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Planning board recommends rezoning to allow Proper Pizza at 2283 Ringling Boulevard
Summary
The Sarasota City Planning Board voted 5–0 to recommend rezoning a 2,204‑square‑foot commercial building at 2283 Ringling Boulevard to Downtown Edge (DTE) with a proffer limiting future uses to a restaurant of the existing footprint; board discussion centered on parking, proffers and traffic analysis.
The Sarasota City Planning Board on March 11 voted 5–0 to recommend approval of a rezoning (26‑REN‑01) that would change the zoning of 2283 Ringling Boulevard from Commercial General to Downtown Edge so the owner can operate a restaurant. The applicant proffered that the restaurant use would not exceed the existing 2,204‑square‑foot footprint.
Sean Zammitz, one of the property owners, said the proposal is an interior renovation to convert the vacant retail building to a roughly 2,200‑square‑foot restaurant with a sit‑down side and to‑go service for passersby. “I don’t think I’ll probably have a 120 people at one time,” Zammitz said in response to board questions about seating and parking; he pointed to nearby on‑street and paid parking and a county garage within walking distance as part of the project’s access strategy.
Board members repeatedly pressed the applicant on parking and the proffer’s long‑term effect on property rights. One member asked whether the proffer would be recorded in title; staff said the proffer would be reflected in the ordinance and recorded if the City Commission adopts the rezoning. Several members contrasted the proposed location and expected walkability with denser downtown districts and noted new adjacent residential projects that could provide pedestrian customers.
Staff planner Camden Jenkins explained the rezone request and said an initial transportation concurrency analysis found the request de minimis; staff recommended approval with conditions in the staff report. Jenkins noted the applicant proffered the restaurant use not to exceed 2,204 square feet and that the application had development review committee sign‑off.
Assistant City Engineer Alisa Thomas answered technical questions about traffic review practice and how proffers affect trip‑generation calculations. Thomas said initial traffic reviews are a staff‑level check and that a full traffic study is required only if the review is not de minimis; she noted the de minimis test compares net new trips against 1% of adjacent thoroughfare capacity and that discontinued existing uses receive a 50% credit in off‑site calculations.
After discussion, a board member moved to find the rezone consistent with applicable criteria and recommend approval to the City Commission subject to the two conditions in the staff report. The motion was seconded and passed by roll call vote, 5–0. The rezoning will proceed to the City Commission for final action.
