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 people and described a range of concierge services the club would provide.

Why it matters: The proposal must complete city review — including a development review committee review and a planning board public hearing — before the club could be established. Neighbors at the workshop focused on parking capacity and how the project would be noticed and reviewed, issues that could shape whether the city deems the application complete and how staff evaluate the project's impacts.

What is proposed and what remains undecided The applicant seeks a minor conditional use to permit a private club at the site. Friedman said the application will include a valet and off-site parking plan and that the exact hours of operation have not been finalized. He said the applicant is considering dinner service, possibly Sunday brunch, and that live entertainment would be limited to small, acoustical performances rather than full bands.

Friedman said the city parking requirement used in the preliminary calculations is one space per 500 square feet; based on that formula, a 13,025-square-foot club would require 27 spaces. "That's all that's required," a workshop participant reiterated during discussion. Friedman said the applicant is developing a valet plan and exploring off-site parking and other options to provide the required spaces.

Neighbor concerns and notices Several residents and a member of the Boulevard of the Arts board raised objections and practical concerns at the workshop. A board member asked how valet operations would preserve pedestrian access to Fifth Street and whether a proposed 27-space valet footprint could be accommodated without blocking common walkways. Another resident said that contractors and building users sometimes need parking during daytime hours and suggested access arrangements when the club is not using spaces.

Multiple residents also said they did not receive mailed notice of the community workshop. Friedman said he sent about 400 letters and apologized for omissions, telling residents the project team would review the mailing list and add missing addresses so neighbors receive notice when the application is filed.

Timeline and next steps Friedman described the next steps: the applicant will prepare and file the formal application; city staff will review it for completeness; if deemed complete, the project will enter the development review committee cycle and later be scheduled for a planning board public hearing. Friedman said he did not expect the planning board hearing before the end of the year and thought it more likely to occur after the new year.

No formal city action was taken at the workshop. Friedman said parking, hours and other details will be finalized in the application materials submitted to city staff, and that the applicant will respond to departmental comments during the development review process.

Ending Friedman thanked attendees and invited additional comments; he said the project team will incorporate feedback into the application and provide the plans and parking analyses when the city posts them after deeming the file complete.