Residents question revised Siesta Promenade plans

Revised plans for the Stickney Point property include 600 residential units —which has community members concerned about the project’s impact on traffic.

The newest renderings for the 25-acre Siesta Promenade project were met with groans and murmurs at a Siesta Key Association meeting Thursday.

Benderson Development Co. formally pitched new plans for a commercial development on the corner of Stickney Point and U.S. 41 in 2014. After initial discussions with neighborhood groups, Benderson revised the project to include additional residential space to create a barrier between the existing neighborhood and the commercial space.

The plans now call for 600 residential units — including a hotel — in addition to 140,000 square feet of commercial space for restaurants and shopping.

However, some residents aren’t satisfied with the changes.

Debbie and David Daniello moved to their home one mile north of the proposed development 10 years ago. They fear the addition of the residential properties will exacerbate traffic congestion in the area.

“It’s a lot of cars, lots of people,” Debbie Daniello said. “At least with retail, at 10 o’clock, it’s gone.”

Traffic is the neighbors’ primary concern.

Among Siesta residents and representatives from nearby mainland neighborhoods, there is fear the new development may make the intersection congested and clog access to the Key, leading drivers to cut through their neighborhoods to bypass traffic.

Benderson Director of Development Todd Mathes assured those in attendance that Siesta Promenade would be small in comparison to similar developments in the area.

Many residents remain unconvinced. Audience members scoffed when Mathes promised the packed parish hall at St. Boniface Episcopal Church that the development would not negatively affect traffic.

Not everyone is so skeptical. Siesta Pointe resident Ellen Ross applauded the possibility of a Whole Foods within walking distance of her condo.

“We like the idea of having the stores,” Ross said. “We want to walk there.”

Both Ross and her husband, Jim Moynihan, believe increased traffic will not be an issue.

“Most people that live there will like what we like ― walking,” Moynihan said, adding he has confidence in Benderson to do a good job.

Now that the once-quiet project is back in motion, Benderson has a long road ahead before it can break ground on Siesta Promenade.

Mathes expects construction to begin in fall 2017, pending a special exception from the county to build an 85-foot-tall residential structure. The project also hinges on a special exception to increase the residential density of the site to 13 units per acre.

As it stands, Benderson is allowed to build 9 units per acre, which is a number Siesta Key Association Publicity Chairman Joe Volpe is more comfortable with.

“The project becomes more tolerable if density is cut in half,” Volpe said to Mathes during the Siesta Key Association meeting.

Mathes is holding two more public meetings this month on June 14 and 30 at Pine Shores Presbyterian Church. Formal meetings with county officials will follow within the year.

Although most neighborhood members remain skeptical, including David Daniello, he says he appreciates that Benderson is engaging with residents.

“It seems like Benderson wants to work with the community,” David Daniello said. “Otherwise, we would have the first projected plan.”