Bath and Racquet plans headed back to Commission

A January public hearing on a redevelopment application for the site of the Bath and Racquet Fitness Club earned a 5-0 recommendation of approval from the Planning Board, a stark contrast from the divisive votes on an earlier iteration of the plan in 2019.

As the application heads to the City Commission, however, residents near the project site say they remain concerned about the proposed mixed-use development at 2170 Robinhood St. — and were unable to share their feedback in front of the Planning Board.

On Tuesday, the City Commission will hold a public hearing on a request to rezone the 13.4-acre Bath and Racquet Club site. The development team intends to build 207 apartments, including 27 affordable units, in buildings up to 45 feet tall. Plans call for the demolition of the fitness center and the construction of a new one, along with 17 outdoor tennis courts and a one-story pickleball center. The project would also include some ground-level commercial space and public amenities, such as a 1.1-acre park and a 1,000-yard looping trail.

At the Planning Board meeting in January, architect Michel Halflants said that the project was redesigned to address resident concerns from 2019, when the City Commission rejected an alternate redevelopment proposal. The new plans lowered the proposed building heights by one story and moved the tallest structures away from single-family zoned properties.

Planning Board members agreed the new proposal did a better job of creating a natural transition between disparate adjoining properties, which include commercial sites on U.S. 41 to the east and multifamily zones to the north near Bee Ridge Road.

“This is a good example of the power of thoughtful design,” Planning Board member David Morriss said in January. “It really solved a lot of problems without messing with the program that much.”

Ben Cannon, the president of the Riverwood Court Homeowners Association, said more than 20 residents signed up to participate in the Planning Board meeting but could not provide input because of procedural issues with the city’s remote public input system. Cannon said he and other residents continue to have the same objections to the project as they did more than two years ago.

Although design details have changed, the applicant still intends to build the same number of units. Cannon remains concerned about adding 207 apartments to the Bath and Racquet Club site, particularly because of traffic-related fears near intersections that are already busy.

City staff has recommended approval of the application, stating the proposal meets applicable standards following a traffic study. The development team has also offered more than 20 conditions tied to approval of the rezoning application, an effort to address resident concerns. The conditions include restrictions on residential density below levels established in the zoning code, the preservation of grand trees and the creation of landscaping buffers near single-family homes.

Cannon said those conditions are also a source of concern for some residents. Although site plan approval would be conditioned on complying with the provisions the developer has outlined, Cannon expressed some doubt about the city’s ability to force the developer to adhere to 100% of the promises included with the rezone application.

“I’m not saying anything about this particular applicant, but it warrants concern to have so many of the issues raised by concerned citizens covered by proffer and not in a site plan,” Cannon said. “It should concern everyone. If this type of submittal of an application continues in the city of Sarasota, it just seems ripe for abuse of promises.”

In 2019, the City Commission voted 3-2 in favor of a comprehensive plan amendment tied to the previous Bath and Racquet Club redevelopment application, but the proposal failed because it required supermajority support. The application under consideration Tuesday does not include a comprehensive plan amendment and would pass with a simple majority.