Seaward Development had its first hearing before the city’s Development Review Committee for its plan to save the historic Sarasota building and add two 18-story towers to the site.

By Andrew Warfield  January 4, 2025

An effort to preserve the century-old Mira Mar Plaza and redevelop a portion of the site to pay for it had its initial submission before the city’s Development Review Committee on Dec. 18.

Before that, on September 2024, Seaward Managing Partner Patrick DiPinto introduced a collaboration with architects Rick Gonzalez and Igor Reyes along with the plan to restore the Mira Mar to its origins and pay the bill with the 18-story residential towers behind it. Gonzalez, of REG Architects of West Palm Beach, has 40 years of expertise in historic building restoration. Reyes, of Nichols Architects of Coral Gables, specializes in designing high quality residential projects that help monetize such efforts.

Seaward has received a partial sign-off from the DRC, at this stage only for the rezoning, with full sign-off anticipated soon. The rezoning request will then need approval of an amendment to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which requires a 4-1 supermajority of the City Commission first to transmit the change to Tallahassee for comment and, if cleared, another supermajority for approval.

That will be followed by a rezoning hearing before a site plan submittal to the DRC. As a development in a downtown zone district, the project will need only administrative approval absent any code adjustments that would require an appearance before the Planning Board.

 

Read the full story at: Rezoning process begins for Mira Mar Plaza | Your Observer