Over neighbors' objections, Sarasota County approves parallel parking for Siesta Promenade

Sarasota County commissioners spurned the advice of their Planning Commission and the wishes of all of the citizens who spoke at a Wednesday public hearing when they granted four key approvals for the Siesta Promenade, a 28-acre mixed-use project on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road.

The site is being developed by Siesta 41 LLC, a limited liability company associated with Benderson Development Co.

Siesta Promenade, which has been in the works for years, would include a 130-room hotel, 414 multifamily residential units, shops and offices on the former site of a Shell gas station and the surrounding manufactured home community.

Siesta Promenade clears hurdles

The County Commission granted the key approvals by a pair of 4-1 votes, with Commissioner Mark Smith, who represents the Siesta Key area, dissenting.

For one of the approvals the commission met as the Sarasota County Land Development Regulation Commission and amended the project's boundaries so it could absorb two residences on 0.78 acres purchased after the development's inception.

Three other approvals, changing the future land-use designation of the 0.78 acres from medium density residential to regional commercial center; rezoning that it from residential multi-family to commercial general and making another planning document change were handled in a single vote.

In addition, the county commissioners approved the developer’s proposal to allow for 39 parallel parking spaces on Glencoe and Crestwood avenues, a change the county's Planning Commission advised against in July.

Why the residents were mad

Most of the people who spoke at the public hearing on the issues were residents of Pine Shores who have been wrangling with Benderson over the project and for protection measures for the close knit community, including buffering and limited access from the development to side streets.

Pat Norton, who lives on Glencoe Avenue opposite the two absorbed parcels, noted that residents don’t park on the street now, partly because everyone backs out of their driveways and there’s a concern that a car parked on the street could be hit.

She scoffed at the idea that the parking spaces would contribute to traffic calming, which she would otherwise embrace.

“If you take a good look at our little, two-lane street on Glencoe … try backing out of one of the houses that has a driveway and see how far you can get if somebody is parking in the green space,” she said.

Roxanne Goodman, who lives a couple of houses south of Norton, said parallel parking would create a hazard.

“The only thing that is consistent is that everyone in the neighborhood hates the idea of parallel parking because it is a danger,” she added.

Walt Rodak, who lives a couple homes north, predicted that parallel parking would spill over into neighboring streets and residential front lawns, “like in Siesta Key Village.”

Glencoe Avenue resident James Williams said the cars doing the parallel parking – and other measures meant to calm traffic – would all be generated by Siesta Promenade.

“Where’s the traffic they need to calm on Glencoe?” he asked rhetorically, then added he could sit by the road for more than five minutes without seeing a car. “There is none.”

Siesta Key residents raise traffic concerns

Robert Luckner, a board member of the Siesta Key Association, argued that Lourdes Ramirez’ recent victory in circuit court challenging the County Commission’s approval of a 170-room hotel in Siesta Village, which was preceded by a favorable ruling by the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, was justification for the board to send the entire Siesta Promenade project back to county staff and the Planning Commission for review.

“You can’t increase the (development) intensity on Stickney Point Road – at least out to U.S. 41,” he said.

Attorney Gunnar Westergom agreed, and cited to the fact that Stickney Point Road already ranks as failing for the level of congestion during peak tourist season.

Dr. Neal Schleifer, vice president of the Siesta Key Condominium Council, called for a major traffic study to determine the development’s impact.

How the County Commission voted

Bolstered by the facts that on-street parking is not prohibited in Pine Shores and that in 2011 the state Legislature removed requirements for improving transportation as development occurs under growth management laws, Commissioner Joe Neunder moved for approval of the changes, with Commissioner Mike Moran seconding the motion.

Smith said he thought the board's decisions could lead to legal action. “I believe that this will be challenged. I hate to see us waste more money, so I’m not in favor of the comprehensive plan” approval, he said.

Neunder pointed to the fact that Benderson plans to paint parking lines and the roadway at its cost as a plus.

“At least in my mind, the parking is going to happen on that road anyway,” Neunder said. “To have somebody come in to put some striping will alleviate some of the safety issues we are all concerned with.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Siesta Promenade will have 39 parking spaces on neighboring street