Planning board rejects Sarasota synagogue's plan to sell site

Banking its financial future on selling a portion of its land for an apartment development, the city of Sarasota Planning Board dealt at least a temporary blow to Temple Beth Sholom.

The synagogue, on prime real estate just south of downtown Sarasota, has partnered with Gilbane Development, which plans to build a four-story, 275-unit multifamily complex to include 20 attainable housing units on the southern six acres of its 10-acre site. The temple would remain on the northern four acres.

The property is at the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Tuttle Avenue and Bahia Vista Street, directly across from Bahia Vista apartments, which is currently under development. That amount of development intensity at an intersection that for years has been vacant at the two corners gave the Planning Board enough pause to recommend to the City Commission denial of a future land use map amendment, rezoning and site plan for the development.