This week in history 4.30.15

A glimpse of the way things were from the Pelican Press archives.

By Amanda Morales
| 6:00 a.m. April 30, 2015

A pedestrian bridge connecting the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota hotel to the conference center was included in the Sarasota 2040 plans.

Sarasota
Neighbors

April 30, 1998

Before there was Bayfront 20:20, there was Sarasota 2040, a vision plan for the city.

In 1998 the city presented a proposed capital improvement program with a total of $118 million in projects. The bulk of the proposed projects related to transportation needs.

The article stated: “The biggest project on that list is an $8 million extension of Fruitville Road across U.S. 41, through the coming Ritz-Carlton project, to John Ringling Causeway.”

April 29, 1982

History does, in fact, repeat itself. Thirty years ago, the Sarasota City Commission needed to decide whether there would be a demolition moratorium on all historical structures. The structure on deck to be demolished was the historic Mira Mar Hotel on Palm Avenue. The moratorium was considered to help save the hotel from demolition, but it only temporarily stalled the demolition, which occurred later that year.

Now residents and businesses are fighting to prevent the DeMarcay Hotel building on Palm Avenue, which sits adjacent to the previous Mira Mar property, from being replaced with an 18-story residential and commercial development. A month ago the 1350 Main Residential Condominium Association and three individual residents filed a lawsuit against the city and XAC Developers LLC.