Bath and Racquet plans remain controversial

As residents pulled into the Bath and Racquet Club the evening of Jan. 25, they were greeted by a man waving a red flag more than 80 feet above the ground.

The visual aid was part of the property owners’ effort to persuade a skeptical audience to get behind a proposal to redevelop the Bath and Racquet Club, located just southeast of Bee Ridge Road and South Tamiami Trail.

The latest plans call for the addition of about 180 residential units around the existing health club at 2170 Robinhood St. On the south side of the property, the owners propose adding around 85 units in three- to four-story buildings. And on the northwest side of the property, in the parking lot behind Trader Joe’s, they propose building a seven-story structure with just fewer than 100 units for rent.

To obtain an increase in density and building height, the Bath and Racquet Club is asking the city to adopt a comprehensive plan amendment and change the zoning classification of the 12.5-acre property.

So far, residents have raised a number of concerns about the scope of the proposal, most significantly regarding an increase in traffic and the height of the buildings. And so, on Jan. 25, Kimley-Horn planning consultant Shawn Dressler attempted to address those concerns however he could.

That included guiding neighboring residents around the property, using the man with a flag as a point of reference for the proposed seven-story building. From certain points of the property, Dressler highlighted, large trees mostly obstructed the sight of the flagman.

Throughout a workshop at the Bath and Racquet Club, Dressler attempted to convince residents the proposed changes wouldn’t change the character of the area.

“We understand the fear of change and the fear of large development,” Dressler said. “That’s why we want to put so much effort into reaching out to the community.”

Neighborhood issues

For many residents, including Becky Bedford, the development team’s assurances fell short.

Bedford has lived in the area for more than 20 years. She said it’d be nice to see the Bath and Racquet Club redeveloped, but she believes a seven-story building represents a radical departure from what is largely a neighborhood of single-family homes east of U.S. 41.

When Bedford questioned why the Bath and Racquet Club couldn’t limit its residential development to a maximum height of three stories, Dressler said the height was necessary to ensure the project was “viable.” The phrasing didn’t sit well with Bedford.

“What really distresses me is that they keep saying they need these 150 to 180 units to make it ‘viable,’” Bedford said. “Viable for them, at the expense of our neighborhood.”

“We didn’t move to Sarasota to see this kind of development.” — Barbara Bourgoin

Other neighbors agreed. The development team acknowledged the residents’ concerns, proposing alternate traffic configurations to mitigate the increase in vehicle trips and high-quality landscaping to mask the new buildings.

“We want to make sure (the project) is attractive visually, and we want to make sure you don’t see it, so you never know how visually attractive it is,” Dressler said.

Dressler said he was enthusiastic that the questions at the Jan. 25 workshop focused more on specifics than at an initial community meeting in December. He acknowledged many lingering concerns, but he felt the developer was progressing in the right direction.

At least one person at the Jan. 25 workshop supported the proposal. Margy Lasita, a lifelong Sarasota resident, said she thought the plans would improve the quality of the neighborhood. She felt other residents were holding the developer responsible for existing traffic problems in the area, and thought an increase in activity on the property was inevitable.

“Yes, it’s going to be more traffic to our area,” Lasita said. “But if it’s not (this project), it’s going to be someone else.”

Still, for several residents, the scope alone was a non-starter. Barbara Bourgoin challenged the idea the developer could entirely mask a seven-story building in an area with a three-story building height maximum. And she was one of several residents who said approving the height increase in this location would set a precedent for other property owners throughout the city.

“There’s nothing like it in Sarasota,” Bourgoin said. “We didn’t move to Sarasota to see this kind of development.”

Broadened perspective

Dressler said the development team is going to hold a third community workshop, likely before the end of February. Soon after that, Bath and Racquet Club will formally submit its final plans to city officials.

Dressler said the planners will do their best to answer remaining questions, including those regarding the average cost of the residential units. But the final plans won’t be designed solely to satisfy the desires of nearby residents.

To obtain approval for an increase in density, the project would likely have to incorporate an affordable housing component — an idea residents have balked at, but city officials have expressed interest in.

Similarly, residents were concerned about the idea of connecting a segment of School Avenue near the property, between Bee Ridge Road and Mill Terrace. Neighbors feared an increase in cut-through traffic, but Dressler said city and county planners would likely embrace a proposal that improved the street grid in a congested segment of Sarasota.

“This project has to think about not just its neighbors.” — Shawn Dressler

Ultimately, the City Commission would need to approve the land-use changes the Bath and Racquet Club is seeking. Although the residents’ concerns are important, Dressler said, they’re not the only things that will be taken into consideration.

“If I wanted to look at all development from just the standpoint of, ‘How is this going to help me individually?’, then I don’t think we’re going to move very far as a community,” Dressler said. “This project has to think about not just its neighbors.”

The neighborhood, meanwhile, is preparing to lobby against the project to city officials when the time comes.

Despite the continuing disconnect between residents and the developer, Dressler remains optimistic about the prospect of the project moving forward. Ahead of the third and final workshop, he pledged the development team would address the outstanding questions that still surround the proposal.

“If I was the community, I’d be concerned about them too,” Dressler said. “We need to come back with that detail.”