It’s in a coveted school district, this family home at 2231 Oriole Drive in Sarasota’s McClellan Park neighborhood, but that’s only the beginning of amenities that are kid friendly. There’s a heated salt-water swimming pool and a walled back yard with play equipment and room to run around. Inside are big bedrooms for children with en-suite baths and several playrooms. Current homeowners, doctors Ashok Sastry and Shree Shah, were looking for a big family nest when they bought this 8,000-square-foot home 10 years ago and they were exacting about what was on their wish list.
They wanted West of the Trail, the Southside Elementary School district, an established and pretty neighborhood, and they wanted to be near Sarasota Memorial Hospital as well as downtown. And they wanted a big house with a yard so that the children could entertain their friends and experience things like a zip line which the parents installed. Their first child was nearly two when the couple bought their Oriole Drive home and their second child was born soon after they moved in. The children have grandparents and lots of other relatives who come to visit often. And the homeowners love to entertain. “We can have parties for 100 with no problem,” said Dr. Sastry. “We light up the trees in the garden, put on some music, open up the French doors and use both the house and the courtyards.
