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Sarasota workshop previews rezoning for proposed Ringling Boulevard restaurant
Summary
At a City of Sarasota community workshop, Friedman Consulting described plans to rezone 2283 Ringling Boulevard from Commercial General to Downtown Edge so the owner can open an interior restaurant of about 1,761 square feet; no formal decision was made and the rezoning must be approved before permits are issued.
Joel Friedman of Friedman Consulting told a City of Sarasota community workshop that a property owner plans to rezone the site at 2283 Ringling Boulevard from CG (Commercial General) zoning to the Downtown Edge zoning district to allow a small restaurant.
Friedman said the interior would be roughly 1,761 square feet and that the current plan shows about 80 seats inside and additional fenced outdoor seating. "We might be able to be in front of the commission so that he could then, get going on his restaurant," Friedman said, describing an optimistic timeline after the first of the year.
The rezoning discussion focused on the land-use and permitting process. Friedman described the standard sequence: submit the rezoning application to the city, wait for the city to deem the application complete, respond to departmental comments and obtain Development Review Committee sign-off, then appear before the planning board (which meets in city commission chambers) for a recommendation, followed by a final public hearing and decision by the City of Sarasota Commission. Friedman said the overall review process typically takes a few months because of public-notice requirements.
A city staff member clarified two points raised by attendees: a property owner can apply for a rezoning with or without a site plan, and in this case the owner could submit building-permit plans for interior renovation while the rezoning application is pending. "He can do them concurrently anyway," the staff member said, but the staff member added that the city cannot issue building permits until the rezoning is approved.
Speakers at the workshop also asked about parking. Friedman and city staff noted that one benefit of the Downtown Edge zoning is that properties with buildings under 10,000 square feet do not trigger a city-required parking minimum for nonresidential uses; street and nearby public parking would serve customers. City staff explained that residential units above retail remain subject to residential parking requirements.
No formal action or vote occurred at the workshop. The next steps are for the applicant to submit the rezoning application to the City of Sarasota; if the application is accepted as complete, the city will circulate it to internal departments for comment and schedule the required public hearings.
Planning staff, the planning board and the City Commission will handle future notices and hearings; the workshop itself served as an early required step in the city's development-review process rather than as a decision-making meeting.
