Sarasota Station plan remains on track to move forward

A decade after first conceptualized by the late Harvey Vengroff, Sarasota Station has taken its first official steps toward realization with two City Commission approvals related to the residential project in the Park East neighborhood.

During its May 5 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved two measures to pave the way for 69 market-rate for-sale townhomes next to where Vengroff’s legacy company, One Stop Housing, plans to build 202 affordable housing apartments. 

In separate votes following combined public hearings, commissioners approved to vacate a right of way for street, drainage and utility purposes necessary for the development; to vacate a utility easement; and a subdivision plat plan for the townhomes, which is technically Phase 3 of a three-phase project but to be developed before Phase 1 and 2.

The sale of a 3.2 acres of the 7.8-acre site of Sarasota Station property at Audubon Place just north of Fruitville Road to developer and owner SS Sasquatch LLC netted $10 million to help fund One Stop Housing’s affordable housing component, which remains in the planning stages as it addresses technical issues for use of $15 million in Resilient SRQ funds, a federal grant administered by Sarasota County.

On the remainder of the site, One Stop Housing, now headed by Harvey Vengroff’s son, Mark, will develop the affordable units. The project will include a relocation of the popular Bob’s Train diner within the property.

Much of the discussion among commissioners centered on the right of way vacation that is 15 feet wide and 215 feet long — that serves no public purpose and has been unused for decades — and a utility easement vacation measuring 100 feet and approximately 15 feet in width.

Vice Mayor Debbie Trice said she is concerned about the word “perpetual” in describing both a right of way and utility easement vacations, which suggests that should the project not go forward, any future use or ownership would benefit from the specific intent granted to SS Sasquatch.

“One of my concerns is that we don't do a right of way vacation, per se, unless we have some sort of contingency that if the development doesn't actually happen we can claw back that vacation,” Trice said. “Is that included anywhere in the ordinance, or do we have to add that at this time if we so choose?”

Merrill said there is already a provision in place for both vacations that requires the developer to construct and relocate the facilities prior to the vacations becoming effective.

“It doesn't just require it in the administrative site plan, It also requires that construction and actual relocation of the facilities," Merrill said. "These are actually going to be better than what you have now, because they're going to be in the locations where they should be for future development of whatever it is.”

Whatever it is, Merrill added confidently, will be the Sarasota Station plan years in the making. And even if not, he added, the right of way and easement vacations will be necessary for will be there.

Unyielding her concern about perpetual vacations if Sarasota Station isn't developed as planned, Deputy City Attorney John Shamsey suggested tying the vacation to the start of townhome construction. In case they never build it, Commissioner Kathy Kelley Ohlrich suggested an amendment to a motion to include a measure protecting the city. 

All that requires collaboration between the attorneys — Merrill’s firm and the city attorney’s office — with proper legal notification per Sunshine Law standards prior to a second reading, at the time scheduled for May 19. 

“We want to make sure we stay on our May 19 second reading, and staff has told us if we have any changes that they may take us off of that,” Merrill said. “This has already been delayed three times for multiple, multiple months. It’s an affordable housing project that we would hope be expedited, and we've only had delays.”

City Auditor and Clerk, and frequent point of order wrangler, Shayla Griggs said the agenda for the May 19 meeting must be published by May 8, “So I don't know how fast this can happen as far as edits and changes,” she said.

Commissioners encouraged staff and the city attorney’s office to get it done in time.

Before the separate unanimous votes to approve the applications, Mayor Liz Alpert admonished her colleagues for overcomplicating the issue.

“Even though I don't agree with adding the extra phrase, I want this to move forward,and I think it is going to move forward,” she said. “Hopefully, the city attorneys can get this done, so it can be for the May 19 meeting.”