Waterfront development and restaurant approved in Sarasota County

ENGLEWOOD – Buchan’s Bayside, a mixed-use development including a destination restaurant and 12 villas viewed by many as the long-needed western anchor to spur Dearborn Street revitalization, has received four key approvals from the Sarasota County Commission.

The site, just south of where Old Englewood Road intersects West Dearborn Street, is part of the Englewood Community Redevelopment Area and just steps from the Englewood Veterans Memorial and Freedom Pavilion.

“This is one of those projects that can cause and create significant change in a positive manner,” said Kelley Klepper, a senior project manager at Kimley-Horn.

The 2.8-acre tract is an aggregation of six parcels, including the former Buchan’s Landing resort and an off-site lot for valet parking on Old Englewood Road.

“It’s going to create a bookend in an area that’s redeveloping,” he added.

The proposal would allow for the construction of the villas and an upscale, 10,000-square-foot restaurant, while preserving both a grand tree and mangroves.

It could eventually include a 2,000-square-foot rooftop bar.

Attorney Bill Merrill, who made the presentation with Klepper, stressed that the mixed-use development will attract people to Dearborn Street.

“It’s intended to be a very high end steak and seafood restaurant that is going to bring people into this area,” Merrrill said.

Neither renderings of the proposed exterior nor a floorplan to show how much space would be occupied by kitchen and coolers vs. dining area and seating capacity were available.

“The architecture that we’ve seen – and is not being shared – is really spectacular,” Merrill said.

Patrons could travel to the restaurant by either land or water and dock at one of 24 slips.

To enable the mixed-use project to proceed, the County Commission on April 9 approved a change in zoning for portions of the property. In addition, changes were made for the area from commercial to central business, with special exceptions to allow the valet parking lot and the freestanding multi-family villas.

A full-circle moment on Dearborn Street

Scott Libertore, whose family once owned the waterfront property, bought Buchan’s Landing Resort back from Taylor Meals Jr. in April 2022 – about 24 years after his father Doug Libertore sold the property to Meals, who created the resort.

Libertore did not address the County Commission but Meals said he had been approached by several buyers who wanted a waterfront location but knew nothing about Dearborn Street or Englewood.

“Lemon Bay is the draw and Dearborn connects to Lemon Bay,” Meals said. “This project will make it available to the public, where the public gets access viewing the beauty of Lemon Bay.”

Revitalization of the Dearborn Street corridor is one of several goals of the Englewood Community Redevelopment Area, which was set up by Sarasota County in 1998.

Money generated by the annual increase in the taxable value of property in the CRA stays within the district to pay for more improvements.

A local advisory board vets projects and makes recommendations to the County Commission, which has the final say on how and where money is spent.

In 2018, the planning process included  incorporating mixed-use development to further ensure Dearborn Street's viability.

Properties along the east-west corridor that includes Cocoanut Avenue, Dearborn and Green Street are eligible for mixed-use zoning, which allows owners to develop a commercial use on the first floor and up to 25 units per acre on the second floor.

Concerns raised about available parking

Not all speakers were in favor of the proposal. Heather Hooper said she thought the restaurant's size was too big for Dearborn's west side. She also worried that patrons arriving by water would be in rented boats and unfamiliar with the waterways.

“This is not Siesta Key, this is Englewood,” Hooper said. “It’s important that we preserve what we have and we build it with smart growth.”

Julie Dickerson later said, “Siesta Key, I don’t even go there because it’s so crowded.”

She cited concerns about the prospect of relying on the valet lot as well as public parking lots and street lots already used by patrons of other restaurants along Dearborn.

Joyce Colmar, who operates the Dearborn Street Market in conjunction with the Englewood Farmers Market, said she liked the anchor project Libertore has planned.

She added that on weekends and when events are hosted along Dearborn Street, lines at other restaurants are long because there are not enough places to eat.

She also anticipated other property owners in the business district making improvements once the restaurant is established.

“You’ll have a village concept around this new development where you'll have small businesses where people are living and working in their homes.”

County commissioners voiced some concerns about parking, though they mostly praised the concept.

Commissioner Ron Cutsinger – who opened Ron’s Restaurant in 1974, a year after he moved to Englewood  – stressed that “This is exactly what all the improvements to Dearborn Street were about.

“I’ve been waiting for this; this has been really exciting to think about,” Cutsinger, now a financial adviser, later added.

He reminisced about when the movers and shakers of Englewood would meet in the back dining room at his 29-seat restaurant and praised Libertore for persevering through a long, complex approval process.

“It’s a challenging development and I think others would have given up,” Cutsinger said.

Commission Chairman Mike Moran praised Cutsinger for his sincerity.

“It was genuine and heartfelt and a step away from (a) Hallmark episode,” Moran said. “I loved it.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Buchan's Bayside on Lemon Bay in Englewood OK'd by Sarasota County