Siesta Key mini-golf plan swapped for parking lot

Plans for a mini-golf course in Siesta Key Village have evolved into something a little less entertaining: a new parking lot.

Real estate developer Casto is proposing a 35-space lot on a 10,000-square-foot parcel at 5160 Calle Minorga, behind the main drag of the Village. The proposal will go before Sarasota County’s Development Review Committee next week for a pre-submittal session.

The plans could help ease parking woes in the commercial district, and allow more flexibility for owners seeking to redevelop their properties with larger footprints, Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mark Smith. Right now, the Siesta Key Overlay District has stringent parking requirements that could be eased with off-site parking agreements.

“And it will help businesses in the immediate area,” Smith said.

Representatives from Casto did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Since the property, which was last valued at $425,300, is zoned for office and professional use, a restaurant would not be permitted on the site. And office space just isn’t in demand in the Village, Smith said.

Last year, Mike Driscoll, owner of the Fish Hole miniature golf businesses in Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton Beach, sought to develop the Calle Minorga lot into a mini-golf course. Those plans included 16 parking spaces, which was less than half of that required under the SKOD.

Driscoll did not return a phone call seeking comment.

“If it was a parking lot, and people were paying to park there, it would at least generate some income for the folks who own it,” Smith said. “It’s not a great big lot, but anything’s better than nothing.”