City opposes Plaza Hotel plans

This article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune is one of the things I find confusing with our political / regulatory system. If the rules say you can build a "box" so big and it can be a hotel -- then a "person" (aka "evil, greedy developer") says ok I am going to build the box that size why do we need to worry about things like this... using the box for a 173 room hotel seems like it was "allowable" -- maybe not liked by some of the neighbors but "legal" -- so now why does it matter how those rooms would be used / owned? This seems like a "political" decision.

I can't see any way that timeshare "owners" with 2 week slots is "worse" than hotel stays. In some ways I see it as better, in that people are repeat visitors to our area. Seems the anti - density folks have another one..

Joe Moraca

By Roger Drouin
Published Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.

SARASOTA — The city ruled Friday that a time-share hotel-apartment building proposed in the Burns Square area is not a hotel after all, so developer Al Hochstadt will likely have to come up with something else to build there.
.....
If it were a hotel, the developer could have built 173 rooms in a five-story building.
But all that would change if the project is composed of time-share units, or spaces reserved for multiple owners for two-week periods.
Under one scenario, the city code would allow only 28 units on the land.
....

Getting sued for strongly advocating your opinion seems like a strong arm tactic. I am not familiar with the details of who said / did what so I don't have an educated opinion.

Read the article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Note there are lots of comments .... Go Denise !!

If it's a five story building it seems it would fit in -- I am also pretty sure the local businesses can use the hotel traffic. We need to encourage business and people for the downtown neighborhoods. Those art / antique / clothing / movie / food businesses depend on people spending money....

These condo / townhouses look great in the "european tradition"

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