Sarasota commissioners approve Miramar redevelopment after lengthy public hearing; several other measures pass

Sarasota — After an extended legislative public hearing and more than five hours of testimony, discussion and cross-examination, the Sarasota City Commission voted unanimously on May 19 to amend the city’s comprehensive plan to allow the Miramar site at 65 South Palm Avenue to be reclassified from Downtown Core to Downtown Bayfront, enabling taller buildings on the parcel. The vote was 5-0.

The Miramar item dominated the meeting and drew a long line of speakers, technical presentations and two opposing expert teams before commissioners debated whether the public benefit claimed by the applicant — chiefly funding and carrying out rehabilitation of the historic Miramar apartment buildings — outweighed concerns about compatibility and precedent.

Why it mattered

The applicant, Miramar Acquisition Company (represented by Seward Development), asked the commission to change the future land-use designation so the owner can build two residential towers with a maximum height of 18 stories and fund a projected $29 million rehabilitation of the two historic Miramar structures. City staff recommended denial, saying the proposed height increase was inconsistent with several components of the adopted Sarasota City Plan and could establish an undesirable precedent by extending the Downtown Bayfront classification inland from the bayfront.

What commissioners heard

City long-range planning manager David Smith and planning director Steve Coover presented the staff analysis and emphasized compatibility and precedent concerns. Smith told commissioners the planning staff found "several components of the comprehensive plan that do not further the public benefit" and recommended denial.

The applicant’s team described a preservation-led approach that the developers say makes rehabilitation financially feasible. Architect Rick Gonzales, who led the preservation analysis, walked commissioners through precedents where restoration required complex and costly structural work. Developer Patrick DePinto of Seward Development said the…