A BOLD AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN SPUTTERED. NOW SARASOTA IS TRYING AGAIN

Nearly two years ago, Sarasota’s then-City Manager Marlon Brown had an ambitious idea to purchase downtown property near City Hall and turn it into large-scale affordable housing.

In an effort that would become the first-of-its-kind across Florida, Brown secured millions of dollars in pledges from the area’s largest philanthropic foundations and millions more earmarked from the Florida Legislature. 

The blueprint promised to tackle one of downtown Sarasota’s most pressing problems — a lack of affordable housing in the urban core that has long become a playground for the wealthy.

With the support of city commissioners, Brown’s plan would see the city take direct control over the development, own the property and supply nearly 200 units of attainable housing in two high-rise buildings on First Street, with a groundbreaking anticipated in mid-2025.

It was uncharted territory in Sarasota. Development of affordable housing is typically done on less expensive land facilitated with complicated financing that often requires tax credits. Instead of high-rise development, these projects are typically not more than three or four stories — an exception being Lofts on Lemon, which is five stories — and involve partnerships with developers that have decades of experience in the highly regulated industry. 

Even then, deals can take years to go from plans on paper to shovels in the ground. What Brown proposed would speed up the timeline, deliver more units and keep the city in full control along the way.

Sarasota spent more than $7 million on two parcels in September 2024.

A month later, Brown resigned. The anticipated groundbreaking never happened. Promised foundation dollars never materialized. And the project seemingly languished as Sarasota cycled through two interim city managers.

But it is now stirring again.