Cypress Square project final phase wins approval

The Sarasota Housing Authority has received City Commission approval for the final phase of a public housing redevelopment in the heart of Newtown. 

On Nov. 17, the commission unanimously authorized a site plan for Amaryllis Park Place Phase IV on a 2.55-acre site formerly occupied by 32 single-story units, which were demolished as part of an overall redevelopment of SHA properties. Replacing those will be 61 apartments across two three-story buildings, completing a project that operates under the name Cypress Square.

With a street address of 1660 21st St., all Cypress Square units list as affordable and managed by SHA. The entire Cypress Square site used to be The Courts, which SHA has razed for redevelopment. 

In September, the Housing Authority celebrated the dual groundbreaking of the second phases of Cypress Square and Lofts on Lemon. Cypress Square II will bring 108 units, 33 available as Section 8 housing and the remainder priced to match one-third of the monthly household income, whatever that may be, up to 80% area median income. Combined with the 83 units of the first phase, when complete, Cypress Square will offer 252 modern apartment homes ranging from one to three bedrooms. 

Photo by Andrew Warfield

Residents displaced by the demolition of the prior units moved either into the first phase of Cypress Square or other SHA communities, or relocated with their Section 8 vouchers, SHA Executive Director William Russell told commissioners.

Mayor Debbie Trice noted as a consequence of the redevelopment, Bethune Court and Bethune Street no longer exist, the street names honoring Mary McLeod Bethune, noted civil rights leader, presidential advisor and founder of Bethune-Cookman University. 

Russell told Trice a plaque at the community’s central amenity will bear Bethune’s name in addition to other notable names associated with the community.

“I'm really happy to hear that because Mary McLeod Bethune does deserve that amount of recognition,” Trice said.

Chris Gallagher of Hoyt Architects told commissioners that when converting blocks of streets into a single multifamily community, there are many entities that factor into how to handle addresses.

“The federal government has an opinion about it. The Post Office has an opinion. The fire department has opinion and our city has an opinion about it,” Gallagher said. “It is an unbelievably complicated thing to get something that actually works. There aren't really streets that are left in there. It’s really just parking.”