Proposed private club at Boulevard of the Arts seeks minor conditional use; neighbors raise parking and notice concerns

Joel Friedman, of Friedman Consulting, told a community workshop that an applicant plans to seek a minor conditional use to convert permitted restaurant space at the Boulevard of the Arts into a private club in the City of Sarasota's downtown Bayfront zoning district.

"The purpose of a community workshop is to bring together a prospective applicant and persons who own property, businesses, and reside in a vicinity to discuss a proposed development," Friedman said, reading an overview of the city's process. He said the club space would total about "13,025 square feet" and that an earlier approved restaurant in the building had been about "7,800, 7,900 square feet."

The applicant's representative, identified only as Alex, described the concept as a high-end private club with dining, a mezzanine lounge and modest live music such as a piano or acoustic guitar. Friedman said the plans show about 179 seats in the main dining area and roughly 70 on the mezzanine. Alex said the club aims for a membership goal of about 200…