A different approach

A different approach

by Roger Drouin | Contributing Writer

Developer Leonard Gardner is asking for density increases and city funding to bring workforce housing downtown.

It would be the first development of its kind in downtown Sarasota - featuring neither luxury condos, nor huge retail space.

Developer Leonard Garner is proposing a 10-story building with 168 workforce apartments and one floor of office space directly north of Whole Foods. He calls the project Alcazar.

Garner has been developing projects in Sarasota and Manatee counties for 15 years, and his latest is the Atrium on Ringling Boulevard, a 17-story tower of 88 luxury condominiums and 40,000 square feet of retail. Crews are currently demolishing office space at the site for the Atrium.

But for his Alcazar project, Garner has an entirely different vision. "This is a total affordable project," Garner said. "If we get what should happen, it will be workforce housing. It's my contribution to my city."

Before this mid-rise comes to Sarasota's skyline, Garner needs approval from the City Commission for a density increase that allows him to build 168 units - instead of 50 units as allowed under downtown core zoning. He also wants the city to kick in funding from redevelopment taxes.

Garner submitted preliminary plans to the city's planning department earlier this month and he met with City Manager Peter Schneider and the assistant city manager last week.

Garner said the one-acre parcel is under contract. He would not disclose the selling price until the sale is finalized.

The location, at the corner of Lemon Avenue and 2nd Avenue, just north of Whole Foods and within walking distance to the library and bus station, is the perfect location for apartments for working-class residents, Garner said.

He wants to keep the rent below $1,000 for the larger 1,300 to 1,400-square-feet units. Units as small as 400 square feet will rent for less. The apartments are planned for the top five floors.

Garner hopes the City Commission will strongly support his proposal, which bring affordable housing downtown.

Later this year, he will be presenting his request for a density increase to a commission with a new makeup. Two recently elected city commissioners campaigned on promises to restrict growth and demonstrated an antipathy toward developments seeking density increases. But they also campaigned on bringing affordable housing to Sarasota.

Garner built two similar units with affordable apartment housing in New Jersey, and he is confident he can do the same thing here. "This is the perfect venue," he said about the downtown site.