As Sarasota attracts more wealthy residents and seasonal homeowners, the city has seen a steady expansion of luxury offerings—from private clubs to glitzy condos with all the frills. A proposal moving through the city's development process sees another amenity may soon join the list: a members-only automotive club built around collector cars.

The building at 1060 Goodrich Ave. was designed for a different kind of innovation. Completed less than a decade ago, the 24,000-square-foot structure served as the headquarters of Sarasota drone manufacturer Lumenier and online retailer GetFPV, companies that rode the early boom in consumer drone technology.

Now, if city officials approve a proposed minor conditional use, the industrial building just north of downtown could begin another chapter as a members-only club where collector cars are stored in gallery-style displays, members gather over cocktails and dinner and business meetings unfold overlooking rows of Porsches, Corvettes and other luxury automobiles. Founder Scott Stevenson envisions something less like a car condo warehouse, (which are popping up across town), and more like a traditional private club centered on a shared passion.

Located by the West Coast Black Theatre Troupe and The Children's Garden just north of the Gillespie Park neighborhood, the Sarasota Motor Club would combine climate-controlled storage for nearly 100 vehicles with a restaurant, lounge, private dining room, wine storage, golf and racing simulators and event space. It will also be a place to work as much as socialize. Plans also include a conference room and podcast studio, a feature Stevenson says was inspired in part by his wife, Sharon, who hosts the podcast "Joy of the Hang." Amenities won't be open to the public.

"There are six private yacht clubs in Sarasota and Manatee counties," Stevenson told neighbors during a community workshop Wednesday evening. "There are 25 to 30 private golf clubs. Roughly 10 private tennis clubs there are zero car clubs."

Stevenson, who retired after selling his pest control business in Maine and moved to Sarasota about a decade ago, says the idea grew from his own experience as a car enthusiast. That interest began in rural Maine, where Stevenson says he was “too broke to buy anything nice” in high school. Instead, he bought old cars, fixed them up and, when he could, sold them for enough to move on to the next one. His first purchase was a 1972 Chevrolet Nova. “I bought it because I thought it was a cool car,” he says. “It was kind of a piece of junk, but I loved it.” A 1974 Mustang followed, along with motorcycles and other vehicles, until marriage and children ushered in what Stevenson calls “minivan time.”

The project is also a family undertaking. His wife, Sharon, grew up around dirt tracks in Maine, where her father raced cars. “If I can do something that I’m passionate about as well as have some fun with it,” he says, “then it’s a perfect match for me and for Sharon as well.”

He spent months searching for the right building, wanting a location between downtown Sarasota and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. When the former drone facility became available, he purchased it late last year for $5.8 million, according to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser.

Under the proposal, members wouldn't need to own a collector car to join. Like a yacht club, membership would provide access to the club's dining room, bar and social events. Members who choose to could also pay to store vehicles on site. Although the facility will have a full bar and offer an space for events that may run until roughly 11 p.m., "the idea is not to be a nightclub or something loud or noisy," Stevenson says. "It's more of a happy hour kind of spot."

Membership will be capped at about 200 people. Prices include a $20,000 initiation fee and a $500 per month member fee, with climate-controlled vehicle storage priced separately at $595 per month for each vehicle. The club also plans to offer a limited number of founding memberships, priced at $20,000, which carry lifetime benefits. Stevenson says the club began accepting membership inquiries this month but is waiting to move through the city's approval process before making commitments.

He adds that the club is intended to address what he sees as a gap for downtown condominium owners and barrier island residents who don't have enough garage space. "The only option right now really is to buy a car condo, which are mostly located further from downtown," he says. "A lot of people don't want to drive 30 minutes to pick up a car for the weekend.”

The club will also offer valet service with vehicle drop-offs directly to the owner’s address.

Plans submitted for the workshop show vehicle storage on the ground floor alongside a kitchen, dining areas and private meeting space. An upper-level mezzanine would overlook the vehicle gallery and include additional lounge and dining areas. A central event space would be available for member functions, as well as private rentals such as charity fundraisers, business gatherings and birthday celebrations.

The project also ties into another business Stevenson and his son launched about six months ago: Sarasota Luxury Car Rentals. Club members would have the option of accessing that fleet of vehicles as part of their memberships.

Although the proposal represents a new use for the property, it arrives in a place that already has a well-established automotive culture. Sarasota is home to active Porsche, Corvette and Ferrari clubs, while recurring Cars & Coffee gatherings routinely draw hundreds of vehicles. Specialty storage facilities and car condominium developments have also emerged to serve collectors whose garages have outgrown their homes.

Stevenson says Sarasota Motor Club would occupy a different niche.

"There's really no place that you can go on a Wednesday afternoon or evening for happy hour and see your fellow car friends," he says. Rather than demolishing the building, he plans to renovate it, retaining its industrial shell while adapting it for hospitality and vehicle storage. Although the zoning allows for higher limits, it will remain at its current height.

Community workshops often draw neighbors worried about traffic, noise or compatibility with surrounding uses. Wednesday's discussion took a different tone.

Several attendees voiced support for the concept while raising practical questions about parking, flooding, traffic calming, sidewalks and preserving mature trees. One resident said at the meeting that the project could help activate an industrial area already home to the Children's Garden, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, marine businesses and other commercial uses. Another suggested the club host neighborhood events if it moves forward.

One gesture that resonated with attendees had little to do with cars. Stevenson says he'll donate the small bungalow on the adjacent parcel, acquired as part of the project to expand parking surface, to Wendy Lee Goldberg, the owner of The Breakfast House, rather than demolish it. The restaurant owner, who is relocating after being displaced by another redevelopment project, said she hopes to move the house to a new property as part of a planned bungalow village on Fruitville Road. The announcement drew praise from several attendees, who noted the donation would preserve one of the area's older structures rather than send it to a landfill.

The workshop marks only the beginning of the city's review process. The formal application will next undergo technical review before advancing to the Sarasota Planning Board.

If ultimately approved, the project would give one of Sarasota's more recognizable industrial buildings an entirely new purpose—one that says as much about the city's changing economy as it does about its growing community of automotive enthusiasts.

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