Plan to redevelop Sarasota Winn-Dixie site into apartments, hotel approved

A plan to replace a grocery store vacant since 2019 just south of downtown Sarasota with a mixed-use project including apartments, a hotel and retail space has been approved — but not without some pushback. 

The project in question is the long-planned redevelopment of the southern half of Midtown Plaza, with a former WInn-Dixie. The Sarasota City Commission approved the project at a Monday meeting, reversing a Sept. 9 site plan denial by the city’s Planning Board.

As representatives of the property argued during the Planning Board meeting, the plan to demolish the 45,869-square-foot grocery store to make way for a mixed use project that includes a 145-room hotel and a 91-unit apartment complex — including 23 attainably priced units — meets or exceeds code requirements.

Still, it was denied by the Planning Board on a 3-2 vote because, as member Dan Clermont said at the time, the majority of the board simply didn’t like it. 

Midtown Plaza representatives attorney Charles Bailey, project consultant Joel Freedman, architect Javier Suarez and ownership partner Gavin Meshad found themselves in the same position Monday at Sarasota City Hall — arguing the redevelopment is a significant improvement over the vacant store and largely empty parking lot, meets all code requirements and is the best version of a long-evolving site plan.

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The commercial center is off U.S. Highway 41 between Bahia Vista and Prospect streets, anchored by Michael’s On East. The portion of the site for redevelopment covers 3.32 acres. 

At the end of a marathon meeting on Monday, the commission approved the appeal, also by a 3-2 vote, with Vice Mayor Kathy Kelley Ohlrich and Jen Ahearn-Koch opposed.

“Perfect is the enemy of good, and we can always look at a project and say it could be so much better,” Mayor Debbie Trice said. “This is not necessarily the perfect project, but it's a whole lot better than what's there now.”

At the end of a nearly three-hour hearing, Commissioner Liz Alpert motioned to approve the site plan, adding, “This isn't a do we like it or do we not situation. It's do they meet the code, and they do. I don't think we have any grounds for denying it.”

The key points of opposition by both the opposing commissioners and nearby Arlington Park residents focused on the location of a trash compactor near the corner of East Avenue and Prospect Street to serve the apartments, hotel and commercial space, and the varying widths of sidewalks along those streets and U.S. 41.

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Once the development team explained the compactor — which unlike a dumpster is fully enclosed and replaced once per week — will be obscured behind a masonry wall covered with landscaping, the sidewalk issue elicited the sharpest conflict.

Ohlrich questioned why the sidewalk along East Avenue will be 8 feet wide and only 5 feet wide bordering Prospect Street. She cited requisite standards for review on the matter, saying she believes the request is justified if it is found there are ways to reduce a project’s impact in the surrounding neighborhood.

The answer, quite simply, is the sidewalk widths meet code, and the narrower sidewalk along Prospect protects grand trees there, which is a code requirement.

“We're concerned about the health, welfare and safety of the people,” Ohlrich said. “Yeah, the grand trees, we’re concerned about them, too, but a 5-foot sidewalk is not as safe for people, including wheelchair-bound people and mothers with baby carriages.”

That argument brought Meshad to the table.

“We're not required to provide 8 (feet). We meet code at 5,” Meshad said. “What about 10, or 15? That'd be better than 8. You're asking for something that is not in our code. We haven't created it. We're improving what we can where we can. But to ask for 8, why don't you ask for 10?”

Meshad wasn’t done.

“Your finding doesn't meet code,” he said. “That would be like saying double your parking. You've got to meet code, but we want you to double it. That would make things better. We could double (parking) for another $6 million. We could add three more stories to the parking, but the code doesn't require it.”

Before the vote, Freedman told commissioners Meshad agreed to slightly move the hotel footprint to provide a 6-foot sidewalk on Prospect Street, but no wider to protect the grand trees there.

The project's location is near the growing Sarasota Memorial Hospital complex, and Meshad said the pricing of the apartments is intended to provide convenient housing for hospital staff, as well as first responders and other service workers. The hospital, project representatives said, is also in need of hotel accommodations nearby.

The site plan shows a new entrance off East Avenue, which is where the parking structure will be located, and the rear of the proposed hotel along Prospect Street next to an L-shaped apartment building. The two-level parking structure and surface lot will provide 231 spaces, exceeding the requirement by 30.

A version of this article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.