The Sarasota City Commission on Monday voted down a proposal for the Temple Beth Sholom synagogue to sell part of its land for a developer to build a 275-unit apartment building in Alta Vista. But the meeting also indicated that plans for a substantial development on the site are far from over.
The project required a supermajority vote to change the city’s long-range growth plan. The temple and Gilbane Development Company, its potential buyer, sought a rezoning of the land from Medical Charitable Institutional (MCI) to Residential Multifamily to complete the $12.5 million property sale.
Located at the northwest corner of South Tuttle Avenue and Bahia Vista Street, near the YMCA, the synagogue has served the local Jewish community for over 90 years, since it began as the Center of Sarasota in 1913. Leaders at Temple Beth Sholom hope that the money made by selling some of their land to Gilbane will create an endowment that would ensure its long-term viability despite an aging congregation and declining attendance…