Retirement community on Sarasota Bay plans major expansion

When it opened in 1966, Plymouth Harbor was not only the tallest residential structure in Sarasota — as it remains today — it was also the tallest in Florida. As it rises above Sarasota Bay when reaching the peak of the Ringling Bridge toward St. Armands Key, it remains the dominant feature of the skyline.

Although a 2018 expansion to add assisted living and memory care units to its inventory, at 215 independent living apartments, Plymouth Harbor has a waiting list of about five years. At approximately 25 acres, the retirement community occupies most of Coon Key on the south side of John Ringling Boulevard, the only remaining buildable property a surface parking lot on the northeast corner adjacent to the Sarasota Yacht Club, which is also planning its own expansion.

That’s where Plymouth Harbor plans to build an eight-story, 115-foot tall building for 153 additional independent living apartments plus amenity areas, support facilities and a second on-campus dining option for residents. The project made its first appearance before the city’s Development Review Committee on April 16, officially starting its run through the approval process that will also require a rezoning from Medical Charitable Institutional to Residential Multiple Family 5.