Sarasota County will hold public meetings for input on 2050 policy and regulations

Sarasota County will hold two initial public meetings for input on Sarasota 2050, a policy component of the county's Comprehensive Plan.

The meetings will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, and Wednesday, March 20, in the Green Building Conference Room at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota.

The county Planning and Development Services department will notify people who would like to be contacted about meetings on Sarasota 2050. Contact information should be emailed to planner@scgov.net.

The County Commission included a review of Sarasota 2050 as part of a Comprehensive Plan evaluation and appraisal report (EAR) process. The commission initially requested discussions with private sector development representatives to identify issues related to the process of approval and construction of 2050 development projects. The issues identified in those discussions include:

• Fiscal neutrality
• Housing type requirements
• Open space/buffer requirements
• Commercial location requirements
• Walkability requirements
• Density limitations
• Flexibility limitations

Following those discussions, the commission asked for public input on these issues and the development of a broader public outreach plan for commission consideration.

The Comprehensive Plan provides the principles, guidelines, standards and strategies for orderly and balanced future economic, social, physical, environmental and fiscal development of the county. The principles and strategies consistently guide future decisions. The county's programs and services are aligned with the plan to ensure implementation.

The Sarasota 2050 component of the Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2002 covering a 50-year time frame. It was intended to allow additional development outside the county's Urban Service Boundary, generally east of Interstate 75, based on a framework that applied substantial environmental and open space conservation strategies.

The Sarasota 2050 policy and implementation regulations created an optional overlay to manage growth with an incentive-based land use plan involving Resource Management Areas (RMAs). The goal is to preserve the county's natural, cultural and physical resources and to make all neighborhoods more livable.

The incentives are density bonuses -- a larger number of allowed dwelling units -- that are granted to landowners who agree to:

• Preserve open space
• Preserve agricultural and environmentally sensitive land
• Build new, compact, mixed-use, walkable developments in appropriate areas

For more information on Sarasota 2050 or the public meetings, contact Bill Spaeth of Planning and Development Services by calling 941-861-5140 or sending an email to wspaeth@scgov.net