Monday, October 12, 2020

Eliminating density restrictions just one concern with 3 Siesta Key hotels

Three Hotels Proposed for Siesta Key

Location of 2 proposed hotels at intersection of Beach Rd and Calle Miramar

Two Proposed Hotels in Siesta Village – Image Courtesy Sarasota county  —  

Three hotels are being proposed for Siesta Key,  two in Siesta Key Village and one near the south bridge.   All building proposals plan for over 100 rooms of Transient (nightly) Accommodations, exceeding existing limitations.  Two of the hotels would exceed the 35-foot height restriction.

None of these hotels, as proposed, are legal under current zoning regulations.  All proposals also violate the two critical barrier island protections prohibiting an increase in density and intensity of property use.  These hotels can only be built if the County Commissioners grant special exceptions and amendments to current zoning and regulations.

The adjacent picture (image courtesy of Sarasota County) shows the location of the two proposed Village hotels, which are side by side.

Redevelopment of Siesta Key Resort

The first Village hotel is an expansion of Mike Holderness’ Siesta Key Resort on Ocean Blvd. from 55 rooms to 170 rooms.  The buildings would adhere to the 35-foot height regulation.

 View plans for this expansion on the Sarasota County web site.

New Hotel on Calle Miramar

Robert Anderson is proposing the second Village hotel with its entrance on Calle Miramar.  This hotel would sit on the vacant UPS store lot and an adjacent empty lot on Beach Road, and three lots behind them on Calle Miramar.  A 170-room, 100-foot building would replace existing single-story buildings.

View plans for the Beach Road hotel on the County web site.

Hotel near South Bridge

The third hotel, proposed by Gary Kompothecras, is located near Siesta Key’s South Bridge on Old Stickney Point and Peacock Roads.  This hotel would be a new 120-room, 100-ft building. A separate parking garage would provide some parking for the hotel.

View plans for the South Bridge hotel on the County web site.

How this will impact the Key?

These proposed hotels will add hundreds more cars driving daily on and off Siesta Key (in addition to extra traffic from the approved Promenade Hotel at US 41 and Stickney Point.)  Beach Access #5, in the Village, and beach access #12 near the Stickney Point Bridge will be overwhelmed with hundreds of extra visitors. Added transient accommodations will increase traffic, pedestrian, and beach congestion – how much can one little island absorb?

Another key component in the hotel proposals is a change to the County definition of Transient Accommodations.  Currently, for the barrier islands, including Siesta Key, Transient Accommodations are limited to 13 rooms/acre or 26 rooms/acre without a kitchen.  These hotel proposals include changes to zoning regulations that eliminate any restriction or allow much higher density.  More than 100 rooms per acre are proposed for each of the three hotels.   Proposals specifically state that certain property on Siesta Key may be developed “to contain transient accommodations which exceed the density restrictions of the zoning regulations.” This opens the flood gates for similar proposals on other Siesta Key commercial property.

Some Siesta Key Residents have asked what people can rely on when making a purchasing decision, if the Comprehensive Plan, Sarasota zoning code, and the SKOD regulations can be changed at a request for personal gain.  What protection can homeowners count on from the County?

Siesta Key Association continues to oppose special exceptions, variances, and amendments to the Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan, Unified Development Code (UDC), or Siesta Key Overlay District (SKOD) for current and future development projects that increase the density, or intensity of property use on Siesta Key.

Current Hotel Status

Pre-applications have been submitted to the County Planning Department and comments returned on two of the projects.  No formal applications have been submitted; no public hearings have been scheduled.   If you have thoughts about the hotel proposals, you can voice them to the County Commissioners at commissioners@scgov.net.

Read extensive articles on hotel proposals:

 Sarasota News Leader:   South Bridge HotelCalle Miramar and South Bridge Hotel ProposalsCalle Miramar Hotel

The recent filings of preliminary applications for two new 80-plus-feet-tall hotels on Siesta Key will encompass more than land development considerations, The Sarasota News Leader has learned.

Each proposal calls for major changes to the Sarasota County Unified Development Code (UDC), which contains all the land development and zoning regulations. Each application also proposes a modification of the county’s Future Land Use policy that applies to residential density on the barrier islands.  SNL 7.23.20

Siesta Sands:   Calle Miramar HotelSouth Bridge Hotel

Herald Tribune: Developers look skyward on Siesta

Check back on the SKA site for further information on these hotel projects.

 

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