“Queen of the Night” at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL
Once a year hundreds of people come out to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL, to experience the elegance and beauty of the “Queen of the Night”
Sarasota’s Planning Board unanimously approved Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ plans to expand and build a learning pavilion and conservatory at an Aug. 7 meeting.
The Gardens’ final stop before breaking ground will be the Sarasota City Commission. Approval for the site plan hasn’t been scheduled yet, according to Sarasota spokesman Luke Mocherman.
The learning pavilion and 35,770-square foot conservatory is the second phase in a three-part master plan that’s accumulated $115 million in donations from 6,000 donors.
Chris Cianfaglione, vice president at planning and design consulting firm Kimley-Horn, called the conservatory the “focal jewel of plant resiliency.” Today, only about 5% of Selby’s plant collection is open to the public, but the master plan will propel that to 95%, he said.
The conservatory’s design is also intended to withstand hurricanes, which makes it a critical factor in protecting the epiphyte collections. Its resilient design is one reason the conservatory garnered support from the scientific community.
The site plan requires the removal of 102 trees as well as seven grand trees. However, 79 of the trees on site are in the display area, meaning they’re exempt from the city’s tree protection ordinance. Three of those trees, and five grand trees, were deemed to be in poor condition.
Nearly 200 trees will be planted as part of Phase 2, according to Selby’s presentation Aug. 7. After phase two planting, combined with the property’s 2,000 linear feet of mangroves, 42% of Selby’s site will have canopy coverage.
The conservatory’s design intends to connect visitors with their natural environment, prompting an immersive experience, according to the projects architect Jerry Sparkman.
“It’s a place that celebrates the local environment, using world class facilities,” Sparkman said. “In essence, architecture is a supportive role. Nature takes the priority.”
Phases 1 and 3
The first phase, which gained commission approval in 2021, included a welcome center, plant research center and research library, and a Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF) building. The Gardens’ LEAF building serves as a parking garage, gift shop, garden-level restaurant and supports a 50,000-square-foot solar array.
Phase 1 also included the construction of a 140,000-gallon stormwater vault, which captures stormwater runoff, cleans it and returns it to Sarasota Bay, according to Selby’s website.
If Phase 2 receives City Commission approval, Selby will only have one phase left of its multi-year master plan.
Phase 3’s goal is to restore the Payne Mansion, which was built in the 1930s and serves as the Museum of Botany & the Arts; unify all of Selby’s walking paths; bolster the site’s sea walls; and renovate the docks.
Ella Thompson covers real estate and development for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Contact her at ethompson@gannett.com.
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