Project denial puzzles developers

A recent decision by the Sarasota City Commission surprised even some wary developers and provides more anecdotal proof for those who consider the body anti-growth.

The commission denied a developer's request to add 16 boat slips to a hotel and yacht club project a few miles north of downtown. The commission previously approved the hotel and yacht club aspect of the project, proposed for the Whitaker Bayou section of Sarasota by local developers and entrepreneurs Kim and Charles Githler.

The kicker this time: City staff and the Sarasota Planning Board approved the addition of the boat slips. Yet the commission, after it heard from several local residents concerned about environmental impact of the slips, rejected the addition by a 4-1 vote April 18.

“I was very surprised by the vote,” says Joel Freedman, a local land-use consultant and land planner for the project. “It's just politics.”

The boat slips, says Freedman, are one of several elements developers hoped would attract a hotel chain to the project. In fact, a few hotels expressed an interest in the project specifically because of the boat slips. “Every amenity you can add to the project gives a you a better chance of getting a hotel,” Freedman tells Coffee Talk.

But in their denial, commissioners cited a potential for loud noise, in addition to a law that requires the middle 50% of waterway in the area to remain clear of boats or docks.

Charles Githler says he was surprised and frustrated by the decision, all the more so given the project is in the North Trail — an area of town many consider prime for redevelopment.

The project, Yacht Center Land Co. and Half Moon Beach Club of Sarasota, is still viable and will move ahead, say Freedman and Charles Githler. Freedman says they might appeal the boat slip decision, or apply for the slips again, possibly next month when three new city commissioners are sworn in.