NOKOMIS -- The empty buildings and overgrown vegetation at Albee Road and
Tamiami Trail don't offer much encouragement to local businesspeople who have
sought for years to make Nokomis a destination for tourists and shoppers.
But two years from now a pair of hotels are expected to replace the blighted
corner with Key West-style charm and the economic engine this seaside village
lacks. A Sarasota developer has unveiled plans for one of the hotels, and will
show them publicly for the first time tonight.
Finergy Development plans to turn the southwest corner of Albee and Tamiami
into a 100-room, $20 million Hilton Garden Inn hotel, which will also include
35 condominiums and approximately 14,000 square feet of retail space.
The Hilton is a victory for local revitalization advocates who have sought an
anchor for Nokomis to build around, said John Ask, president of a local civic
association.
The hotel will serve as a convenient spot near the beach for tourists and an
entryway to Casey Key, one of most exclusive barrier islands in a region
famous for them.
Some residents fear the redevelopment could backfire and price longtime
businesses and people out of the laid-back village some call "No shirt no
shoes Nokomis."
But Ask believes the Hilton -- along with another hotel project across the
street, a host of costly road reconstruction projects and revamped building
standards -- will change Nokomis from a collection of strip malls and
scattered housing developments into an Old Florida-themed village with a
vibrant town center.
"We're trying to develop a theme in Nokomis of Old Florida and Key
West," Ask said.
Finergy first announced plans for the hotel in May. Plans originally called
for a 91-room Mediterranean-style hotel with 16 condominiums.
Residents told Finergy they wanted something more Key West-style, and the
developer complied, said Finergy Vice President Eric Collin.
The changes will allow the Hilton to meet the standards of the new Nokomis
Center Revitalization Plan. The plan was first adopted in 2001, but it is up
for a round of revisions intended to make Nokomis more development friendly.
The County Commission could vote on changes next month.
The revitalization plan could also affect developer Henry Rodriguez's plan for
a second hotel across the street from the Hilton. Rodriguez a year ago
announced plans for a shopping center and a 100-room hotel.
Rodriguez called the two hotel plans "a great step forward for
Nokomis." He said the hotels are an attempt to market Nokomis's history
as an Old Florida fishing village.
"We're trying to keep the character of a fishing village, but we
understand that the economics demand something more than a fishing
village," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also laid the groundwork for the 45-acre Bay Street Village &
Towncenter in Osprey, another major project between Venice and Sarasota about
five miles north of the hotel sites.
Steve DeLong, who has owned Osprey Leather for 12 years, isn't sure all this
building is good for his business, which sits on U.S. 41 near the Super
Wal-Mart that opened in 2005. Already, DeLong has said the character of the
area has changed, and he fears all the new investment will raise the value of
the land under his rented store so much that his landlord will sell.
"As soon as anybody sees the property I'm sitting on, they are going to
buy it and put something here," DeLong said. "And I won't be
here."
Last modified: January 31. 2007
5:48AM