Sarasota - Bradenton Development News

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Article published Dec 14, 2004
Forum discusses proposed center

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA — A publicly funded conference center downtown would create hundreds of jobs, boost local tourism and pump millions into Sarasota County’s economy, a panel of industry experts said Monday.

“A conference center would put your city in an entirely new ballgame,” Ed Griffin, the chief executive of the Florida Hotel & Motel Association, told a forum attended by almost 250 people at the Hyatt Sarasota. “It redefines a city’s business image.”

But the potential benefits could also spark higher taxes, increased traffic congestion and cost tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to build and maintain.

Even conference center proponents caution that any such development would have to be done carefully and prudently to succeed.

The forum, the kickoff to what is expected to be a protracted effort during the next year to convince local leaders to develop a center, also contained frank talk about the expenses associated with attracting conferences.

“It’s true; few conference centers make money,” said Thomas Connors, a senior vice president with SMG, a Philadelphia-based firm that is one of the nation’s largest conference center operators.
“Profit has to be loosely interpreted here,” Connors added, referring to intangibles such as growth in parking revenue.

“The public sector will have to take the lead,” said Bill Kreuger, a director of CS&L International, which completed a conference center study for Sarasota County in January. He added that nine in 10 lose money.

Even so, the experts said, scrimping on initial cost could haunt the community in years to come.

“Don’t let money hinder your creativity,” Griffin said. “Spend the money you need to spend even if it pushes the envelope.”

Tim Clarke, chairman of Clarke Advertising & Public Relations and a Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce official in favor of building a center, contends that concession contracts, the sale of naming rights, city tax increment funding, resort taxes and bonds could cover much of the expense to build the center.

CS&L estimates that a center would generate $44.6 million in new annual, local spending and generate roughly 700 new jobs.

Developing a center now also would dovetail with nearly two decades of conference industry growth.

In all, businesses and associations hold roughly 1 million meetings each year.

Proponents said the center would also reverse declines in the number of repeat leisure tourists, stem the loss of hotel rooms converted to condominiums, add vitality to downtown and result in higher sales taxes and new businesses.

A conference center could even hold high school graduations and other public events, and double as an emergency hurricane shelter.
For their part, meeting planners seeking new venues and cities for their groups would be attracted to Sarasota.

But numerous obstacles remain, including a lackluster local airport and competition from cities with existing centers and fat marketing budgets.

“You need to address the problem of getting people here,” Griffin said.

Time and location also represent hurdles. A conference center would require three to five years to design and build, a span that might cause prime sites downtown near hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt to disappear to other development.

Worse, many meeting planners cause centers marketing conundrums because they won’t consider booking conferences until after a city’s facility is completed.

“There’s no question that we have our work cut out for us,” Clarke said.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412140396/1200

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Hmm . . . well, ok. I guess that works. . .

Article published Dec 14, 2004
CityPointe project wins city's approval

By Lisa Rab

SARASOTA -- A developer's proposal to build lower-priced housing in a neighborhood north of downtown won unanimous support from the city commissioners Monday, despite staff concerns that the project was too tall.

The commission approved a rezoning request for CityPointe Downtown Sarasota, a project that will cover four blocks of Cocoanut Avenue with 374 condos and 89,000 square feet of commercial space.

City planners said the development, which includes some eight- and nine-story buildings, was not compatible with the Rosemary District neighborhood.

Under the city's growth plan, buildings in that area are supposed to be no more than five stories tall.

But neighbors and business owners insisted the project would help revitalize an area struggling to improve its image.

And the commissioners applauded developer Wayne Morehead's written promise to sell 20 percent of the condos at prices ranging from $175,000 to $250,000. They said it would bring much-needed "affordable housing" for downtown's young professionals.

"I think that he is going to follow through and make sure that that happens," Commissioner Lou Ann Palmer said. "I really am very proud to be able to vote in favor of this."

CityPointe would be one of very few downtown developments offering condos for less than $400,000, according to local real estate broker Elizabeth Kipta. Right now, most downtown condos are listed for more than $1 million, she said.

Commissioner Fredd Atkins said approving the CityPointe project was the beginning of bringing more affordable housing to the area. Currently, the city has no incentives in place to encourage developers to build lower-priced units.

"We're going to figure out a way legally to hold prices down. You just keep watching us," Atkins said.

Morehead conceded that he had no way of ensuring the condos will be sold to those, such as downtown professionals, who most need affordable housing. He also can't prevent the resale prices from rising.

But he said he is "trying to do the right thing" by selling the condos at lower prices.

Morehead said he would try to assist the approximately 19 families who now pay $450 to $500 a month to rent apartments on the land where CityPointe will be build.

He promised to give the tenants 90 days notice before evicting them, and said he would waive their rents for an unspecified amount of time so they could save money to move.

Vice Mayor Mary Anne Servian said she would look into the possibility of having the displaced families buy homes in the nearby Rosemary Park development, a public housing project the Sarasota Housing Authority is converting into affordable condominiums.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb.../1270/NEWS0101

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Article published Dec 15, 2004
Downtown group protests zoning code
Property owners worry that Sarasota's new rules could restrict development and cost them millions.

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- A prominent business group is protesting the city's new zoning code, contending that it could cost property owners millions by restricting development.

The Downtown Partnership of Sarasota Inc. wants the city to revise the code, which is connected to the downtown master plan and will govern growth for the next two decades, beginning next May.

One major bone of contention in the view of the partnership is that the city has not adequately explored the potential economic impact that the new rules, adopted in June, will have on the thousands of properties that it will govern.

"There's a lot of concern that the city didn't do a good job with the economic impact," said Ian Black, a real estate broker and partnership member who led a task force of 40 residents that made the recommendations.

"The sense is the city is mandatorily doing something here," Black added.

The group's concerns come as the city is preparing to rezone more than 3,000 properties to conform with the new code and as numerous downtown property owners who recognize the potential impact are filing development plans to take advantage of existing zoning rules.

Most notably, Michael Saunders & Co., the region's premier real estate brokerage firm, filed plans seeking city permission to build a $60 million, twin-towered office complex on Orange Avenue this month.

The Downtown Partnership is hinting that it might try to get involved in March's city elections if its concerns are not addressed.

Specifically, the partnership is asking the city to grant increased density to spur more affordable housing in and around downtown and limit "retail only" areas regulating development along Main Street and Central Avenue.

It also wants the city to alter the rules to allow the City Commission to hear Planning Board zoning appeals through 2007. Code regulations say future Planning Board appeals must be made to circuit courts.

The rezoning process, slated for completion in March, begins today with a Planning Board hearing in City Hall at 6 p.m. The City Commission must also approve the rezonings before they take effect.

Michael Saunders, owner of the real estate company that bears her name, said she needed to file plans for her 200,000-square-foot complex now or lose the ability to fully develop the Orange Avenue property under the new code.

Until the rezonings are completed, property owners like Saunders may file plans and meet either set of zoning regulations.

"The new code and the negative impact of it forced me to do this now," Saunders said earlier this month.

City Planning Director Jane Robinson said officials are evaluating potential changes to the code and will continue to review it throughout 2005 and 2006.

"Certainly through the process there will be changes," Robinson said. "But this needs to be looked at holistically."

Robinson added that planners will probably soften "retail only" rules in the new code to allow banks and other office-oriented uses in predominantly retail zones.

But allowing increased density is a "complicated issue" that could expand bureaucracy and require more staff to enforce and implement.

The partnership's opposition to the code marks the second time in as many years that it has been challenged.

In March 2002, real estate developers, property owners, business groups and attorneys challenged the plan before the state, claiming it would compromise potential development.

That challenge was settled in August 2002, when a divided commission voted 3-2 to adopt a series of changes to the Sarasota downtown master plan.

Those changes included eliminating, in some cases, requirements that buildings "step back" every fourth floor to allow more air and light to reach streets.

Other changes allowed for construction of surface parking where garages had been envisioned and up to two 18-story "signature" commercial buildings downtown. The downtown plan caps commercial buildings at 10 stories.

But the challenge by the partnership, with 250 members, could be far more reaching.

For its part, Black said the partnership doesn't intend to file suit to stop implementation of the plan or the new code. Instead, the group wants the city to alter its comprehensive plan and make the changes next May.

If the city refuses, Black said the group may work to derail the re-election bids of Commissioners Richard Martin and Lou Ann Palmer in March.

"I don't think (the city) will ignore us," Black said. "But if they do, then the democratic process may come into play."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412150597/1060

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Article published Dec 15, 2004
Palmetto project calls for hotel near Civic Center

By Rich Shopes

PALMETTO — The developer of an upscale condominium complex at Riviera Dunes plans to build a hotel, two restaurants and a corporate headquarters next to the Manatee Civic Center.

Corvus International said it has a tentative agreement to buy 12.5 acres just north of the Civic Center and east of U.S. 41 for $2.78 million.

The deal is expected to close on Jan. 15, and Palmetto officials are reviewing Corvus’ development plan now. If approved, construction could begin in February.

“These plans are more than just pie in the sky. These are real live companies that have made commitments to move to Palmetto,” said Tanya Lukowiak, executive director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which has quietly negotiated with Corvus. “We feel a strong level of confidence that this is going to happen.”

Corvus said it has lease agreements with Teltronics Inc., a South Manatee-based technology manufacturer, and is fielding offers from separate hotel developers to build a four-story Hampton Inn or four-story Hilton Garden Inn.

Civic Center officials, who said Tuesday they were unaware of Corvus’ plans, have pushed for a hotel for more than a decade to boost attendance at the center.

Several plans, including one floated just a couple of years ago, have fallen through.

“After 9/11, bankers just pulled their money,” said Larry White, executive director of the Bradenton Convention and Visitors Bureau, which operates the Civic Center.

On Monday, County Commissioner Joe McClash, seeking to spark interest in the idea, asked the visitors bureau to request proposals to build a hotel on the parking lot just east of the Civic Center.

White said the requests might not be necessary if the hotel deal is approved, but after years of disappointments he was skeptical the project would happen.

“There have been so many pipe dreams for that property, but nothing has ever happened,” he said. “If they have a plan for over there, then I applaud that. Let me say this clearly: We desperately, desperately need a full-service hotel adjacent to the center to bring it to another level.”

CRA officials, meanwhile, say this time the deal could happen. The difference between now and the last time a hotel was proposed, two years ago, is that development is taking off at Riviera Dunes and that Corvus’ plans include Teltronics, which would support the hotel.

“We hope to have approval from the city on Feb. 7. Then we would break ground on Teltronics the next day,” Vining said.

Ewen Cameron, Teltronics’ chief executive, said the company’s lease at 2150 Whitfield Industrial Way is scheduled to expire in August. Officials there have been in talks with Corvus for eight months to build a larger headquarters and to save money on its lease.

Cameron wouldn’t disclose the terms of the lease but said it would run 10 years. Of the company’s 225 employees, 150 would move to Palmetto. The rest are scattered in offices around the United States, Mexico and England.

Teltronics makes telephone switching systems and other communications technology. It has operated at its 72,000-square-foot headquarters for 20 years.

The new headquarters would increase its manufacturing space from 35,000 to 55,000 square feet. The total facility would jump to 80,000 square feet.

“This gives us an opportunity for a much larger work pool,” said Cameron, adding the company expects to add employees over the next 18 months.

Corvus, based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has built plants for General Motors, Ford and other large manufacturers.

“That is really what Corvus cut its teeth on,” Vining said.

In Manatee, the company is known for developing Bel Mare, a three-building condominium complex that overlooks a marina and where units run from $471,000 to $1.94 million. Construction there started about a month ago.

At one point, Corvus was considering building a hotel at Riviera Dunes, just south of the Civic Center, but then officials started looking at the 12.5 acres owned by Gil Waters north of the Civic Center, Vining said.

“It just made more sense to put the hotel there, away from the condominiums,” Vining said.

In addition to the hotel and Teltronics’ headquarters, Corvus plans to build a bank and two restaurants, Mo’s Southwest Grill and Mama Fu’s, both of which owned by Tampa-based Cha Cha Coconuts, the parent of the Columbia Restaurant. The two restaurants would share a lobby.

Vining said Corvus chose to keep negotiations quiet until the deal seemed close to approval.

Lukowiak said she doesn’t expect Corvus’s development plan to encounter any substantial problems when city officials review it over the next two months.

The hotel would sit just east of U.S. 41 between the Civic Center and Teltronics. Seventh Street would be extended east across U.S. 41 to accommodate the bank and the two restaurants. A traffic light, which was approved by state transportation officials, would be erected at Seventh Street and U.S. 41.

Currently, the property is uninhabited and overrun with shrubs and Brazilian pepper trees.

“The hotel will follow shortly after Teltronics, then the bank and the restaurants,” said Vining, one of three principal owners of Corvus.

The total project will run through late 2006 and cost about $22 million, he said.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412150387/1200

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Article published Dec 16, 2004
Sarasota group unveils housing plan

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- As part of its plan to alter the city's new zoning code, the Downtown Partnership of Sarasota Inc. is pitching a plan it says will generate more affordable housing downtown by allowing developers greater density.

Under a proposal unveiled this week, the local business group recommends the city double -- and in some areas quadruple -- the number of housing units developers may construct.

In exchange, developers building in the heart of downtown and around its edges would contribute money to a city affordable housing trust fund created earlier this year.

City zoning currently restricts development to 50 units per acre through much of downtown. The partnership's plan would allow 100 units per acre around downtown and 200 units per acre around the bayfront.

The partnership contends that relaxing the zoning and density limitations is key to spurring more affordable housing, which it defines as residences that sell for $240,000 or less.

"More restrictive density in regards to housing causes land prices to go up," said Ian Black, a real estate broker and partnership member who helped craft a position paper on the code released this week.

Specifically, Black and others contend zoning limits have stunted redevelopment in Gillespie Park and the Rosemary District.

Proponents say the city should also consider relaxing the code in tony Laurel Park.

"Over-regulation is a great concern of ours with this plan," Black said. "There's no flexibility, and it's a complicated plan."

Other partnership members have chastised the city for failing to fully analyze the economic impact of the downtown master plan and the new zoning code.

"There's been no critical thinking in this process," said Bruce Franklin, president of land planning and architectural firm The ADP Group Inc. and another partnership member who contributed to the group's position paper.

"The fundamental question with this is what is the economic and fiscal impact of it, and it hasn't been addressed," Franklin added.

Franklin maintains that several developers -- including Michael Saunders & Co. Inc., which submitted a proposal for a $60 million headquarters on Orange Avenue downtown -- are filing plans before the new code is adopted, in February or March, in order to avoid complying with the new rules.

Under the partnership's plan, developers who are granted increased density by the city would be prohibited from renting units for the first eight years after initial occupancy.

And if a unit is sold within eight years, a percentage of any capital gain would be contributed to the city's housing fund. In the first year, 80 percent of any capital gain would be contributed. In year eight, 10 percent.

Additionally, developers receiving increased density would have to pay $1,000 per unit into a city transportation fund, which was also created and approved this year.

Since then, however, the city has had only tenuous success in achieving its affordable housing goals.

In March, the City Commission granted increased density to developers Christopher Brown, Michael Langton and Bill Morris, who were planning a 17-story condominium tower at 1350 Main St.

Brown and his partners, who asked for permission to build 134 units instead of 50, said the increased density would lead to the design of more affordable units.

When sales began and prices skyrocketed to more than $500,000, though, the trio instead pledged to contribute up to $365,000 to the housing and transportation funds.

In May, units in 1350 Main St. fetched more than $60 million in total sales in less than two hours.

Rather than leading to more affordable housing, the increased density gave Brown and his partners an additional $8.6 million in profit, according to the developers' financial formula submitted to the city.

As a result, city officials say they are reluctant to grant increased density without guarantees it will result in more affordable units.

"We need to figure out and validate what is affordable, and what we want to do to achieve it," said City Planning Director Jane Robinson. "There's a lot that needs to be looked at."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412160665/1200

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Article published Dec 16, 2004
City says new Quay should be connected
The new owners say they agree with access, but many other issues remain to be resolved.

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- Officials questioned representatives from the Sarasota Quay on access, parking and other issues during the city's first public review of the proposed $1 billion redevelopment plan Wednesday.

City Development Review Committee members also focused on how the largely vacant 11-acre property, slated to be converted to a trio of condominium towers and office and retail space beginning in 2006, would connect to neighboring tracts.

Specifically, city planners said they want to improve links to Sarasota's 40-acre cultural district adjacent to the Quay, which is also the subject of a planning study.

"A plus for the city would be if you attempted to re-establish connections," said Harvey Hoglund, a senior planner. "So it wouldn't be just an inward turning project."

Hoglund said the Quay's "major flaw," and the reason it didn't succeed commercially, was its isolation from nearby properties.

Representatives from Irish American Partners, the Dublin-based group that bought the Quay in January for roughly $60 million, intend to increase connections with the cultural district and other waterfront properties.

"We're sensitive to the connectivity issue," said John Awsumb, who is representing the group led by developer Patrick Kelly. "We're trying to achieve it as well."

Awsumb said Irish American hopes to slow traffic down along U.S. 41 by adding parking spaces, widening the sidewalk and creating access to the property off of Boulevard of the Arts.

The review committee's preliminary analysis marked the first in a series of public examinations the Quay plans will undergo in the coming year.

Tonight, Irish American is scheduled to hold a neighborhood meeting at the Sarasota Hyatt, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Awsumb said Irish American hopes to file formal plans with the city next week, and begin construction in 2006.

Numerous questions regarding the project remain, however, including development timetables and whether the developers will request an estimated $10 million in tax increment financing to pay for a traffic roundabout that would be built leading to the revamped Quay.

The committee also questioned preliminary details like length and slope of driveways and truck access.

Sam Freija, the city's traffic engineer, objected to a proposed vacation of Fourth Street because the developers have not shown that it would generate public benefit. Ultimately, state transportation officials will decide whether or not to grant the closure.

Freija also asked the developers to consider building a pedestrian overpass across U.S. 41 from the Quay roundabout to improve safety.

"The question is how do you get people safely across the road," Hoglund said. "Because it's in your best interest to do so."

Despite more than 90 minutes of questioning, city officials said they are pleased with Irish American's plans to date.

"It's a really excellent project," said Allen Parsons, a senior city planner. "We don't mean to just put up roadblocks. Understand that we're interested in working with you."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412160387/1200

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This is all well and good, but not urban enough for my taste - this thing will be totally unconnected to downtown with its "long driveway"

Article published Dec 17, 2004
The new Quay towers
Dublin developer reveals design, answers questions

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- The Dublin-based team redeveloping the Sarasota Quay unveiled designs and answered residents' questions Thursday during a neighborhood meeting.

Residents asked questions about traffic, parking, pedestrian access and the sizes and prices of condominiums planned for three 18-story towers.

Architect Don Wolfe described the design of the towers, which will contain 530 units ranging in size from 1,700 square feet to 2,500 square feet, as contemporary.

"We wanted to make it complementary to the neighborhood but at the same time provide contrast," said Wolfe, a partner in the Coral Gables firm Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates Inc.

"We want it to be a catalyst for progressive thinking for the future," Wolfe added. "We feel Sarasota is ready for something like this."

The meeting at the Hyatt Sarasota marked the first time Irish American Partners, the Dublin team that bought the Quay in January with plans for $1 billion worth of residences, shops and offices, unveiled designs.

The buildings, each of which will include swimming pools and other amenities, will have concealed parking and be surrounded by gardens and landscaping.

The exterior of the towers will probably be stucco masonry, with aqua-tinted glass, Wolfe said.

Several of the roughly 50 attendees said they approved of the design.

"It's a beautiful project," said Mary Davenport-Michaels.

John Awsumb, an Irish American representative, said demolition of the existing nine-story Quay building is scheduled to occur in March 2006, about six months later than its owners said earlier this year.

Construction of two of the three condo towers would take roughly 20 months, Awsumb said.

Awsumb also revealed several other details, including plans to convert the Splash beach store into a Quay sales center next spring.

Wolfe said the Quay's entrance, off a roundabout planned for the intersection of U.S. 41 and Fruitville Road, would be similar to that of the neighboring Ritz-Carlton and feature a long driveway.

Although the building design didn't appear to rankle the residents, several questioned whether the planned "roundabout" would alleviate congestion.

"There's a lot of talk about a pedestrian-friendly downtown, but no one's done a single thing," said Bob Einsweiler.

Awsumb said the Quay owners are conducting a traffic study to determine the vehicular impact of the development. He added that Irish American intends to "enhance the flow of traffic and enhance the safety of pedestrians."

"I can't see how traffic there can be made better," said Walter Davisson, a resident of the Beau Ciel tower adjacent to the Hyatt. "You're adding 540 units."

Davisson and others also asked whether Irish American intends to buy the 48-unit El Vernona condominiums adjacent to the Quay.

Awsumb said the developers are "having discussions" with the El Vernona owners, and hinted that designs could change if that four-acre condominium project is included.

Awsumb assured the residents, however, that Irish American has no plans to construct a conference center on the 11 acres it owns.

City and Sarasota County officials have considered the Quay for the site of a potential $65 million conference facility that would create jobs and boost tourism.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412170583/1200

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Just a little update - the Whole Foods project downtown is actually open - a bit surprised there was no big splash in the paper that I saw.

[renner01]

Posted on Wed, Dec. 15, 2004

DEVELOPMENT TAKES SHAPE

City Hall to fall; complex to come

TIM W. McCANN

Herald Staff Writer

BRADENTON - An architect's rendering shows twin 10-story condominium towers, two office buildings and a parking garage on the old City Hall property.

The 14,328-square-foot building that served as the city's headquarters for nearly 30 years is scheduled to get knocked down Thursday, said Ron Allen, president of NDC Construction Co. and one of the building's owners. Allen said a crew plans to mobilize equipment on the site today and begin demolition Thursday.

Allen declined to discuss details of a proposed mixed-use plan for residential, retail and office space at the roughly four-acre site, but said plans are in the works.

A preliminary conceptual site illustration, obtained Tuesday from the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority office, appears to provide a glimpse of the site's future. Allen could not be reached later Tuesday to comment on the renderings; phone messages were left at his office, home and on his cellular phone.

A rendering by Fawley Bryant Architects Inc. shows the condo buildings overlooking Wares Creek, a parking garage with 50 spaces along Sixth Avenue West and two office buildings on 15th Street West. Bill Theroux, Downtown Development Authority executive director, said plans also include a public park along Wares Creek.

Details include 52 condominium units in each tower, a 69,250-square-foot office building and an 18,300-square-foot office building. Theroux said he heard a bank recently committed to the larger of the two buildings, although that could not be confirmed Tuesday, nor was it mentioned in the Fawley Bryant conceptual plan.

The plan surprised city council members Gene Gallo and Michele Weaver when contacted for comment Tuesday afternoon. Weaver, whose Ward 3 includes the old City Hall site, said she wants to see the plan and learn more details before commenting; Gallo was surprised the renderings were in the Downtown Development Authority office.

But he said he liked what he heard.

"I think that is what we have been striving for," Gallo said. "We're looking for people to live downtown and we're looking for an increase in businesses. I think that covers them both."

Theroux called the preliminary plans impressive. He said downtown needs more residential opportunities because that prompts developers to invest more in downtown's night life.

"It's promoting downtown and showing the revitalization of downtown," Theroux said. "It's important because it shows developers are willing to invest money here."

Allen and a team of investors bought old City Hall in March from investor Dottie McCarthy for about $2 million. McCarthy bought it from the city in 1999, beating out three other bidders. She wowed the council with a $4 million site plan calling for a computer company, a fitness center, rooftop cafe, public park and 40,000-square-foot tower.

But nothing happened, and old City Hall has sat mostly vacant since former Mayor Bill Evers relocated the city's headquarters to the new City Centre in November 1998.

Allen is one of the premier developers in Manatee County - especially downtown Bradenton.

He is building the Bradenton Village townhomes and is one of the developers building condos, apartments, restaurants, offices and other features on the Sandpile. He recently won the bid to build a parking garage to go with the new judicial center, and some of his downtown projects in the past 15 years include the county administration center, City Centre and the city's fire
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...l/10419010.htm

[sarasotan]

Learning from Sarasota's vanishing architectural heritage

BY EDWARD J. "TIM" SEIBERT, FAIA

Author Jeff LaHurd, a most able writer of books about the Sarasota of years past, has told us of his sense of loss for the destroyed Lido Casino -- his, and my, boyhood hangout.

Harold Bubil has written about his feeling of shock while walking down the newly built canyon that Sarasota's First Street has become.

I experienced a sense of loss and disorientation in that same neighborhood a few days ago, when I walked down to see the new bus station, and suddenly knew how much I wanted the Plaza Restaurant back. I spent many happy times there, celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, getting my architectural license, and just plain enjoying friendships and family lunches.

There comes a sense of loss that sneaks up when you least expect it, and the lump in my throat and shortness of breath surprised me. There are more and more encounters in Sarasota now that bring on this sense of loss for those of us who have spent our lives here.

I was present at the tearing down of the old Casino, and designed its replacement. The amount of money allocated to renewing the building was of necessity an arbitrary sum because at the time of the (1964) bond issue, nobody knew yet what needed to be done with the old building, nor was there a design program.

A committee was formed and plans were made to rebuild the locker rooms in an up-to-date and compact form. (People no longer went to the beach in street clothes and put them in lockers.) The restaurant and kitchen were to be restructured for new uses. The cabanas were threatened by beach erosion. Just as our design program was beginning to come together, a structural engineering inspection showed extensive rot in the main timber trusses in the ballroom. There was barely enough money for what we'd already decided was needed, and with this development, the project budget needed a drastic revision upward.

The money was not forthcoming, so I was then asked to design a smaller building to fit the cash on hand. It stands today, now somewhat bedraggled.

Sadly, we will never be able to replicate the old Casino. Even in 1964, the changes of scale and plan required of locker rooms and food facilities, the probable loss of cabanas, and a myriad of practical repairs would have changed the feel of the place as we knew it when we were growing up. Today, with federal flood-plane requirements, the building would be many feet above sea level. Rebuilding on a small mountain, and the resulting loss of
loss of authenticity, would be an historical and aesthetic disaster.

Recyling old styles

Making new buildings with a modernist architecture philosophy has difficulties all its own now. In the early 1950s, the philosophy of postmodernism crossed the Atlantic from France and landed in the Ivy League. Postmodernism is a philosophy that states that any claim to a "universal truth" is impossible, that there is no "truth," just narratives and stories that work for particular cultures.

By the early 1970s, postmodernism had infected the teachers and academicians of architecture. They now teach a deconstructive philosophy, which results in a broken and scattered idea of architecture. If you have no beliefs, designing a building is like playing chess without a board. When technology makes it so that you can build anything that you can imagine, and you have no beliefs, what do you make? Architectural theory has become like a broken watch that can be fixed to work again, only now we have forgotten how.

Now there is a cacophony of claims by the "world famous" architects -- mainly they are famous only to each other -- as to how to build for the 21st century. They consider themselves to be innovative solo artists entitled to use somebody else's money for building a vehicle of personal expression for the enhancement of their ego and careers. Think Howard Roark in "The Fountainhead." Often the designer's true intent is hidden from an inexperienced client, who may have thought he was retaining someone to solve his building problems.

Searching for direction

All of the confusion and lack of an accepted direction among architects makes it difficult to know what direction our leaders might wisely take in the creation of this century's Sarasota.

At present we are headed down the same path with all the rest of Florida, toward architectural chaos, mediocrity and worse. The "I don't know anything about architecture, but I know what I like" approach to selecting the building patterns for our future is not fair to the rest of us. Nor do Draconian edicts about what to build, issued by government and its hired experts, seem to serve us well.

The so-called "Mediterranean Revival" style is popular today perhaps because people feel they can understand it. I spent my boyhood in a somewhat charming "Mediterranean" style house in McClellan Park, so I grew up with it. That house did not suit Florida's climate. It was dark and damp, flat roof leaked, as did walls without overhangs. The scent of mildew gives me Proustian memories of life before air conditioning.

Addison Mizner on Florida's East Coast did the really good Mediterranean work in the 1920s, and some 75 years later, a stroll through certain parts of Palm Beach will show you just how good he was. Mizner was an intuitive and original designer with an extensive knowledge of art, history and antiques, a man of great talent. He took Mediterranean architectural elements and used them in new ways to make real architecture. His work suited the nouveau riche of those times, who believed they must emulate things European.

Three quarters of a century later, in Sarasota, we ought to have an architecture that reflects who we are, here and now. Our huge and costly "Med Rev" designs, largely made by amateurs, are out of scale, have no sense of history and are crude and pretentious in proportion. They are a poor value for the contemporary newly rich here in Sarasota. They are not getting their money's worth.

A mind so bright

What has become known as the "Sarasota school of architecture" is sometimes put forward as the architecture that should represent our place and time, as it did once before. It had its genesis in the very early work of Paul Rudolph, here in Sarasota. In the early '50s I watched Paul take the philosophy and form that had been started in 20th-century Europe and make something new from those elements. It was his own, a new architecture, and one that perfectly developed his ideas into buildings that suited the climate, landscape and functions required for Florida.

Today Paul Rudolph, who died in 1997, is recognized as one of the great architects of the 20th century. Even in the '50s young architects in Sarasota could understand his talent. We believed we had "found the answer" and were happy to work for him for very little pay to be able to learn from him. Even before he became the dean of architecture at Yale, he was a teacher. Every time I work on a building design, I think of the lessons he gave me in his critiques and talks. It gives me joy to remember those times and his mentorship. He was also generous about letting young architects sit in when the then-greats of architecture came to Sarasota to visit him.

When young architects get a license, they usually want to start their own practice, as did many of us in the '50s who were mentored or influenced by Paul Rudolph. This was the beginning of what was later named the "Sarasota school of architecture." There was yet another element contributing to success -- a pool of excellent clients.

Serendipitous Sarasota

In the late 1940s and early '50s, Sarasota was a small and pristine place, and its unsullied beauty attracted writers, painters, sculptors, playwrights, novelists, screenwriters and intellectuals of all sorts, all in a community of about 20,000. This made for a large percentage of our population to be interested in ideas about architecture and art, and for lively discussion about, and appreciation of, building design. It was serendipity that brought a great teacher, earnest young architects, and a small but understanding group of clients together at one time and place.

The "Sarasota school," today in a renaissance, lives on with national and even international recognition. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation had some 400 people come to Sarasota in November 2001 for a week-long series of lectures, tours and seminars. Architects who attended got credit for professional continuing education. The Society of Architectural Historians of Southern California came here for a "Sarasota Modern" tour, the theme being the "parallel lines" of development of California modern with that of Sarasota. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation has given many tours of "Sarasota school" buildings. Recently a dozen Swedish architectural students showed up, and I gave them a tour of the "Sarasota school's" work. It seems that after 35 years, the little left of what was originally only a small volume of architecture excites the imagination about what Sarasota was, and could be again.

Toward the future

Understanding the past is much easier than living in the future. What could we do to bring back a sense of the possibilities for excellence in the built environment that once made us feel so special about Sarasota?

I believe our community leaders should once again encourage the use of the design principles of the "Sarasota school." Andres Duany said he was surprised that Sarasota's architects did not come forth to promote that idea. Perhaps the "practical" people who don't know anything about art or architecture, and who think all of our problems can be solved with more rules and regulations, have discouraged architects over the decades. If a good city could be built using only rules, there would be no need to educate architects or artists. Just give themyour handbook of rules.

There are quite a few architects working in Sarasota today who do a very good job with the "Sarasota school" design principles, perhaps a greater total number of them than were here in the '50s. As these architects continue building in the "Sarasota school" idiom, they develop and improve it as the requirements of our times and technology change. A number of recent Sarasota buildings have received widespread professional recognition. The talent is here, more so than ever.

We have the opportunity to skip the nonsense of what I hope will be the soon-defunct postmodernist movement and all the other nonsense it has spawned, drop the "Med Rev" and start over with our own, recognized, native designs. Technology, the computer, talent and artistic freedom will move us quickly into our architecture for the 21st century, but we must first break free from the confusion and lack of community leadership of the past decades.

A lesson for leaders

Elected and business leaders need to learn that great architecture brings joy and inspiration to our everyday lives. To enjoy any art, one must learn about it and participate in it. Architects should abandon elitist attitudes and learn to flourish in collaboration with those who have other kinds of expertise, views and talent to offer in the building of a new Sarasota. Communication is a two-way street, and in this we have been sadly lacking for many years.

In my Utopian world, you couldn't get elected to public office if ignorant of architecture, nor if you were unable to understand the many kinds of talent that inhabit the world and how it may be used to build good cities. We are not all of us the same, and ignorance is not conducive of bliss.

If it sounds as if I believe in an architectural Utopia, it is because I once lived there. Then, the chairman of the school board was a true patron of architecture, and with his leadership the Sarasota schools were hailed as the most innovative and best designed in the nation. Sarasota was said then by Time magazine "to be the most interesting place in America for architecture." Our national reputation was good for Sarasota, because it helped to attract new citizens of the kind that make for building a dynamic and interesting community. We believed then that Sarasota was not like all of the rest of Florida, but was a unique and "special" place. I for one would like to be able to feel this way again.

Sarasota's rship of the early '60s decided that Sarasota was beginning to fall behind culturally. It was decided that to help counter this possible failing, we should build an outstanding college here, and that idea became New College. Because of this leadership of more than 40 years ago, Sarasota has a university today. Fourteen of America's outstanding architects were interviewed for the job then -- I.M. Pei got it -- and the project got national attention for the excellence of its concept and design.

We need leadership such as this again. How shall we find it?

[renner01]

Article published Dec 21, 2004
CityPointe project on hold
The developer is told to remove one acre from his condo project because he doesn't own it.

By Lisa Rab

SARASOTA -- A newly approved condominium project that promised to bring lower-priced housing north of downtown has been put on hold because the developer does not own all the land on the site.

City officials say plans for CityPointe Downtown Sarasota must be scaled back to remove one acre -- 48 condos -- from a project originally slated to include 374 condos and 88,500 square feet of commercial space.

It's a revision that developer Wayne Morehead says will have a "very minimal effect" and won't change the price of the condos.

But city officials say the revision could send the project back to the drawing board, and they are not sure how long the delay will last.

"I think it is a major problem," said Tim Litchet, the city's director of building, zoning and code enforcement. "My recommendation is that everything stay on hold."

Under a proposal approved by the City Commission last week, CityPointe was supposed to cover 7.5 acres of Cocoanut Avenue between Boulevard of the Arts and 10th Street.

It was a popular project, lauded by the commissioners and many residents for bringing much-needed "affordable housing" to the neighborhood. Morehead promised to sell 20 percent of the condos at prices ranging from $175,000 to $250,000.

But on Monday, the owner of about one acre on the corner of Florida Avenue and 10th Street sent a letter to City Hall saying she never agreed to sell the property to Morehead.

"I will be developing my property independently of Wayne Morehead," Elizabeth Meyer wrote.

It's not clear why Meyer's objections are just coming to light now, a week after CityPointe was approved by the commission.

In her letter, Meyer said she first told Morehead of her plans last June. But he said they had a "gentleman's agreement" to work together.

Meyer had signed a document saying that her property could be included in Morehead's application to have the land rezoned for his development.

The city requires developers to submit that documentation, city Planning Director Jane Robinson said. But developers are not required to submit sales contracts proving they own the land they want to build on.

Morehead didn't have a contract with Meyer. He said he wasn't counting on using her property, though he included it in the plans he showed city officials.

"While I'm disappointed, I'm not terribly caught off guard," Morehead said.

The loss of Meyer's property has city attorneys investigating whether Morehead actually owns the other land included in CityPointe.

But Morehead said he owns some of the properties and plans to close contracts on the others in the next several weeks.

Meanwhile, he said the loss of Meyer's property means eliminating one of the eight buildings he had planned in CityPointe.

And it won't affect his promise to sell 20 percent of the condos for prices ranging from $175,000 to $250,000. The number of "affordable" units will just shrink from 74 to 65 because fewer condos are included in the project, he said.

But city officials say the change won't be as simple as just removing a building from the project. It will affect street entrances, driveways, landscaping, and other factors because Meyer plans to build right next to CityPointe, and Morehead will no longer have access to her land.

"You're not just removing a building. There are other ramifications," city public information officer Jan Thornburg said.

Morehead will probably have to submit new plans to the city's Development Review Committee, and he might have to participate in another public hearing before the Planning Board, Litchet said.

That process could take months, and at least one city commissioner is worried about the time and money the city might have to spend on it.

"It doesn't sound to me like a small, little change," Mayor Richard Martin said. "I was a little more alarmed than I'm hearing Mr. Morehead is."
http://www.newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.d...412210492/1060

[smiley]

Article published Dec 21, 2004
Building owners worried about renovation rules

By David Hackett

VENICE -- A city plan to impose architectural standards along the U.S. 41 Business corridor ran into a roadblock of concerns Monday.

The plan would require new construction and major renovations to follow the city's Northern Italian Renaissance guidelines, which include stucco walls, tile roofs, balconies, awnings and even certain colors of paint.

City Council members and residents questioned everything from how the city arrived at Northern Italian style to whether Venice, in its quest to enhance its character, is promoting stretches of bland, pseudo-Mediterranean buildings.

Despite such concerns, however, it was generally agreed that the city must act swiftly if it hopes to regulate its southern gateway from Milan Avenue to the Circus Bridge.

Now that U.S. 41 Business and the Circus Bridge have been expanded, developers are expected to bring plans to replace several boarded-up buildings and vacant acreage along the corridor.

Monday's meeting was a workshop. City Manager Marty Black said a formal proposal would be brought before the City Council next month.

The plan, if approved, would have an enormous impact, putting 1.5 miles of the city's most visible land under a single, unifying architectural style.

City planners view the design standards as part of a larger goal to make the area more "pedestrian friendly," including increasing landscaping, moving stores closer to the roadway with parking in the rear and putting apartments above businesses.

Donald O'Connell, a property owner and former city judge, said one of his chief concerns is that Venice already has three different Northern Italian districts: "Historic," "Theme" and "Gateway."

"And I don't think anyone can explain the difference between them," O'Connell said. "There should be one standard."

O'Connell noted that other architectural styles are well represented elsewhere in the city, including 60 to 70 examples of the Sarasota School of Architecture. He questioned why should they be excluded from certain areas.

"If I was an architect, I would be screaming about this," he said.

City officials say the Northern Italian architectural style reflects the vision of John Nolen, the city's original planner, in the 1920s.

But City Council member John Simmonds was skeptical of invoking such history.

"It seems like every time we want to justify something, we face west and say John Nolen three times," Simmonds said. "My biggest concern is that we have flexibility."

There were also concerns whether property owners along the thoroughfare would have to reconstruct their buildings to meet the architectural standards, even if they just planned to do minor repairs.

Under the plan submitted by the city planning department, existing buildings would have to conform to the new standards only if the renovation is in excess of 50 percent of the building's value. That means, for example, putting on a new roof would not automatically force an existing building to be entirely remodeled.

But even that is not clearly defined. If the City Council places the area under the Theme district instead of the Gateway district, property owners would come under the scrutiny of the Architectural Review Board, which requires any renovation over $2,000 to follow the district's guidelines.

On the other hand, the Architectural Review Board includes architects and other experts better able to help the city shape its vision.

"The Gateway approach is far too vague," said Architectural Review Board chairwoman Mary Horlick. "I would urge you not to eliminate the ARB from the process."

Attorney Jeff Boone, who represents many land developers, said the standards would be among the most restrictive he is aware of in Florida. A major concern, he said, is that it involves an area that is already developed.

"My hope is that the City Council will take its time and thoroughly balance some peoples' desires for a certain look with the rights of property owners," Boone said. "You're talking about creating an entirely new regulatory scheme,"

O'Connell called the Gateway district along East Venice Avenue the most "monotonous" in the city. And council member Bill Willson said he was concerned that U.S. 41 Business could become a similar architectural cookie-cutter.

But resident Phil Trembley said that even on East Venice Avenue the architectural standards have enhanced Venice.

"What uniformity gives you is an ambience," Trembley said. "Ask yourselves how it will look 50 years from now. I think what has been done will hold up very well."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb.../1270/NEWS0101

[smiley]

Article published Dec 24, 2004
Saunders modifies HQ plan

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- Michael Saunders & Co. Inc., whose proposed $60 million headquarters has become a flashpoint in the debate between commercial viability and neighborhood compatibility, has modified its plans in response to residents' concerns.

The biggest change involves the types of uses that will be contained in the twin-towered complex, slated to be built on a 1.7-acre tract on Orange Avenue.

Saunders now intends to include 73 condominium units in one of the buildings, which are being designed to rise 180 feet and 160 feet, respectively.

When Saunders' preliminary plans were presented to the city's Development Review Committee this month, the project contained a mix of office, retail and restaurant space, but no residential component.

"We want to be good neighbors, and we want to be able to build a viable development," said Michael Saunders, founder and chief executive of the giant real estate brokerage firm that bears her name.

"We're continuing to refine it and hopefully make it better," Saunders said of the plans.

Laurel Park residents have raised concerns about the proposed height of the buildings and because city rules would force traffic to access the buildings using narrow neighborhood streets.

Beyond Laurel Park, though, the Saunders project has touched off intense debate about the city's pending zoning code and how it impacts property owners' rights to develop and their ability to profit from real estate investments.

By March, new zoning would limit development on Saunders' property to five stories. Saunders' plans, which are being filed under Sarasota's existing zoning rules, call for 13 floors.

Saunders said this month that she filed the headquarters plans to take advantage of the existing zoning.

Critics of the new zoning requirements maintain that the changes will hamper the economic viability of downtown development.

In response to residents' concerns, Saunders and architectural firm The ADP Group Inc. also are studying building a dozen town houses around the perimeter of the property, facing the neighborhood on Rawls Avenue.

Saunders called the town house idea a "fabulous suggestion."

The head of the Laurel Park Neighborhood Association said the revised designs appear to be more comparable with existing buildings.

"From the point of view of the neighborhood, one of the big issues involves height," said Kate Lowman, president of the neighborhood group. "The neighborhood will be happier if and when we have new zoning so we wouldn't have such big buildings right around us."

"But the thing that's of greater concern is to have some sort of town home frontage toward the neighborhood," Lowman added. "It would put a friendlier face on the buildings."

Saunders said the buildings will be "stepped back" to alleviate height concerns. Buildings that are "stepped back" at various levels appear tapered and less massive.

"From the scale people will be looking at, they won't see the height, the same way people strolling along Palm Avenue don't see the height of surrounding buildings," Saunders added.

ADP is also considering traffic flow options that will lessen congestion in the neighborhood.

"We're focused on designing it, from a circulation perspective, on how the neighborhood wants it," said ADP President Bruce Franklin.

The residences will shave roughly 66,000 square feet of office space off the project, on which Saunders hopes to begin construction late next year.

Twenty-two-thousand square feet of retail space and a 500-seat restaurant remain in the plans.

Saunders hopes to consolidate about 150 employees in the buildings when completed, probably in late 2007.

Franklin said ADP expects to submit more formalized plans to the city in February.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...412240671/1200

[MisterFreddy]

Originally Posted by smiley

Just a little update - the Whole Foods project downtown is actually open - a bit surprised there was no big splash in the paper that I saw.

Whole Foods is open?? Today my wife and I saw The Polar Express and after the movie, I drove toward Five Points. I turned right onto Lemon Avenue and saw the market. The streetscape is much better than what I had imagined it would be like. Next time I'm in DT, I'll browse the market; that place will be mobbed!! Thanks for the info.....!

[smiley]

Indeed, it is open - I know someone who was shopping there last week - said it was a madhouse inside and out. They parked in the garage.

[Jasonhouse]

My girlfriend works on Main, across the street from the 5 points condo going up. I will have to check it out next time I see her for lunch.

[renner01]

Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jan 1, 2005

A developer is hoping luxury condo buyers will be attracted not just by a downtown location with views of the Gulf of Mexico, but also by healthy construction techniques and the harmony and peace promised by feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement that channels positive energy flow.

Kanaya, a 35-unit, 15-story building that will rise soon at 505 S Orange Ave., will offer a Zen garden on the roof and a labyrinth for walking meditation. Blessing and cleansing ceremonies were held before construction began. The building's advertising describes it as "the place where your body, mind and spirit feel most in balance."

The building will use paint with low or no volatile organic chemicals and fiberglass insulation manufactured with nonformaldehyde glue. Appropriately placed electrical lines will eliminate overexposure to electromagnetic fields that some regard as health hazards. Each unit will have a humidistat; an ultraviolet light that kills bacteria in the air-conditioning system; Japanese mineral water filters; and its own rooftop garden plot. A solar- heated pool will use no chlorine, and there will be Pilates and yoga studios.

"You can put in a lot of healthy features without spending a lot of money," said the developer, Harvey Kaltsas, an acupuncturist who has long practiced Oriental medicine. "I'd like to see it done everywhere."

Kaltsas said he was inspired to develop a "healthy building that supports a healthy lifestyle" when a patient complained about mold infestation in her luxury home. Another couple were overcome by carbon monoxide in their home because their air conditioning intake opened into the garage, where the husband left the car running while he unloaded groceries.

"Are builders paying attention to the health needs of residents?" Kaltsas said he wondered. "How can you build a $1-million structure infested with mold?"

Living the life that is healthy and harmonious is not inexpensive. The units remaining at Kanaya range from $900,000 to $1.6-million (units started at $600,000). There are two floor plans: the three-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath Bamboo, with 3,000 square feet of living space; and the three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath Laurel, with 2,600 square feet.

Rod Phillips, who is handling sales and is a minority partner with Kaltsas, put the overall price tag for the building at $40- million.

"I wouldn't get too hung up on the feng shui," he said (pronounce it "fung shway"). "It's part of our package, but not the identity for the building. It's got healthy amenities and a wonderful location. Our tagline is, "Live Well-Balanced, a Balanced Lifestyle."

The Kanaya is within walking distance of restaurants, shopping and galleries in downtown Sarasota in an area that Kaltsas says "will always be a quiet neighborhood." Quiet, he said, was the No. 1 concern of buyers (he is adding extra soundproofing), followed by the healthy aspect.

"Green" and "healthy" homes aren't entirely new. Builders at Lakewood Ranch, the huge master-planned community on the Manatee- Sarasota county line, have agreed to build all green homes there in the future, and all the areas the ranch plans to develop in the next three years have won a green designation from the Florida Green Building Coalition.

WCI Communities of Bonita Springs, which ranks 37th on the respected Builder magazine list of the nation's top 100 builders, opened a model in Venice earlier this year loaded with energy- saving devices and building materials that make it the "greenest" house in Florida.

Will buyers care about the feng shui aspect, or is that no more meaningful than any other marketing program? Developers of other residential properties around Tampa Bay suggest to buyers that they're living in an "urban oasis" or a "secluded oasis"; that they are "on vacation every day" or are embracing the "relaxing Florida lifestyle." Don't most people buy based on location and the prospect of increasing values?

Kaltsas acknowledged that 10 of the first 27 buyers were primarily interested in buying as an investment. The remaining 17, he said, "were more health-oriented."

The building will offer residents an infrared sauna, he said, and after a recent phone interview Kaltsas was about to head off to spend some time in a similar sauna to overcome a cold.

The building's architecture incorporates "as many curves and arches as possible, a more feminine influence," to counteract the "masculine, very angular, neo-Stalinist architecture" of nearby buildings, Kaltsas said.

The name Kanaya was created by feng shui master Katrine Karley of Sarasota. "Each letter represents a number and how you form them together resonates the energy of harmony and peace," said Karley, who developed the name Amberwynd for a development on Sneads Island in Manatee County. "The letters are all balanced, and it represents harmony for the residents, who would have a good time living there and be healthy and happy."

Not until later did Karley learn that Kanaya is a city in Japan that was frequently visited by a Japanese painter who influenced the French impressionists, she said.

"Everything is designed in harmony, and synchronicity just follows," Karley said. She worked with architect Don Foster and with the contractor "so each condo is properly aligned, the eating area is in the proper area so it's healthy," and so the building is appropriately positioned on the lot. Feng shui suggests that the positioning of buildings, rooms and objects can enhance or inhibit the flow of positive energy, or chi.

She will embed bamboo flutes in the walls of the upper floors "to take away the poison arrows" and ensure that those living on high floors still feel grounded. Wood and metal will be strategically positioned "for continuous energetic flow." A dragon will be set in pebbles in the pool area "to encompass the energy of protection."

Kaltsas says he has been hired as a consultant by a developer who wants to build a similar healthy building in Tampa and another in Manatee County. Besides his work in alternative medicine he is founder and president of Triton Quest Inc., a shipwreck exploration firm.

"The Chinese believe you maximize your luck by paying attention to the forces of nature," Kaltsas said. He spent $51,000 on a wind- tunnel study "so you don't get blown off the roof" while enjoying the Zen garden or growing tomatoes. "A lot of feng shui is about paying attention to those forces. If you do that, it's easier to be lucky."

TO LEARN MORE

For information about Kanaya, visit the Web site at www.kanayacondos.com. The phone number at the sales center is (941) 376-6969.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/...Harmony.+Condo.

[smiley]

Article published Jan 4, 2005
New luxury condo wins Sarasota's approval
Despite objections from residents and business owners, the city OKs the 16-story tower.

By Lisa Rab

SARASOTA -- A proposed 16-story luxury condominium tower at the western end of Main Street won approval from the City Commission on Monday, despite protests from neighboring residents and business owners.

The tower, facing Sarasota Bay at the corner of Main and Gulf Stream Avenue, is to include 15 condos -- most with prices of more than $2.7 million -- and parking space for 30 cars.

But unlike many other developments going up downtown, developer Sam Hamad's project will not include retail shops on the ground floor.

That absence, along with concerns about traffic and the small number of units in the tower, prompted objections from nearby residents and shop owners.

"I think it's not a good project for that location," said Kenny Barr, owner of the Sports Page Bar & Grille next door to the project on Main. "We need the retail."

The condominium tower will replace Pinto's Primi Piatti restaurant and Robinson Spry Interiors at the end of Main. Both have found new homes elsewhere.

Under the new downtown code the city adopted last May, those stores should be replaced with more retail space. The code requires that new developments on Main have ground-floor retail establishments.

But because Hamad filed his plans for the condo tower last April, city officials say he doesn't have to follow the new rules.

Hamad's project also prompted criticism because it takes advantage of the city's new downtown overlay district, which is designed to attract more residential buildings in the core downtown area.

The policy gives developers permission to build extra condo units as long as they contribute to affordable housing and transit trust funds.

For example, the 17-story 1350 Main St. condominium complex will use the "density bonus" to build 134 condos one block east of Hamad's project.

In Hamad's case, the bonus lets him build 15 condos instead of seven. But a dozen of those condos are three-bedroom units that will occupy one floor of the tower and are to sell for more than $2.7 million.

Vice Mayor Mary Anne Servian echoed the concerns of some residents when she said those luxury units were not the kind of residences the commission was trying to attract with the density bonus.

"My intention ... was to try to get additional smaller units," said Servian, the only commissioner to vote against the project.

Andrew Foley, who lives across the street from the proposed development, also objected to the high prices of the condos, saying density should be used to build more moderately priced homes.

"The added density in this particular case is being used to create larger units," Foley said.

But most of the commissioners said they were glad to have a project bring more residences downtown.

"On balance, although I'm not happy with everything this project is going to do, I think it's appropriate to approve it," Commission Lou Ann Palmer said.

In exchange for the extra units, Hamad and his business partner will have to contribute $20,000 to the a city-wide affordable housing trust fund and $8,000 to the transit fund.

They have also offered to redesign the median on Gulf Stream Avenue and build about 23 more public parking spaces.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb.../1270/NEWS0101

[smiley]

Article published Jan 6, 2005
Whatever happened to the Metropolitan tower?

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- The year ahead will be a decisive one for Richard Zipes and the $100 million Metropolitan condominium tower planned for U.S. 41 and Gulf Stream Avenue.

By the end of 2005, the Fort Lauderdale-based Zipes will probably know whether his plan to build "Sarasota's most-talked-about address" will reach fruition or will become a high-profile boondoggle.

It's hard to gauge what he is thinking: Zipes is not talking. After repeated attempts, neither the developer nor his marketing chief could be reached for comment.

But if the past few months are any indication, the Metropolitan site could remain a barren slice of earth through 2006, the project's original date for completion.

In the eight months since Zipes kicked off the Metropolitan's marketing with a lavish party featuring pro football legend Dan Marino, he has admitted that unit sales in the 16-story luxury tower have been slower than expected.

And these days, the Metropolitan's elegant sales center, a refurbished Denny's restaurant, is mostly empty.

Even more visibly, the past summer's hurricanes tore a colorful advertising banner off the fence that rings the property. Though storm season ended Nov. 30, it has yet to be replaced, and Zipes' representatives said they didn't know when, or if, it will be.

More ominously, Tarragon Corp., a New York real estate firm and Zipes' partner, removed the Metropolitan from listings on its Web site.

Robert P. Rothenberg, Tarragon's president, said the company is "revising plans for the project." He added that he didn't know why the Metropolitan is no longer featured.

But the Metropolitan's biggest impediment has been competition and upper-end market saturation.

"While we're finding there's still a strong demand for residences downtown, it's a fact that the higher the price, the more rarified the atmosphere," said Michael Saunders, chief executive of Michael Saunders & Co., the region's premier residential real estate brokerage firm. The Metropolitan has suffered, too, from perceptions that its perch at the intersection of two highly traveled roads is a detriment, and that its units -- averaging about 4,000 square feet -- are too large.

To counter that notion, Zipes is seeking permission to divide certain units and increase the total number within the tower to 144.

If the City Commission approves Zipes' request to add 16 units when it considers the proposal Jan. 17, the change will also allow the developer to lower the Metropolitan's entry price.

Under Zipes' plan, some fully furnished Metropolitan units would sell for $1 million, rather than the $1.8 million pitched last spring. Penthouses and upper-floor units will continue to carry a $5 million price tag.

"It would create a healthier offering if they carried a lower price," said Saunders, whose firm Zipes passed over in favor of marketing the Metropolitan in-house.

The change in price could give the Metropolitan a decided push forward, especially since sales of homes listed above $3 million in Sarasota County have remained sluggish in the past year.

Of the 71 condos listed for sale above $3 million in November, only nine had sold a year later, according to Saunders.

In all, 116 residences above $3 million were on the market in November 2003. By November 2004, 43 had sold.

"There's no question that when you get up over $3 million, it becomes tougher to sell," Saunders said.

Other Sarasota luxury developers agree.

"One million dollars is a lot less than it used to be, but it's still a lot of money," said Tom Brown, a principal of U.S. Assets Group, the firm that developed the 44-unit Beau Ciel condos adjacent to the Hyatt Sarasota hotel.

"Every million dollars in price a residence goes up the market goes down significantly," added Brown, whose firm is developing the 54-unit Orchid Beach Club on Lido Key and the Founders Club, a golf course community with 262 home sites in Sarasota County.

And while the Metropolitan promised to "provide an unparalleled lifestyle in the heart of downtown," it has faced stiff competition from other luxury offerings.

In addition to U.S. Assets' projects, many luxury condos have been proposed, or are being developed, on Golden Gate Point, Lido Beach and Longboat Key.

Meanwhile, existing upscale projects such as the condos atop the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, also provide competition when those units are re-sold.

As a result, the Metropolitan's stance is much different today than it was a year ago.

In January 2004, by comparison, the Metropolitan was among a handful of planned downtown towers generating sizeable interest.

Its proximity to the Quay, which was purchased with plans for a $1 billion redevelopment, only heightened enthusiasm.

Zipes sought to capture the mood with a marketing onslaught unseen in Sarasota.

He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to convert the Denny's, and even more to advertise the project.

As part of a promotional film he developed, he paid $130,000 for the exclusive rights to use the Bobby Darin song "Beyond the Sea."

For the April party, Zipes spent more than $100,000 for the catered food alone.

Subsequent advertising was ubiquitous, with some estimates putting the total bill to promote the Metropolitan at more than $1 million.

But the ads apparently weren't enough to convince luxury buyers, who opted to purchase residences in projects like the Founders Club, Beau Ciel or Taylor Woodrow's Ritz-Carlton Beach Club condos.

Since March, the Founders Club has sold 36 home sites -- about one a week -- at prices around $1.2 million, Brown said.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...501060430/1200

[smiley]

Article published Jan 7, 2005
Fruitville poised for a makeover
A land shortage downtown is altering the fringes

By Kevin McQuaid

SARASOTA -- Not so long ago, the stretch of Fruitville Road through downtown Sarasota was little more than a four-lane ribbon of black asphalt on the way to someplace else.

Aside from the knot of thrift, antique and consignment stores that crammed into concrete-block boxes and Wayne Hibbs' plant center, Fruitville provided few reasons to stop.

Like much of downtown, though, it is now on the cusp of unprecedented redevelopment, a building wave that will reshape one of the city's main traffic arteries for decades to come.

"I would tell you that in three to five years, you won't recognize Fruitville Road," said Barbara Baseman, a Michael Saunders & Co. Inc. commercial real estate agent.

Developer Sam Hamad's Marquee en Ville is a prime example.

Where unpainted, wilted single-family homes had been, Hamad is building 29 tony town houses that are slated to sell for $850,000 apiece. Each four-story residence will have a fireplace, a private elevator and an outdoor kitchen. Two-thirds are sold, Hamad said.

"It doesn't take a genius to see that Fruitville Road is going to change," Hamad said. "It's only a matter of time before it, too, becomes high-end, because land in downtown Sarasota is so valuable."

Hamad's $20 million town house project is one of a handful expected to transform lower Fruitville Road, from Orange Avenue to U.S. 41, by 2008.

Just east of Hamad's project, a two-story office project totaling 30,000 square feet also is under construction and nearing completion.

Land shortage

Although the types of Fruitville Road projects differ, all are being driven by a single factor: a land shortage downtown.

As major projects at Five Points, upper Main Street, Main Street and Palm Avenue and elsewhere have gobbled up available tracts, developers are being pushed outside the traditional downtown envelope to Fruitville Road and other nontraditional sites.

"There's just no more room in downtown," said Mark Miller, owner of Westwater Construction Inc., whose company plans to build offices at 1515-1551 Fruitville Road, site of a Churchill's Furniture store.

"You can only go north, south, east or west," Miller added. "For proximity to downtown, the Fruitville Road corridor is one of the only places to go."

In all, projects valued in excess of $80 million have either begun or are planned within the stretch, developments that will add roughly 75 residences and about 150,000 square feet of office space.

Property prices have risen along with the level of interest.

Two years ago, Baseman said property along Fruitville fetched between $42 and $49 per square foot. The same land now sells for a minimum of $65 per square foot.

Many of the projects are still in various design stages, meaning construction won't begin until later this year or 2006.

Sandcastles Of Sarasota Inc., a construction concern now on Morrill Street in Towles Court, is scheduled in February to buy property adjacent to Clark Advertising & Public Relations Inc., at 333 N. Orange Ave.

There, Sandcastles intends to build a three-story, 15,600-square-foot building on a roughly half-acre tract of vacant land.

Sandcastles is buying the property from Clarke Advertising Chairman Tim Clarke, who purchased it for $950,000 in early 2004.

Previously, the property contained four structures dating to the 1920s and 1940s. One of the buildings -- which were razed last year -- housed the popular Alley Cat Cafe. It closed in June 2003.

Sandcastles' $4 million project is expected to become the company's corporate headquarters for its 15 employees, said Jeff Birnbach, Sandcastles' vice president of business development.

"It's a great location and we're very excited about it," Birnbach said. "Initially, it'll give us some space to lease and hopefully, longer term, move into."

Birnbach said Sandcastles intends to occupy one floor of the building and lease the balance of the space to others.

The firm hopes to begin construction late this year and complete the building in early 2007.

Just west of the Sandcastles tract, Westwater is planning an even larger office building on the site of the Churchill's Furniture Store.

Churchill's, which is scheduled to close around the end of this month, will make way for a $19 million, five-story structure.

Space in the 100,000-square-foot project, which will include the last bank drive-through allowed downtown under Sarasota's new zoning code, will lease for about $32 per square foot.

Miller said he expects to begin construction in one year. Like the Sandcastles project, Miller's building will probably be completed in 2007.

In addition to the office space, Miller said the building is being designed to include a ground-floor restaurant and a 455-space parking garage.

Big neighbors

Perhaps the biggest construction project to affect the Fruitville Road corridor in coming years will be the $1 billion redevelopment of the Sarasota Quay, at the nexus of Fruitville Road and U.S. 41.

At the Quay, a Dublin-based development team led by Patrick Kelly envisions a trio of 18-story condominium towers and town houses containing 540 units.

A fourth building would contain 78,000 square feet of office space. Designs for the project's initial phases also call for the Quay to include 32,420 square feet of retail space -- less than one-tenth the amount in the Westfield Shoppingtown Southgate center -- and nearly 1,600 parking spaces.

The existing nine-story Quay building and nearby Splash beach store will both be razed as part of the redevelopment. Kelly representatives said demolition work will begin around March 2006.

As part of the Quay revamp, city officials intend to convert the existing intersection into a roundabout in an effort to improve traffic flow and cut vehicle backups.

"We have a strange thing happening here," Miller said of Sarasota's supersonic real estate market. "I don't see it stopping anytime soon."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...501070395/1200