Mira Mar redevelopment makes its first appearance before city staff

Much has happened with the Mira Mar property on South Palm Avenue in the three-plus years since the Sarasota Historic Preservation Board denied its demolition by then-owner Mark Kauffman.

His plan was to sell the property to Seaward Development, which would build a two-story commercial plaza in the spirit of the Mira Mar’s architecture and 70 condominiums across two towers behind the rebuild. 

His contention was the 100-year-old Mira Mar, stick-built in only 60 days atop a sand foundation, was on the verge of collapse, and with restoration cost of more than $20 million at the time, saving the structure wasn’t financially viable.

Rather than pursue an appeal to the City Commission, Seaward — after first backing out of the deal — went forward with the acquisition of the two buildings that comprise the Mira Mar as it devised plans to rezone the property behind it along Mira Mar Court to permit two 18-story residential towers. Sale of those condos would generate enough revenue to cover the now $30 million estimated cost to restore the Mira Mar to its 1920s appearance and still make a reasonable profit on the project.

Mission accomplished.

Doing business for the project as Mira Mar Acquisition Company, Seaward has partnered with Miami-area firms REG Architects, a historic restoration specialist, and Nichols Architects, which is designing the new towers. On Nov. 5, it made its first appearance before the city’s Development Review Committee.

Covering 1.42 acres and some 400 linear feet along South Palm Avenue, the project secured a Comprehensive Plan amendment and rezoning during the summer of 2025, allowing it to restore the entirety of the 27,500-square-foot, two-building Mira Mar and monetize it with the residential towers. 

Although resubmittal to the committee is required to address dozens of outstanding staff comments — which is typical at this early stage — it marks the initial foray into the administrative approval process. Because it is located in one of the downtown zone districts, the project requires only staff approval unless making requested adjustments that only the Planning Board can grant.

In total, the Mira Mar will include 38,000 square feet of commercial space, some of it surrounding a courtyard area between the historic building and the new towers. 

Seaward recently announced a starting price of $3.8 million per unit. The historic rehabilitation of the existing buildings can start next month, with the residential towers expected to be completed by the end of 2028.