Developers reassure with vision for new hotel

If county officials had lingering concerns about plans to construct a hotel at Main Street and U.S. 301, Rod Connelly hopes their nerves are now soothed.

Connelly is the president of Civix, a Sarasota business working as part of the development group SHD Partners. In February, the commission approved a land-swap deal with SHD Partners, allowing for the construction of a 10-story hotel at 20 N. Washington Blvd.

On Friday, County Administrator Tom Harmer shared new renderings of that hotel with county commissioners. The downtown hotel — one of five planned hotels in the heart of the city — is being built on a 0.95-acre tract that is currently a parking lot. The hotel will include 150 rooms, and a first-floor restaurant will front Main Street and extend around to Washington Boulevard.

When the commission approved the deal in February, multiple commissioners voiced concern about potentially getting burned after the Dec. 31 closing date. Connelly stressed he was determined to make the proposal a reality, but two commissioners still voted against an agreement.

SHD Partners is required to build an 86-space parking lot at 2051 Main St., which will then be transferred to the county. SHD Partners will provide $958,000 to the county to cover the difference in the value between the two properties, less the cost of constructing the parking lot.

Nine months after the deal was approved, Connelly’s determination is holding firm. He said the group is still targeting a completion date of October 2016, and is going through the permitting process now. Earlier this month, SHD Partners appeared before the city’s Development Review Committee to seek approval for the Main Street parking lot. Next week, the group will begin the same process for the hotel itself.
Connelly said he didn’t expect any major hurdles.

“It should be straightforward,” Connelly said. “We’ve met with the city a number of times.”

SHD Partners is working with Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants on the project, a boutique hotel company based out of San Francisco. As part of the agreement, the group is required to secure a five-year agreement with the hotelier.

“We’re really happy they’re coming into town,” Connelly said. “They’re usually big-city players. They’ll be a big plus for this city.”

Connelly said the location was a good match for the hotel.

“Part of (Kimpton’s) business model is targeted toward the business community,” Connelly said. “We’re sort of a bull’s-eye, surrounded by the office concentration in Sarasota.”

The group still has work to do: In addition to the city review process, the county is reviewing the design of the Main Street parking lot, and SHD Partners is still working through documentation with Kimpton. The final project may be nearly two years away, but Connelly is happy with the progress thus far.

“Everything seems to be going well,” Connelly said. “It’s just a lengthy, lengthy process.”

Project specs
What: 10-story Kimpton Hotel with 150 rooms, a first-floor restaurant, a pool and bar terrace area, meeting rooms and a banquet room.

Where: 20 N. Washington Blvd., Sarasota

Target completion date: October 2016