Overtown’s historic Colson Hotel may remain intact after demolition talks stalled at Tuesday’s Sarasota City Commission meeting.
Developer JDMAX’s appeal to demolish the Colson will require another hearing after the commission voted to continue the decision, allowing city staff and local activists to workshop solutions to save the structure. The developer’s original application to demolish the hotel to clear the way for new townhomes was unanimously denied by the Sarasota Historic Preservation Board, and preservation advocates have rallied against the potential demolition since the developer’s appeal.
JDMAX Developments LLC purchased three parcels totaling 21,000 square feet at the 1425 Eighth St. location for $550,000 in March 2023, according to property records . It submitted a request to construct the Cohen Court Townhouses — nine individual townhomes and a private road — on the site in February, followed by a request to demolish the Colson Hotel that was unanimously denied by the Sarasota Historic Preservation.