Project denial puzzles developers

A recent decision by the Sarasota City Commission surprised even some wary developers and provides more anecdotal proof for those who consider the body anti-growth.

The commission denied a developer's request to add 16 boat slips to a hotel and yacht club project a few miles north of downtown. The commission previously approved the hotel and yacht club aspect of the project, proposed for the Whitaker Bayou section of Sarasota by local developers and entrepreneurs Kim and Charles Githler.

The kicker this time: City staff and the Sarasota Planning Board approved the addition of the boat slips. Yet the commission, after it heard from several local residents concerned about environmental impact of the slips, rejected the addition by a 4-1 vote April 18.