STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
sreid@lbknews.com
While logic might imply that increasing height, development and adding hotel rooms to St. Armands Circle makes little sense given its history of flooding and vulnerability to storm events, one business owner sees this request as the smart way to redevelop the shopping district.
Last Thursday, Met Spa owner Geoffrey Michel wrote Sarasota City Commissioners and staff that “Developers will not invest in the area without being allowed to build three-story structures.”
Michel implored the City Commission to not “turn a blind eye” to the need for revitalization.
This request is nothing new in many ways. A similar proposal was shot down in 2022 when the St. Armands Business Improvement District (BID) asked the commission to make zoning amendments to increase the height to three stories as well as allow hotels on the upper level and increase density and provide parking concessions.
That idea was met with overwhelming resistance from surrounding communities who didn’t wish to see increased traffic and development in what has historically been the most successful shopping district in the region.
But in this latest ask, Michel is citing the recent hurricanes as another reason that new structures are necessary.
“Most buildings are single-story on grade, built in the 1960s. The buildings are unsafe, not up to code, and not proper for Sarasota’s future demographic,” said Michel.
Michel continued in his letter to commissioners calling the Circle “blighted, with no public restroom facilities and minimal community events.”
Resistance mounts fast
Michel’s push was expected by many in the community following the failed attempt of those who wanted the increased height and density and the addition of a hotel in 2022.
In 2022, those seeking increased development wanted a density of 150 hotel guest units per acre. The push was to raise the height from 35 feet, which it is today, to 45 feet.
The ask to increase the additional story is to allow 45 feet from the minimum FEMA elevation, not from grade, which the existing buildings are built upon.
Those opposed feared that the proposed changes would more than double the average existing building height. Additionally, allowing hotels as a zoning change would open the door to the possibility of hundreds and hundreds of hotel rooms in future redevelopment. Additionally, the parking garage has been funded and created through bonds to serve the existing merchants and additional hotel uses might have to seek waivers in order to use the public garage and meet basic requirements.
St. Armands Residents Association President Chris Goglia has painstakingly surveyed residents who overwhelmingly have opposed such initiatives and he seeks to have the city focus on the flooding issues and the infrastructure and resiliency.
“I don’t think taller construction, increased density, fewer parking spaces, and more traffic solves the problem. It might make it worse,” said Goglia in reaction to the most recent push. Goglia said the initiative to incentivize commercial property owners and tenants to invest in their properties is to beautify the buildings and landscaping and make ground level space resilient to flood events.
“I would like to see the businesses on St. Armands thrive, but I’m less interested in making the landlords, to which those businesses pay rent, more wealthy, “ said Goglia.
For those opposed, the idea that businesses or buildings cannot thrive under the existing rules is a complete fallacy. Goglia points out that property owners today can have a 15-foot first story, a 12 foot second story, a ten foot third story if desired, a foot of interstitial space between each story, a one-foot thick roof, and still be within the 35-foot height limit from the FEMA flood elevation, which is typically five feet above grade.
That is why Goglia fears that what is really being asked for is a series of zoning changes “That will ultimately lead to hotels all over St. Armands Circle.”
Lucky 7
Less than one year after the two named hurricanes that devastated the region, St. Armands Circle has mostly reopened and the majority of those shops that have not are wrangling with the city to obtain permits and complete renovation and restoration work.
Two buildings on the north quadrant of the Circle – the former home of Madison Avenue Deli and the former bank building - have sat fallow since the storm and the owner of Madison Avenue Deli lost his lease following the storm event.
Some owners who have not reinvested in the properties have been accused by neighboring tenants of keeping their properties in a state of disrepair in an attempt to pressure the city into capitulating to increase development rights. It is not the first time that a property owner has told a municipality that without increased density or development rights, it is not going to invest in the property or it is not viable is the sentiment of opponents.
But 90 businesses that were equally flooded are up and running. In fact, St. Armands Circle was named number 7 in the 10-best shopping centers list in the United States by USA Today last week. USA Today gave the following accolades to the unique character of the circle:
“Originally developed by circus legend John Ringling, St. Armands blends history, art and upscale coastal shopping in a beautiful European-style setting. The open-air-center features around 130 boutiques, galleries and restaurants, plus the Circus Ring of Fame and classic statuary throughout. Just across the bridge from Sarasota’s mainland, it’s a charming destination for strolling, dining and relaxing near Lido Beach.
Rooms to Come
Another argument against adding hotel rooms to the circle is the fact that two major hotels have been approved already in the vicinity in existing tourism districts that are zoned for hotels. The Longboat Key Club received approval following a public vote that will build a 200-plus room hotel and additional units on the south end of Longboat Key on New Pass on the site of the current Chart House Restaurant and land to the west.
Additionally, the former Helmsley Sandcastle on Lido Key will be replaced with an already-approved hotel which is destined to be built within the next five years. These two projects alone will add about 500 hotel rooms, not to mention the St. Regis opened with 169 rooms on Longboat Key last year.
For Met owner Geoffrey Michel, his hope is that the commission will soon entertain this revamped push for entitlements. For Goglia and those fatigued by initiatives to add hotels, density and height, the desire is for the City Commission to focus on fixing stormwater drainage and preserving the integrity of one of Sarasota’s top destinations.
