Since the late 1940s, the Pier 550 condominiums on the east side of Golden Gate have embodied the mid-century emergence of Sarasota. Now in the shadows of towering luxury residential buildings, the collection of two-story buildings will be razed to make way for more of the same.
In its place will be Amara, a two-tower, 54-unit project, which on Jan. 8 received unanimous approval from the Sarasota Planning Board. The eight-story buildings will replace Pier 550, a collection of 51 low-rise condominiums built between 1948 and 1953 along a 2.26-acre stretch on Golden Gate Point.
Ronto Group completed the acquisition of the properties in May, and their prior owners vacated by September. The site is now surrounded by a construction fence and demolition has begun…