Sarasota - Bradenton Development News

[smiley]

Article published Jul 29, 2004
History of Summerhouse could affect condo project

By Lauren Mayk

SIESTA KEY -- At 28, The Summerhouse restaurant might seem too young to be considered "historic."

But as part of a modern architectural movement, its significance may be mature beyond its years -- and enough to hold up plans to demolish the Siesta Key restaurant to make way for condominiums.

Historic preservation experts for Sarasota County are looking at whether the popular restaurant, designed by acclaimed Sarasota architect Carl Abbott, might be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places because of its connection to the Sarasota School of Architecture.

The "school" was never a formal academic institution, but a style tied to architectural giants who taught at Ivy League schools in the years surrounding World War II and influenced design in Sarasota.

"Here, because of (the) unique climate because of pre-air-conditioning days, they were adapting the international style to Florida conditions," said Lorrie Muldowney, Sarasota County's historic preservation specialist.

Abbott is considered among the second generation of those architects, studying under masters such as Paul Rudolph. While studies and discussions are still preliminary, an historic designation could be the trump card in determining how Ohio-based Snavely Siesta Associates proceeds with its plan to build a three-building complex with 45 condominiums.

The Summerhouse announced this winter that owner George Perreault plans to sell the 3.42-acre property to Snavely for an undisclosed sum. The restaurant was originally scheduled to close this fall, but has pushed its final seating to Mother's Day of 2005.

As one of the county officials tapped to review the condo proposal, Muldowney asked the developer to do a study assessing the historic significance of the property. A report has been submitted to the county, but it has not yet been accepted.

If it is determined that the building is eligible to be included in the National Register, then county officials and the developers will discuss how to avoid or mitigate "adverse impacts" to the site, Muldowney said. Approval of the project would be conditioned on carrying out that solution, according to the historic preservation portion of the Sarasota County code.

Options could include incorporating the restaurant building into the condo project's design, moving all or parts of it or fully documenting the structure before knocking it down.

"We see creative solutions all the time," Muldowney said.

Those talks would go forward regardless of whether the developer or property owner actually goes through with registering the building.

"It can't be forced to be designated," said Arnold Berns, president of the Sarasota Historical Society.

But the developers are bound to work with the county on a solution if they want their project to be approved. Snavely could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The Ohio company commissioned Sarasota firm Archaeological Consultants Inc. to conduct the study, which addressed the history of the building and the rest of the property.

The study falls short in several areas, failing to issue a firm opinion on the building's historic significance or to evaluate some landscaping features, Muldowney said. She plans to ask for revisions to the study, which was conducted in March.

Marion Almy, Archaeological Consultants' principal investigator, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The study notes the building's glass curtain wall construction and "transparency of space."

"Although less than 50 years of age, the Summerhouse Restaurant is part of the Sarasota School of Architecture, a recognized modern movement and may meet the criteria of exceptional significance for buildings of the recent past," the study says.

Architectural firm Zoller & Abbott was commissioned to design the restaurant in 1976. It was built for former New Hampshire Gov. Hugh Gregg, who moved to Sarasota with his wife, the study said.

While Abbott is often given much of the credit for the restaurant's design, the study said it was Bill Zoller who incorporated existing plants and foliage into the structure.

"Over the intervening 28 years, the plants have matured and enhanced the effect of dining in a greenhouse," the study said.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...407290644/1200

[Jasonhouse]

Oh give me a stinkin break. I have a better idea. REBUILD the same design somewhere else.

[smiley]

My advice - just do it -as long as it is nice and no surface parking
Posted on Fri, Jul. 30, 2004





Riverside Drive tops Gevity's list

Time and zoning may rule site out as new headquarters

DUANE MARSTELLER

Herald Staff Writer


PALMETTO - Gevity HR wants to relocate its Bradenton headquarters to a prime riverfront site, but city officials aren't sure if they can make it work.

The human-resource services provider is eyeing a 1.3-acre lot at 834 Riverside Drive for its new home, city officials said Thursday. The company wants to tear down a historic but gutted house on the site and build a 140,000-square-foot or larger office building in its place.

"It's their first choice," said Tanya Lukowiak, executive director of Palmetto's Community Redevelopment Agency, who has met with Gevity HR officials several times in recent weeks.

A Gevity HR spokeswoman declined to characterize the Palmetto site as such, calling it "just one of a handful" between Sarasota and Tampa the company is considering.

"It's one of the places we're looking at," said Anne-Marie Megela, the company's investor relations director. "We have not committed to anything or signed any papers."

The company has 500 employees working at its Bradenton headquarters at 600 301 Blvd. W., but is looking to move into larger quarters when its lease expires in late 2005. No timetable has been set for a decision, Megela said.

According to a rezoning request that was submitted to Palmetto last week but later withdrawn, a five-story building with 142,650 square feet of office space would be constructed at the Riverside Drive site. The application also showed a five-story parking garage on the north and west sides of Riverside Plaza, the proposed Gevity HR's building's neighbor to the west.

Riverside Plaza is home to Evolve Wellness Studio & Spa; The Smokin' Martini cigar bar; and Jonathan's at the Smokin' Martini restaurant.

Palmetto contractor Alan Zirkelbach, who submitted the zoning request, later withdrew it after city officials said it was incomplete. Zirkelbach said Thursday he has not been hired by Gevity HR, but submitted the rezoning request and conceptual building plans in hopes of persuading the company to move to Palmetto.

Terrence "Terry" L. Stewart of Bradenton, who owns the lot Gevity HR is interested in, could not be located for comment. But an owner of Riverside Plaza's parent company said she supported having Gevity HR as a neighbor.

"The relocation of Gevity to that site is a wonderful idea," said Carolyn Waygood, president of Riverside Plaza of Manatee LLC. "There are a lot of tasks that have to be done in order to make it happen."

But city officials have some doubts whether they can do that, citing potential problems with the site, the short time frame and some of Gevity HR's economic-incentive requests.

"It's a very, very difficult site to work with in such a short amount of time," Lukowiak said.

For starters, the site might not be big enough.

The city's comprehensive plan would require the lot to have as much square footage as the building, even if the building's foundation is smaller than that. The lot is just shy of 57,000 square feet, only a third of the proposed building's size.

Changing the requirement could take up to a year, which might not give Gevity HR enough time to construct the building and move into it by the company's Nov. 1, 2005, target. Gevity HR also could try to buy neighboring land to cobble together a larger parcel that meets the requirement, but that also would take time.

Another potential obstacle is Gevity HR's request that the parking garage be for its exclusive use but paid for by the city. The proposed 700-space garage could cost more than $7 million. Lukowiak said public dollars can't be used to build a facility for the exclusive use of a private company.

Also a potential problem: Gevity HR's desire that as much as 95 percent of its property taxes be refunded for as long as a decade.

"That would be a tough sell," Lukowiak said.

Duane Marsteller, transportation and business reporter, can be reached at 745-7080, ext. 2630, or at dmarsteller@bradentonherald.com.


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...ss/9277595.htm

[smiley]

Article published Jul 31, 2004
Quay owners rework their plan
Gone are conference center plans and some retail space.

By KEVIN McQUAID

SARASOTA -- The Dublin-based owners of the Sarasota Quay have shelved plans to include a conference center on the waterfront property.

In contrast to preliminary plans drawn up last fall, the latest round of planning is centered on a trio of 18-story condominium towers, stores and parking. And a design that had once called for more than 300,000 square feet of retail space has been cut by two- thirds.

The new concept for the 10.5-acre Quay differs significantly from sketches presented to Sarasota County officials in February, which featured a 138,000-square-foot conference center and 666-room hotel.

Irish developer Patrick Kelly said in a telephone interview this week that he believes a conference center would be better suited to the city's cultural center, which is adjacent to the Quay.

"If the city wants it, they have 42 acres with which to achieve it," Kelly said of the conference center. "And if we can help out, then we will."

Sarasota City Manager Michael McNees said conference center planning is ongoing, and that officials from both the city, where the center likely would be built, and the county are analyzing potential locations and funding.

"It all hinges on the funding issue," McNees said. "We have to now harden what it would look like and where it would go and the financial structure of it."

The decision to shelve the conference center, even temporarily, is one of a number of changes to the Quay proposal that have been made since Kelly and a team of investors bought the property in late January and launched plans for as much as $1 billion in redevelopment.

Most notably, Kelly has hired architects Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates, of Coral Gables, as the Quay's lead designer.

Nichols Brosch, which has designed more than $1.5 billion worth of resorts, hotels and offices since its founding in 1967, replaces Burke-Kennedy Doyle Architects, one of Kelly's principal design firms in Dublin. The ADP Group, a local architectural firm, will continue to be involved.

Nichols Brosch has a history of designing large, mixed-use projects throughout Florida, including the 1,200-room Fontainebleau Resort and Residences and the 30-story Barclays Financial Center, both in Miami. It also designed the Olympia Place Tower, a 400,000-square-foot office tower and 250-room hotel, in Orlando.

"I'm very, very impressed with what they're doing at Fontainebleau II," Kelly said of the firm.

John Nichols, the firm's president, did not return telephone calls for comment.

Kelly and Nichols have scaled back the proposed height of the Quay project. The recent plans call for residential towers capped at 18 stories, or 252 feet. In February, Kelly and Burke-Kennedy had proposed condominiums rising to 27 stories.

At the time, the additional height was proposed to offset the cost of the land provided for the conference center, but city commissioners objected to the number of stories.

"We won't do anything that's not in the city's development plan," Kelly said Thursday. "We have to work within the code, and we intend to."

The amount of retail space has also been trimmed, according to a preliminary design presented to city officials during an informal meeting in late June.

The new proposal calls for 75,000 to 100,000 square feet. An initial design included 323,812 square feet of retail, roughly three-quarters the size of the Westfield Shoppingtown Southgate mall.

"It won't be a big retail center," Kelly said of the future Quay. "I'm now convinced it can't support that there."

Nichols Brosch has also floated the notion of adding upscale stores east of U.S. 41 across from the Quay property, but Kelly said those plans would be "a separate deal" and "are not a priority."

Kelly has accelerated the timetable to begin construction. While originally he estimated building on the Quay property -- now occupied by a largely vacant nine-story building -- would start in 2006, Kelly now expects to break ground by December 2005.

"I'd like to think we'd be under construction by the end of next year," Kelly said.

Before construction can begin, however, Kelly's team must first complete a required traffic study and obtain site plan and other necessary approvals from the city.

"They showed us a really aggressive schedule for building," McNees said.

Despite the many alterations, many aspects of the Quay redevelopment remain unchanged from earlier this year.

Kelly said WCI Communities Inc. remains a potential partner in the project. WCI, which developed the 80-unit Tower Residences adjacent to the 266-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel downtown, would become the primary residential builder at the Quay in exchange for investing $10 million.

Kelly envisions the project including about 400 condominium units when completed.

"I think we're very compatible," Kelly said of WCI. "We're right now in a direction to lead to a positive conclusion."

New designs also include a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Fruitville Road, at the mouth of the Quay property.

City officials, who contend eliminating traffic lights there would ease traffic congestion, estimate a roundabout would cost roughly $20 million.

"The advantage to that is how it would assist the city in meeting its transportation goals," McNees said.

And while the Nichols Brosch designs also include land now occupied by the 48-unit El Vernona condominiums, there appears to be little progress in negotiations between Kelly's team and residents.

"They've expressed their interest to us, but at this point, there's nothing on the table," said Susan Patterson, who heads one of four El Vernona neighborhood groups.

Kelly said he remains "optimistic" that El Vernona can be purchased and included in the Quay redevelopment. The El Vernona homes, and four acres of land underneath of them, are valued at roughly $10 million.

Perhaps the biggest constant, though, is that no official plans for the future Quay have yet been submitted to the city. Kelly acknowledges that the plans are almost certain to change again before being finalized.

"There's always an element of evolution in planning," Kelly said. "But I'm happy because it seems we're on the right course."

"Looking back a year from now, I think we'll be under construction. Looking back two years from now, I feel like we'll have made a lot of progress."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...61/1060&Page=2

[smiley]

By small steps are small distance travelled (and hopefully some longer ones eventually)

Posted on Sat, Jul. 31, 2004





Owner sees Old Main 'revival'

KURT D. SCHULTHEIS

Herald Staff Writer


BRADENTON - Come September, downtown will have its own cigar bar on Old Main Street.

AFY Management, the umbrella corporation over Le Cigar, signed a lease last month with building owner Mike Carter Construction Inc. to occupy the former Truffles and Treasures tea room spot at 425 Old Main St.

Shop owner Allen Yearick previously owned a Le Cigar in downtown Sarasota from 1997 to 2002.

Le Cigar will serve beer and wine. Diversions will be a pool table and televisions for sporting events.

Yearick thinks the time is right for a cigar bar on Old Main Street.

"I see growth and am confident that a revival is coming to downtown Bradenton," Yearick said.

The owner has plans for a members-only lounge with member lockers and access to the Internet in the back of the 2,000-square-foot location.

"The members will have their own room for social time and relaxation," Yearick said.

There will be 24 memberships available, with a one-time fee of $1,500.

Yearick, a cigar aficionado and outdoorsman, said, "Expect that Le Cigar's theme will be about nature," with leather seating.

"A humidor and a large selection of cigars will be available," Yearick said.

Bill Theroux, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, believes a cigar bar is a fine addition to a street that "seems to be catering to restaurants and bars."

At the close of 2003, Old Main Street lost a chunk of its retail market, including Two Sides of Nature, Old Main Street Antiques and Lily's Gift Shop.

Michelle Chambers, the owner of Truffles and Treasures, left downtown for what she said was a more retail-friendly plaza in west Bradenton, complaining that "there has to be more reasons to bring people downtown than just restaurants and bars."

Word of mouth and networking is Yearick's initial plan to create a buzz for the bar on Old Main.

Yearick said Le Cigar "will be a bit more upscale than your average bar.

"But we are more casual and laid back than some other cigar bars."

Jonathan Shute, part-owner of Jonathan's and the Smokin' Martini, said Le Cigar should not affect his business.

"About 50 percent of my members come from Bradenton," Shute said. "And our bar offers a variety of live entertainment, cigars and martinis."

Shute questioned the viability of the new spot.

"Having the restaurant and the live music is a good mix for us," Shute said. "I couldn't support myself with just a cigar bar."

Linda Walker, vice-president of the real-estate division for Mike Carter, is excited that something different is coming to Old Main Street.

"I think this will give Old Main Street a great boost," Walker said. "It will complement other ventures that are already in place."

CIGAR BAR TO OPEN DOWNTOWN


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...ss/9287324.htm

[smiley]

Posted on Sun, Aug. 01, 2004





DOWNTOWN POISED FOR INFLUX OF RESIDENTS

More condos are planned along the river as growth demands development on the shoreline. New housing along the Manatee River lifts downtown Bradenton's hopes for an economic boon.

TIM W. McCANN

Herald Staff Writer


BRADENTON - The more people living downtown, the better.

That's one thing city leaders, developers and business owners agree on.

Because the more people living downtown, the more people there are to walk downtown for a drink, a bite to eat or to catch a movie. And they'll more often than not choose the short drive or walk to the nearby downtown clothing store or drug store instead of a trip to busy Cortez Road.

With a still relatively small downtown population, more downtown restaurants and stores are unlikely for now. But city and downtown officials believe the long-awaited critical mass is on its way: More than 1,100 new residents will be living in the 600 new upscale homes planned for the riverfront, not to mention a completed Bradenton Village just south of downtown and revitalized neighborhoods surrounding downtown.

And don't forget about the upscale developments, including condominiums, in downtown Palmetto. The downtowns of Bradenton and Palmetto stare at one another across the Manatee River, and anything beneficial to one benefits the other, says Nancy Engel, executive director of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development Council.

Some cities have tried sparking downtown revitalization by investing primarily in tourist attractions. Bradenton leaders are investing in South Florida Museum's planetariums, the Manatee Player Inc.'s Riverfront Theatre and other downtown attractions. But they figure the best way to revitalize downtown is to bring it more residents - then let restaurants, bars and other nightlife follow based on need.

Bound for downtown

An estimated 10,843 people live within one mile of the Manatee Avenue West and Old Main Street intersection, considered the center of downtown according to statistics provided by the chamber. The median age is about 36 years old.

The chamber's statistics show about 45 percent of those residents earn between $25,000 and $75,000, with 5.6 percent earning between $75,000 and $100,000. But projected estimates for 2008 show a younger age and an increase in wealth, with 7.5 percent earning between $75,000 and $100,000.

Engel said the projected numbers, which she described as "very conservative," are based on average annual growth and do not take into consideration the plans to develop land fronting the Manatee River.

When the 602 homes going up on the riverfront are completed and occupied - assuming 1.9 people per one-, two- and three-bedroom units, the number used to estimate total occupancy - more than 1,140 new residents will call downtown Bradenton home.

The completed first phase of developer Bradenton Riverfront Partners' riverfront community added 252 apartments on the eastern portion of the 27-acre tract known as the Sandpile. The apartment complex, about 18 months old, has an 80 percent occupancy, said Edward Vogler II, one of the developers.

Preliminary construction started in late July on the future Promenade at Riverwalk - 350 high-end condominiums, offices, retail shops, restaurants, bars and other features on the Sandpile's west side. Most of the luxury homes in the first tower, the 115-unit River Dance, already are under contract.

"It's going to be absolutely electric," Vogler said.

Outskirt effects

But the riverfront is not the only site of redevelopment. On the southern outskirts of downtown, construction of Bradenton Village Hope VI continues.

Under the direction of the Bradenton Housing Authority, new single- and multi-family homes are taking the place of empty lots and other run-down houses. The new development replaces dilapidated public housing with modern, attractive public housing, rentals and ownership opportunities designed to attract a mixed-income community.

While many of the 500-plus residents that will make up Bradenton Village lived in the neighborhood before, some did not - which means new residents in a growing downtown.

The success of new developments translates to investors taking a closer look at downtown Bradenton, said Bill Theroux, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.

"If a developer sees someone was here last year and built a tremendous project and it's all leased out, he's going to decide, 'Maybe I should buy some land and capitalize on these synergies that are going around,' " Theroux said.

Downtown lacks restaurants, bars or much of anything open after 5 p.m. But add a few hundred residents to the new homes planned along the Manatee River, and all of a sudden there's a nearby customer base available to support local businesses.

An investor studies an area before sinking money into a business venture or housing development. Consultants look at everything from the success rate of similar developments to surrounding infrastructure, such as how pedestrian-friendly is this downtown?

"It's really a simple matter of numbers and economics," Theroux added. "X number of people will spend X number of dollars within X number of miles from the facility. If you bring residents to the downtown core, the businesses will follow to provide accommodations to that mass of people."

Touring downtown

Not all downtown redevelopment focuses on bringing in residents first. For example, city leaders in Chattanooga, Tenn., jump-started their downtown revitalization in the early 1990s by making downtown a place to visit.

The city once was renowned for its grime and odor until city leaders took a focused look at their dying downtown and abandoned waterfront. With extensive citizen input, the city created Vision 2000 in 1985 that incorporated recommendations for the city's redevelopment - including revitalizing downtown.

The plan introduced several of the city's most popular attractions, including the Tennessee Aquarium, which opened in 1992, the Chattanooga Visitors Center in 1993, the Creative Discovery Museum in 1995, the IMAX 3D Theater in 1996 and a renovated Walnut Street Bridge opened only to pedestrians in 1993.

That concept isn't lost in Bradenton. Granted, Bradenton (population about 53,000) is smaller than Chattanooga (population about 160,000) and tourists venture to Manatee County primarily to enjoy the balmy weather and beaches, not downtown.

But city leaders see promise in the development of the Sandpile's west side. Stores, restaurants and bars are sure to capture some of those tourist dollars along with providing nearby places for downtown residents to frequent, they say.

Vogler declined to discuss possible tenants but said the amenities will be a variety of restaurant choices, entertainment options like sports bars and other types of pubs and more posh establishments like coffee houses and upscale drinking/dining places.

Built-in attractions

But that's not to say downtown Bradenton lacks tourist attractions altogether. The South Florida Museum not only boasts the oldest manatee in captivity and a collection of historic Florida artifacts, but a new planetarium is in the works.

Set to open early next year in the museum, the planetarium will feature projection equipment found only in two other places in the world - a city in Germany and aboard the Queen Mary, the largest luxury cruise ship in the world, said Mike Carter, president of the museum board and a construction company owner.

"It is much more than a planetarium," Carter said. "It will represent the absolute best technology available and provide a one-of-a-kind venue for everything from jazz recitals to lectures to educational space-science presentations."

Another major plan aimed at boosting downtown tourism is a $6.5 million project to raze and rebuild the Manatee Player Inc.'s Riverfront Theatre at the corner of Old Main Street and Barcarrota Boulevard. Events designed to draw people downtown and give recognition to local businesses, like Get Down Downtown and the farmer's market, continue to grow.

The bigger and better the tourist attractions, the more people likely to visit the local community, Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker said. He said tourist dollars enable more restaurants and shops to survive.

But Corker also agreed that housing is a vital part of downtown redevelopment. Along with commercial and office space, housing is part of downtown Chattanooga's next phase of redevelopment, he added.

The new homes bound for downtown Bradenton will bring something it has never really had - a mass of year-around residents spending money. And the major upgrades at the South Florida Museum and new studios and other shops in the Village of the Arts will give residents and tourists more places to spend money.

"There's going to be people walking, exercising, sitting at outside cafes for a glass of wine and enjoying the company of people who are also enjoying that type of a lifestyle," Vogler said.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/9293077.htm

[renner01]

cmon its only 78 Feet!!!!!
Posted on Fri, Aug. 06, 2004

County waits on condo development decision

Commissioners cite a lack of information on traffic in delaying Long Bar Pointe discussion

TIM W. McCANN

Herald Staff Writer

MANATEE - More than five hours of discussion failed to produce a decision on a proposed condominium development targeted for southwestern Manatee County.

Citing a lack of information, especially about the proposed development's effect on local traffic, Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to continue the hearing until their Aug. 17 meeting. In the meantime, commissioners asked county staff to study traffic conditions around the site.

Thursday's special meeting marked a second try for SBC Development LLP of Sarasota to gain approval for a 272-condominium development, including buildings that would rise 78 feet overlooking Sarasota Bay. The developer's first hearing in May met with intense criticism from commissioners over the size of the buildings, traffic congestion, hurricane evacuation and the increased burden on emergency shelter space.

The proposed development is dubbed Long Bar Pointe Phase 1.

After a similar meeting in May, commissioners continued the meeting for more than two months to allow developers time to alter the plan. But developers returned Thursday with no changes, said Norm Luppino, a county planner.

The lack of an updated traffic study bothered some commissioners, although County Planning Director Carol Clarke said she doubted the county could require a traffic study at the preliminary approval phase. But without one, some commissioners said they lacked enough information to make a decision.

"I'm a little shocked it's not here," Commissioner Joe McClash said.

The 102-acre site where the developer wants to build is roughly 600 feet south of the 75th Street West and 53rd Avenue intersection and southwest of the proposed extension of El Conquistador Parkway. Commissioners and development officials debated the responsibility of extending El Conquistador Parkway.

Most of the commission's opposition targeted the size of the buildings, which exceed the county's 35-foot height limit.

Betsy Benac, a planning consultant for the developer, noted that exceptions exist to the height limit if the development meets county land-use rules. She said the proposed development meets all codes, and the thick, tall mangroves along the bay along with generous setbacks should shelter much of the development from view.

McClash, however, wanted her testimony stricken from the record when she declined to say whether smaller buildings also would meet land use regulations. Benac said she could only comment on the site plan before her.

Edward Vogler II, attorney for the developer, pointed out that county staff backed the project, the county planning board supported it and Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue and the county's emergency management division signed off on it. He said the proposal puts the condos in an area marked for high-density urban development.

James Schrader, a former planner and president of the Coral Shores Homeowners' Association, said approving 78-foot towers establishes a trend.

"Once you approve these 78-foot buildings, the next developer will say, 'I want to be five stories higher,' " he warned.

Commissioner Jonathan Bruce agreed the development could establish a precedent of tall towers.

"I'm not sure that's exactly what we want to see there," he said.

After the meeting, Vogler called the commission's decision frustrating but added that if the extra time allows the approval process to move forward, he and his clients will remain patient.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...al/9332638.htm

[palmtree]

Originally Posted by Jasonhouse

Oh give me a stinkin break. I have a better idea. REBUILD the same design somewhere else.

Jasonhouse, I bet you're one of those people who think the Ritz-Carlton downtown is a Med Rev masterpiece to be duplicated all over Sarasota. It's not.

For those of use who live in Sarasota, it's a big deal that the restaurant may be torn down. It's not just four walls with a price tag on it. It's one of those special occa$ion place$ that has been a part of people's lives and can't be recreated. It falls into the same emotional/icon category as The Colonnade on Bayshore Drive in Tampa. While it may not be architecturally significant, imagine the loss and uproar if condos where proposed for that restaurant.

Architecturally, the Summerhouse is a unique structure sited perfectly on its lot. The condos that are proposed are just another soulless set of overscaled buildings on a sandbar. Once that restaurant is gone, there will be nowhere within walking distance for the new condo dwellers to enjoy a meal. There will be no "there" there.

It's unfortunate that in the rush to make money, a lot of public spaces (hotels, restaurants, apartments) are being privatized and are being enjoyed by the few who can afford to pay top dollar. That's the problem with Longboat Key. A lot of the hotels have turned into condos and are empty half the year, and businesses on the island are struggling because they depended on a heavy turnover of tourists in the hotels. Now all those condo dwellers on Longboat claim to be bored and are moving to downtown Sarasota because of it's restaurants and shops.

[MisterFreddy]

My fiancee' and I went out to the Summerhouse last weekend. We blew $130 there and the food, service, and ambience was great. This was the first time I had been to the restaurant, and it will be missed! The waiter said that The Summerhouse will remain open through Mother's Day 2005. The building's architecture, as well as the surrounding 'jungle', is going to be a great loss to the Siesta Key community.

[renner01]

Anyone know what this projects about????????????????
Panel to review Mangrove Point project

STAFF REPORT

MANATEE COUNTY -- A committee of county, Bradenton and School Board officials plans to review a development proposed for Bradenton's McClure property before the City Council votes on it in September.

During a Joint Planning Committee meeting Monday, Bradenton and Manatee County officials were at odds over whether the committee would review plans for Mangrove Point, but eventually agreed to do so. The project, on the Manatee River in eastern Bradenton, includes what would be the tallest buildings on the county's coastline: 14-story condominiums. County Commissioner Joe McClash said The Accord -- an agreement among the county, its cities and the School Board over annexed lands -- calls for joint review of the project.

But city officials questioned whether The Accord applied to the McClure property because Bradenton annexed the land before the Joint Planning Committee was established.

The city's Planning Commission is scheduled to make a recommendation on the 1,135- home community on Aug. 18.

http://www.newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.d.../-1/ARCHIVES30

[Jasonhouse]

Sounds damn big, I'll tell you that. But INLAND on the river? Kind of a wierd location. I wonder if the local roads and existing retail/public service infrastructure can even handle such a large addition. We're talking about a bonafide 2200-3000 people.

Of course, the tax income would be pretty big.

[Jasonhouse]

Jasonhouse, I bet you're one of those people who think the Ritz-Carlton downtown is a Med Rev masterpiece to be duplicated all over Sarasota. It's not.

??????

No, I don't. I think it's a 255ft McMansion, actually. (or whatever the exact hieght is, if I'm off)

[Dale]

I think it's 261ft.

[smiley]

I don't really know - I've been to Sarasota thousands of times in my life and have never set foot in or even discussed that restaurant except when someone asks what the building is. On the other hand, if some people like it, so be it. There area bunch of other places that can use a building - the area is by no means near being built out.

[smiley]

Let em build the stupid thing. Then they can all drive to the outlet mall in five minutes.

[Jasonhouse]

Oh. Duh! This is close to I-75, isn't it?

[sarasotan]

its important to save whatever is left of the sarasota school buildings because so many were destroyed in the 1980s, and siesta key has a long way to go before reaching its denisty capacity. i think the best solution would to be to turn it into some type of architecture museum in the orignal building and then build condos behind it. unfortunately, im sure this won't happen, especially with our particularly pro-med. revival city council that doesn't really care about sarasota's post-war history.

[smiley]

I'm not sure a roundabout is the best idea for that intersection - especially with all the parttime residents, who happen to be a bit elderly . . .

Article published Aug 17, 2004
City to buy property across from Quay The plan is to use to the land to construct a traffic roundabout.

By Lisa Rab

SARASOTA -- A developer's offer to sell the city more than $5 million worth of land across the street from the Sarasota Quay won initial approval from the City Commission on Monday.

City officials will now negotiate to buy the properties from Irish American Partners, the Dublin-based company that has proposed a $1 billion redevelopment of the Quay.

The deal will push forward a traffic improvement plan the city had not planned to start for more than a decade.

Officials want to use the land, now occupied by a furniture store and an inn, to build a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 41 at Fruitville Road. It's a project the Quay developers also favor.

Commissioners said buying the land now would be a bargain because the price is sure to go up in the future.

"This is an opportunity that we really cannot afford to pass up," Vice Mayor Mary Anne Servian said.

But the city would have to borrow money to purchase the properties, and the investment could jeopardize funding the commission has promised to give other downtown developers, city Finance Director Gibson Mitchell said.

"I can't pay for all of this," Mitchell said. "They're going to have to make some decisions."

Money to buy the property would come from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency's fund -- the same fund the commission has used to provide millions of dollars in incentives and subsidies to downtown developers.

City Manager Michael McNees said the increase in property values downtown, which gave the redevelopment fund nearly $700,000 extra this year, would be enough to pay the debt service on the bond for the next 10 years. But Mitchell is not so sure.

The fund, which is sustained by downtown property taxes, is currently $2.07 million in the red. Mitchell said he will have to float a bond to buy the roundabout property, estimated to cost $5 million.

And payments to developers, such as the $4 million the commission recently agreed to give the developers of the Plaza Verdi project of Palm Avenue, might have to be postponed.

"Something has to stop temporarily," Mitchell said.

City officials have not yet appraised the land, which is now occupied by Cesar's Unique Furniture and the Quayside Inn. They also have not attempted to buy it themselves.

But Irish American Partners President John Awsumb said his company has the opportunity to buy the properties for about $5 million. Earlier this month, he offered to sell the properties to the city for $5 million plus whatever it costs to hold the land until the city is ready to buy it.

Irish American is set to close on one of the properties next week, so the company hopes to finalize its deal with the city by next Monday. After that, Awsumb said he could give the city 18 months to buy the properties from Irish American.

But the city's traffic plan doesn't call for construction of the roundabout to begin until 2014, and the project has not been approved by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Still, city engineers say the land would be used to build additional traffic lanes in the area even if a roundabout is not approved.

"There is no scenario in which the city loses money on this," McNees said.

In other action Monday, the commission voted to raise taxicab rates 13.9 percent. .
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb.../1270/NEWS0101

[Jasonhouse]

A roundabout on 41? Are they on crack?

Well it had better be a BIG diameter circle, unlike that joke built in Clearwater beach.

[smiley]

Hey, the one in Clearwater was fine, aside from all the numnuts who didn't know what to do with it, like the one in Channelside. It is really not that hard to do it right, but if you are an idiot it is not hard to hit another car either.