Since the late 1940s, the Pier 550 condominiums on the east side of the Golden Gate have embodied Sarasota’s mid-century emergence. Now overshadowed by towering luxury residential buildings, the two-story buildings will be demolished to make way for more identical buildings.
In its place, the two-tower, 54-unit Amara project was built and received unanimous approval from the Sarasota Planning Commission on Jan. 8. The eight-story building replaces Pier 550, a 51-unit low-rise apartment complex built between 1948 and 1953 along a 2.26-acre site in Golden Gate Point.
Ronto Group completed the acquisition of the property in May, and the previous owner moved out by September. The site is currently surrounded by a construction fence and demolition work has begun.
Mr. Amara will participate in the construction of three other projects on a 22-acre peninsula that juts into Sarasota Bay just west of the Ringling Bridge. Ronto Group is currently building another condominium tower, The Owen, on the south end of Golden Gate Point.
After receiving full approval from the City’s Development Review Board and being deemed compliant with Residential Mixed Family 5 zoning, only one hurdle remained. This is to deal with occasional flooding on the brick-paved ring road. This can be exacerbated by the fact that the majority of the land is 2.6 acres. An impermeable surface that covers part of an existing area of lawn or landscaping.
Amara’s location on Golden Gate Point is outlined in black.
During a community meeting, the Planning Commission was informed that the Ronto Group is planning to install one to two stormwater outlets into Sarasota Bay, one at the north end and the other at the northern end, although they are not included in the site plan. The government announced that it would consider replacing it with the southern end. site.
“One of the main considerations for the city will be drainage. There is currently an existing spillway that runs through the center of the site,” said project civil engineer Bobby Kleiberg. “One of the options listed in the plan, but not a requirement we are considering, is to add an additional water intake just to catch the bypass flow along the road to get to the bay. That’s it.”
Asked if that was a binding promise, Kleiberg acknowledged that it was not.
Sensing an impediment to approval, and because the Planning Commission can only consider formally submitted site plans, Brenda Patten, an attorney and president of the Ronto Group, said she would not meet with the applicant before filing a counter-argument on the spill issue. suggested.
She returned with Dual Drain as a donor.
“The owners agreed to terms regarding the second spill,” Patten said. “This is not part of the official site plans. This will be an additional exhibit showing the second spill, and the owners have agreed to do so.”
Pier 550 was built in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These structures are awaiting demolition to make way for the luxury condominium project Amara.
Another concern, unrelated to approvals, is a fourth concurrent construction project underway at Golden Gate Point. But design, engineering and site preparation will take about a year before construction can begin, the Planning Commission was told. Ronto Group general contractor Connor & Gaskins is already building The Owen on the peninsula, and operations manager Mike Zehe said there have been few problems.
Zehe said plans were already in place to transport workers from remote areas to the site by bus. Signage personnel will be stationed at neighborhood entrances to assist with truck movement.
“We have made a production plan,” Zehe said. “Obviously we’re not going to load six concrete trucks, rebar trucks, etc. into Golden Gate Point. We’ll create a delivery schedule. I have a supervisor who just manages the support and logistics. His main My job is to keep things running smoothly, keep the streets clean, and keep pedestrians safe. I’m also the safety director, so that’s 90% of my job.”
Amara is a podium design with a single-level parking garage beneath the podium, located under two eight-story towers. There will be 31 units in the north tower and 23 units in the south tower. There is a common viewing area on the roof of both buildings.
The plan includes a combination of shared garages, private garages and surface parking spaces for a total of 115 spaces. From the parking level, there are two lobby entrances leading to the north and south tower lobbies, respectively.
An amenity center will be located on the second floor of the north building, and a common pool and deck space will be located between the buildings. There are a limited number of boat docks on the bay side of the property for section owners.
Changes to the Planning Commission
Planning Commission Chairman Michael Herfrantz has resigned. At its January 6th meeting, the Sarasota City Commission voted to promote Alternate Commissioner Douglas Christie to Alternate Councilman and nominated Alexander Neihaus as Alternate Councilman. Daniel DeLeo was absent from the January 8th meeting.
