Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/90018
Sarasota News Leader October 26, 2012 In response to concerns about parking, Bonas- to said, "We're not going to be inviting people to park illegally just to come to our business. We're not Jack in the Box, you know," refer- ring to the fast-food franchise. Bonasto added, "I don't understand how our vehicle being placed where it's proposed to be placed … proposes any worse parking situa- tion than already exists." Nonetheless, Village property owner Randall Arnaud, who works in real estate manage- ment, told the commission, "That is a very difficult location to maneuver if you live any- where down Canal Road …" He added that no crosswalk exists, either, between the plaza with the market and hardware store and the proposed food truck operating area. "At 2 o'clock in the morning, there's plenty of parking," he said, but "there's no lighting." Page 45 Arnaud also pointed out that the average Vil- lage restaurant pays $20 to $30 per square foot to lease a space. Altogether, he said, the Vil- lage commercial district has a property value assessment of about $45 million. "That pours a lot of money into the county coffers, as we all know." Dave Stewart, the proprietor of Captain Curt's Crab & Oyster Bar on the south end of the island, also pleaded with the commission to deny the Bonastos' request. The Bonastos had one supporter address the commission, Andrew Seeley, owner of Sun- coast Food Trucks LLC. In touting the grow- ing popularity of food trucks, he said of the Bonastos' plans, "As far as I'm concerned, [they] can only enhance the business on Sies- ta Key …." Click to view an interactive map and 360° view in Google Maps