On Monday, July 7, the Sarasota City Commission unanimously approved a rezone request for the Mira Mar building on South Palm Avenue, changing the 1.2-acre site from “downtown core” to “downtown bayfront” zoning, allowing Seaward Development to move forward with its plan to add new retail, restaurant and office space to the historic plaza, plus two 18-story residential condominium towers behind it. Each condo tower will have 35 condos, for a total of 70, as allowable under the current density limits.
The decision closes another chapter in the high-profile—and often contentious—process, which has pitted the public against the developer. Major concerns include the erosion of neighborhood character, new development precedents and an increase in building heights. To address community concerns, at a meeting on May 20, the developer agreed to rehabilitate the historic Mira Mar and issue a certificate of occupancy before the new residential towers can receive one; build podiums not exceeding 60 percent lot coverage; offer second-floor commercial space in the preserved structure at no more than 50 percent of the market rental rate for a period of 10 years; and minimize the building’s interstitial space (the floor-to-floor gap for mechanical systems) to limit overall massing. In the same meeting, the developer said it will forfeit any transfer of development rights from the historic portion of the property and committed to adding pedestrian-friendly ground-floor retail.
The historic Mira Mar Hotel, originally constructed in 1922, was one of Sarasota’s earliest luxury accommodations, later serving as apartments and commercial space. Today, it’s home to roughly 48 commercial tenants but has no individual landmark designation. A previous attempt to demolish it in 2022 was denied by the City of Sarasota’s Historic Preservation Board, prompting a shift in strategy by the property’s owners, Seaward Development. They returned with a new proposal: save the building, but increase the allowable height on the rest of the parcel to make the economics work. The applicant argued that a downtown bayfront land use designation was essential to realizing a financially viable plan for preserving the Mira Mar. Increasing the height allowance to 18 stories, they said, would allow two slender residential towers to rise behind the historic structure, creating open corridors for light, air and sweeping views. The applicant also asserted that sales of the upper-floor condominium units—particularly those on floors 14 through 18—would generate the revenue needed to cover the estimated $29 million cost of rehabilitation.
“This was a really difficult project and I think a lot of parts of our community came together to make something happen,” Sarasota City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch said in a statement. “I very much hope this project does come together as it has been promised.”
The project’s architecture team consists of Rick Gonzalez of REG Architects, Igor Reyes of Nichols Architects, Philip DiMaria of Kimley-Horn Associates and urban planner and attorney Brenda Patten of Berlin Patten Ebling…