Commissioners delay final judgement on Siesta Promenade

The future of Benderson Development’s Siesta Promenade is still largely unknown. 

Sarasota County commissioners today unanimously voted to continue discussions pertaining to a Critical Area Plan boundary for the 24-acre proposal at the northwest corner of Stickney Point Road and South Tamiami Trail.

According to county staff, the boundary does not identify specific density, height or traffic regulations, but instead creates a boundary for future study regarding those matters. The initial plans for the property call for up to 400 residential units, two hotels with up to 195 rooms and 140,000 square feet of retail.

A Critical Area Plan — or CAP — is a designation sometimes given to mixed-used development proposals that can allow for great height and density allotments. The CAP process is three fold and requires the creation of a boundary for additional study of the area.

Additional areas of study that will be required under the CAP process include the development’s compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, creation of pedestrian circulation structures and further investigation of affordable housing.

Several board members expressed their hesitation to approve the boundary proposal out right early on in the six-hour discussion.

Many of the commissioner’s hesitation was derived from a perceived lack of information regarding the specifics of the eventual plan.

“I cannot imagine a more awkward situation where we are asked to vote up or down on something where we don’t have all the moving pieces,” Commissioner Alan Maio said.

Commissioners listened to more than two hours of public comment from 47 residents, most of whom spoke against not only the CAP boundary, but the development as a whole. However, Benderson Development Director of Development Todd Mathes insisted a vote for the CAP boundary was not a vote for increased densities, but rather a vote to discuss the possibility of increased densities.

“My goal, my effort is let’s set the boundary let's know where the boundary might apply so we can take the pieces to you and prove that it works,” Mathes said during his closing statements.  

Commissioners voted unanimously to continue discussions the boundary pending a workshop to identify specific areas of future study. The CAP process will continue as well as rezone proposals to be considered in conjunction with each other. 

Although commissioners were convinced, some residents remained skeptical. Many residents fear the CAP boundary and the subsequent proposals could open the door for increased densities and subsequent traffic congestion at the intersection of Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41. 

Although it was clear residents were disappointed by the commissioners’ decision, Sura Kochman of the Pine Shores Neighborhood Alliance, an organization that has vocally opposed the development, told the Sarasota Observer that the commissioner’s approval would not deter her efforts to continue to raise awareness.

“I guess it will be up to everybody to keep driving home the fact that the increased density should not be allowed if indeed commissioners would approve the CAP to do more studies,” Kochman said before the meeting. “The fact of the matter of what occurs at that intersection is not going to change and putting any dense use is only going to exacerbate the situation no matter how you study it.”

This article was amended at 9:57 p.m. on Oct. 11 to reflect the commissioners’ decision regarding the CAP boundary.