simply adding glass, for example, to meet code “doesn’t make sense” if the glass can be opened to achieve the same effect as no glass at all.

“We've got a dining area and wall around it, so why is it not a building?” Gallagher asked. “At what point does it not become a building? Is because it doesn't have windows? We’ve got to take that up. I don't think that's correct.”

Both sides agreed to disagree on that point and take the matter up offline, for which there is plenty of time to resubmit before the staff panel. 

The plan comes with two requested administrative adjustments, which won’t be under consideration until the DRC provides final sign-off on the project. At approximately 9,900 square feet, the site is small, but the applicant also owns an adjacent lot, which, among its uses, is a loading zone, refuse collection area and additional surface parking.