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Commission approves special permit for seawall, riprap at 3730 Bayou Lewis Lane
Summary
After reviewing engineering, wave‑runup and regulatory approvals from state and federal agencies, the City Commission unanimously granted a special permit allowing a landward retaining wall and a riprap revetment in front of 3730 Bayou Lewis Lane to stabilize an eroding shoreline and protect the homeowner’s foundation.
The Sarasota City Commission on July 21 unanimously approved a special‑permit request authorizing a retaining wall landward of mean high water and a riprap revetment in front of 3730 Bayou Lewis Lane, a property that suffered post‑storm erosion threatening its foundation.
Applicants presented an engineering and permitting package that included a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit and a Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit authorizing riprap along the waterline. Consultant Joe Foster (Foster Consulting) and marine‑habitat and permitting specialist Kat Massey described a plan that places the sheet‑pile retaining wall landward of the mean high water line and reuses or restores armored stone (riprap) to reconstitute an armored shore profile.
City staff engineering review: acting assistant city engineer Alex Davishaw and general manager Allison Christie told the commission the city’s engineering division had reviewed the materials, and that the proposed wall height (about 3.8 feet NAVD) is below the code maximum and that analyses provided met the three special‑permit criteria in city code: (1) the beach protection work is necessary to prevent erosion to the subject parcel; (2) the design is properly engineered to reduce erosion at the property; and (3) the work is not expected to adversely affect adjacent properties. The applicant provided a FEMA‑recognized wave‑runup and scour analysis that staff said shows the design will not direct additional wave energy onto neighboring lots.
Permits and construction: applicants said the riprap revetment was authorized by the Army Corps and that the wall itself is landward of Corps jurisdiction. Foster and Massey described plans for core stone and larger armor stone to reduce wave energy and to terminate the work at existing hardened anchor points to avoid channeling currents along neighboring shorelines.
Vote and action: Commissioner Ahern Koch moved to adopt Resolution 25R3335 granting the special permit; the vote was unanimous. The approved resolution authorizes the seawall and appurtenances as proposed and requires applicable building permits and construction to comply with the sealed engineering plans and state/federal permit conditions.
Ending: Construction is contingent on the applicant’s building permit approvals and required state and federal compliance. The commission’s approval allows the homeowner and contractors to proceed with construction according to submitted sealed engineering documents.
