The owners of the historic Mira Mar building in downtown Sarasota are holding a community workshop next week to reveal potential plans to restore the 1922 structure as part of a mixed-use redevelopment project. The plan, which involves retail, office and restaurant spaces, also includes the construction of two 18-story condominium towers. According to the plan, the towers would be designed to complement the architectural style of the original Mediterranean Revival Mira Mar, while creating a pedestrian-friendly environment reminiscent of the site’s early days.

After the City of Sarasota's Historic Preservation Board denied an effort by the previous property owners to demolish the building in 2022, the new owning entity hired two architects experienced in rehabilitating historic buildings. They are now working on an adaptive reuse plan that aims to restore the property while integrating it into the broader development project.

Their proposal hinges on zoning changes that the applicant, Miramar Acquisition Company, LLC, is seeking. If approved, those changes would allow for the addition of the two towers and require the property’s zoning to change from Downtown Core to Downtown Bayfront, allowing for 18 stories instead of the current 10-story limit. Both zoning categories permit 50 units per acre, which would result in a total of 71 units on the 1.42-acre site.

The community workshop, scheduled for next Tuesday, Sept. 17, is a precursor to filing official requests. Once an official application is submitted to the city, it will then be reviewed by the city’s senior planner and historic preservationist and the Planning Board, the Development Review Committee and eventually the City Commission.

“The additional height is critical to the success of the plan,” reads the workshop application’s project documents. “It allows the towers to have a smaller footprint and greater building separation, replicating the light and airflow that existed in the original hotel. The increased height will also provide larger setbacks, improved layouts and enhanced amenities, all of which are necessary to generate the funds needed to restore the Mira Mar.”

The Mira Mar Plaza, which was constructed in just 60 days in 1922, originally featured two-story apartments in the north and south wings along Palm Avenue, with a multi-story hotel behind them. The hotel was demolished in 1982, and, according to former and current owners, the remaining buildings have suffered from extensive water and termite damage over the years. A 2022 structural analysis by Karins Engineering, hired by the former owner, concluded that the buildings have “fallen into extremely poor condition,” largely due to their wood-frame construction on un-compacted beach sand.

The previous owner, Dr. Mark Kauffman of Mira Mar Plaza Associates, LTD, sought a demolition permit in 2022, but the city’s Historic Preservation Board denied the request following strong opposition from residents. Many cited concerns over the potential loss of charm and character that set Sarasota apart from larger nearby metro areas, while local preservation experts questioned the validity of the engineer’s findings.

In 2023, Miramar Acquisition Company, LLC, led by Patrick DiPinto and Matthew Leake of Seaward Development, purchased the property for $17.3 million. Last month, it bought an adjacent .31-acre parcel, formerly a preschool playground, from neighboring First United Methodist Church for $7.5 million. The company plans to incorporate both parcels into the new project.

Mira Mar Plaza currently has roughly 40 commercial tenants, including Seaward Development, which has occupied a space in the plaza for six years. The firm builds single-family homes, luxury condominiums and commercial projects. Seaward built the 18-floor, 23-unit, luxury condo Epoch; the 16-unit condo project 7 One One Palm; and the 18-unit Park Residences of Lido Key.

Restoring the Mira Mar is estimated to cost $25 million, according to structural engineering reports submitted by the developer. According to the new proposal, the newly hired architects plan to return the Mira Mar to its original 1922 condition while adding the two new towers and elements to make the project financially feasible. The proposed towers will be designed with “tiered, ‘wedding cake’ architecture to ensure compatibility with neighboring properties, and their smaller footprints will allow for open courtyards and outdoor spaces between the buildings,” according to workshop application documents.

The applicant also notes that some of the properties next door, including the 18-story DeMarcay and 17-story 1350 Main Condominium, are zoned Downtown Bayfront and both are luxury condominium projects. All of the properties across the street, on the west side of Palm Avenue, are also zoned Downtown Bayfront.

The community workshop is a required step before formal applications can be submitted to the city, and it will provide an opportunity for the public to voice their opinions. The applicants did not respond to requests for comment from Sarasota Magazine.

The community workshop will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the Bayfront Community Center, 803 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.