North Tamiami multifamily project wins alley vacation

Changes proffered in the intervening weeks since the Sarasota Planning Board recommended denial of a partial alley vacation made allies of foes and won unanimous approval of the Sarasota City Commission.

During its May 19 meeting, the commission paved the way for design work to continue on Saravela, a mixed-use, 282-unit multi-housing development along North Tamiami between Fourth and Fifth streets. 

To make for a more cohesive project, GSP Development and principal Larry Debb requested partial vacation of Fourth Way, an alley that bisects the center of the property between U.S. 41 and Cocoanut Avenue, just one block north of the Fruitville Road roundabout. Downtown residents who spoke against the project before the Planning Board expressed support before the City Commission thanks to several concessions made by the developer between the two meetings.

Those proffers include:

• A minimum of 40 attainable dwelling units within the project on the Subject Property.
• Setbacks to enable a sidewalk and landscape pedestrian zone of 20 feet minimum between the building on Fourth Street, Fifth Street and U.S. 41. 
• Ten-foot-wide amenity/tree planting strip adjacent to roadways.
• Eight-foot-wide clay brick sidewalk, 2-foot landscape area adjacent to building and 10-foot planting strip for canopy trees.
• Existing water line on Fifth Street adjacent to the project will be relocated out of the tree planting strip as a part of the required upsizing at no cost to the city.

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“I went to the Planning Board and argued against this proposal, and then we had some serious discussions with the developer and I think we got some significant concessions,” said Peter Blanton, a resident of The Quay, directly across North Tamiami Trail from the project site.

Rosemary District resident and Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association President David Lough, who also did an about-face in the interim joined Blanton in his opposition at the Planning Board.

“We had lots of coffee together and some discussions and I think on balance, we ended up with a better project for Mr. Debb and I think for the community,” Lough said. “This project is an outlier. It shows what can happen when the public is really meaningfully engaged.”

To facilitate the two-tower building over a podium, the preliminary design of Saravela covers the western portion of Fourth Way, the alley primarily used for sanitation collection with no sidewalk, lighting or viable pedestrian use. The access to and from the eastern half of the alley, which runs between residences facing Fourth and Fifth streets, will be relocated to Fourth Street.

The project is taking advantage of the city’s attainable and affordable housing density and height bonuses, originally planned to include the minimum of 29 affordable units.

“We're going to put 40 of them in,” Debb said, including a bonus of his own. “We’ve worked out with US bank that they'll provide 90% financing to anybody who has a certificate from the city that they are certified to buy one of these. In addition to that, we will not charge those 40 units any HOA expenses, again saving them money because we think it's extremely important to have those types of affordable units in the in the building.”

The developer hasn’t determined whether some, all, a mix or any of the units will be available for purchase. 

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The building design includes townhomes along Fourth Street, creating a more welcoming pedestrian experience in contrast to a wall up against the public right of way. 

To allay concerns about vacating a right of way that is lost forever in the event Saravela is not built, Debb has proffered that until clearing all pre-development hurdles and an issued building permit, the vacation will not occur.

“I know there have been reasonable and justified concerns with this commission in the past,” said attorney Patrick Seidensticker, who represents the developer. “It never leaves the city's ownership unless and until we are approved both for the administrative site plan and all of our administrative adjustments that we're asking for, and receive a building permit.”

Prior to the vote, there was little discussion among commissioners regarding the merits of the alley vacation, other than to compliment all parties involved for the process.

“I'd like to commend you for having your conversations with the neighbors,” said Commissioner Kathy Kelley Ohlrich. “It’s a great example of how a project can be better for you as well as for the community, and it's a great example of why we do need community workshops.”