Construction underway for Aria addition

Construction is under way at the Aria Condominiums to add a new living quarters and an office space for a building manager.

The Longboat Key Planning, Zoning and Building Department issued a building permit in August for a two-story, 2,026-square-foot structure located at 2251 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Planning, Zoning and Building and Building Director Allen Parsons said the construction value is listed at $1,300,000.

“The new building will replace the existing historic home onsite, currently utilized for these purposes and which will be converted to a storage area,” Parsons wrote in an email.

Parsons said he was not sure how long it would take for crews to finish the construction at Aria.

The Aria Condominium Association Board did not return the Longboat Observer’s calls and emails. Tom Davis with Davis Construction Consultants and Mark Sultana of DSDG are listed as the project’s licensed architects in the building permits.

In a June email, Davis referenced an ongoing 2019 lawsuit between the owners and buildings and developers of the property. In February 2020, Aria residents said a new building was necessary because the original building intended to be the manager’s residence was prone to flooding. The old building was a 1930s era villa built seaward of the property’s coastal construction control line.

The site development plan shows the new structure has a height of 22 feet and 6 inches. It also states the structure is designed for wind speeds of 150 mph, which is higher than the normal design of 116 mph.

Aria will also provide five additional parking spots for a total of 58 spaces. The town requires Aria to have a minimum of 31 parking spots.