Developer plots residences for Sarasota Kennel Club site

A company under contract to purchase the former dog track hopes to build up to 380 units on the property.

By David Conway
| 10:00 a.m. June 16, 2021

Two other developers have previously filed plans with the city expressing their intent to pursue a residential project on the Sarasota Kennel Club site. File photo.

Sarasota
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The former home of the Sarasota Kennel Club could eventually be the site of a 380-unit multifamily housing complex.

In May, the prospective purchaser of the property at 5400 Old Bradenton Road filed a preliminary application with the city for a comprehensive plan amendment to facilitate the project. Raleigh, North Carolina-based developer Aventon Companies intends to request a change to the future land use designation for a majority of the site, moving it from community commercial to multiple family, medium density.

Under the proposed land use changes, 21.2 acres of the site would be zoned for up to 18 residential units per acre. Another 3.24-acre segment of the property is located within the county. According to materials submitted to the city, the developer is interested in speaking to officials about the process of annexing the county portion of the site into the city. The developer is interested in implementing the same zoning on the entirety of the property it is under contract to purchase.

Buck Hendrick, Aventon’s vice president of development, did not respond to a request for comment.

Aventon is not the first company to pursue plans to redevelop the site of the dog track, which shut down in 2019. In August, Sarasota-based firm JBCC Development had a preliminary meeting with city staff to discuss the same comprehensive plan amendment for the property. JBCC intended to build a mix of residential and commercial uses on the land.

Separately, JBCC proceeded with plans for a Circle K gas station on a 2.16-acre portion of the Kennel Club property with an address of 1200 University Parkway. The city’s Planning Board approved that project in August.

In 2019, Bronxville, N.Y.-based Wakefield Development Partners said it intended to build a residential-centered project with up to 340 apartments and an assisted living facility with up to 275 beds.

Representatives for Aventon appeared before the city’s Development Review Committee on Wednesday to discuss the proposal for the site.