County commissioners on Tuesday took a procedural step toward approving three hotels on Siesta Key, unanimously advancing three out-of-cycle changes to the county’s future land use policy.
The changes pertain to height, density and transient use on the barrier island.
The three hotel proposals were set to be approved without discussion, but Commissioner Christian Ziegler reset them for full consideration. Commissioner Mike Moran clarified the approval means staff will now allocate time for a review and discussion process. It does not mean the projects have the green light to be built.
“The community has plenty of opportunities, including workshops and Planning Commission hearings to be heard,” Moran said.
Sarasota County to press ahead with review of hotel proposals on Siesta Key
SIESTA KEY – Three developers want to fundamentally change long-held intensity and density requirements on Siesta Key for their future hotel projects. Two want to drastically change height requirements on the barrier island.
On Tuesday, Sarasota County Commissioners approved the first phase of the process to potentially make that a reality by approving what’s called an “out of cycle” review of the comprehensive plan, the county’s long-range growth map.
This essentially fast-tracks a review of the county’s long range planning documents because it is done outside of the county’s typical review process.
4 months ago Share Gary Kompothecras is proposing a 120-bed hotel and a five story garage along Old Stickney Point Road.
For more than two hours, nearly 100 residents argued over a proposal for a 120-unit hotel on South Siesta Key, likely foreshadowing the approval process ahead.
The proposal is one of three that requests changes to density and transient accommodations on the Key, which many residents fear will change the nature of the island and exacerbate traffic on one of the Key’s main entry points.
The seven-story hotel is proposed on just more than an acre owned by Gary Kompothecras on Old Stickney Point Road. A five-story parking garage would be built across the street.