New voices join Siesta Promenade debate

Benderson Development’s proposal for a mixed-use project on the corner of Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41 has met resident opposition at almost every stage. Now, a new group of neighbors is joining the discussion.

After receiving dozens of emails prior to the meeting, commissioners listened to citizens for more than two hours during Tuesday’s meeting after 47 citizens signed up to speak during the hearing.

The 24-acre mixed-use project includes 350 to 400 residential units, two hotels with 195 rooms between them and 140,000 square feet of commercial space, according to alternative plans released by Benderson Director of Development Todd Mathes prior to the meeting. Benderson originally pitched the development in 2006, but plans were delayed during the recession.

In 2014, Benderson revived the project, which has generated substantial interest from nearby residents. In particular, a proposal to increase the project’s maximum allowable density from 13 to 25 units per acre has raised concerns regarding traffic in an already congested area.

To move ahead with its plans, Benderson needs the county to approve either a rezone or establish a critical area plan for the land. Benderson is pursuing a CAP, a designation sometimes given to mixed-use developments to allow additional feedback from residents and officials — and which could permit greater density and height for the project.

Commissioners declined to make a decision on the CAP on Tuesday, and the board requested additional information to better evaluate residents’ concerns.

Many of those concerns have been shared during preliminary stages of the development review process. Representatives from the Pine Shores neighborhood, which abuts the parcel in question, continued to state the project would negatively impact their quality of life, while Siesta Key residents were wary of increased traffic to the island.

In addition to these longtime skeptics, another group of concerned citizens spoke at Tuesday’s commission meeting: Gulf Gate residents.

To this point, Gulf Gate has not presented the united front against the project that other neighborhoods have. The neighborhood is located east of the Stickney Point and U.S. 41 intersection.

On Tuesday, several Gulf Gate residents spoke about concerns regarding the impact the project would have on South Trail traffic.

“The idea of any kind of development there, all I can think of is traffic,” Barbara Day said.

Day has lived in Gulf Gate for 12 years. Despite her growing awareness of the project, she doesn’t believe the issue is garnering much attention among Gulf Gate residents as a whole.

“I think it should be, but I don’t think that it is,” Day said. “I think there should have been a much larger presentation of people not only from my area, but other neighborhoods south, because we’re the ones who have to deal with the traffic every day.”

Gulf Gate Community Association Treasurer Kathy Butler said the neighborhood is concerned about proposals to increase the density of the development. Like Day, Butler said Gulf Gate residents are concerned how the project will affect traffic in their area.

“People are really not happy. Everyone has to travel that Stickney Point and 41 intersection,” Butler said. “It’s so scary.”

Butler said the neighborhood hasn’t previously been as outspoken because many residents were gone during the summer months, and many of those who were in town were involved in opposing a development proposed for the Gulf Gate Golf Course. Now that residents are returning for the winter months and the proposals for the golf course are likely to come to fruition, that is changing.

“We were just getting over (the golf course),” Butler said. “Now, we will have people there and communicating with commissioners about how everybody feels.”

Some South Trail businesses are also critical of the project. The Best Western Plus Gateway Siesta Key hired attorney Morgan Bentley to reign in the proposed development. Bentley said it’s likely that other nearby landowners will step forward with feedback for Benderson, too.

“I think everyone agrees there’s going to be some type of development there, so the best outcome for us is one that brings the most benefit with the least impact,” he said. “Which is easy to say and hard to do.”

A resident from The Landings, located two miles north of the proposed development, also cautioned commissioners against the project. Like Gulf Gate, The Landings has not been particularly active regarding this issue.

“Excess retail space is a big problem right now in Sarasota,” Jim Donovan said. “So why in the world would we want to add to that ... is beyond me.”

However, not all South Trail stakeholders oppose the project.

Court Hoyle lives in the Tropical Shores neighborhood, which is about a mile south of the proposed development. He has hopes its addition to the area will bolster local businesses and help south Sarasota develop an identity of its own.

“That property has just been sitting bare for the longest time. It should be utilized,” Hoyle said. “It’s a great area, and there is no reason why south Sarasota shouldn’t be looked at the same way as central Sarasota.”

Hoyle concedes the development comes with its disadvantages, but he believes it will be a net benefit for the area.

“Obviously it’s got a lot of downsides,” Hoyle said. “Traffic. I can’t stand traffic as much as any other person who lives here, but it’s ultimately inevitable.”