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Showing posts from June, 2014

2050 Plan completes round of public hearings

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The third and last public meeting focusing on changes to the Sarasota 2050 Plan was held Monday evening at Twin Lakes Park. Approximately 125 people were there to listen and to discuss many ramifications of the proposed changes. There is still time to get up to speed on this very important issue. The plan will be going through public hearings in July and August and is scheduled to be voted on before the November election. Some background information is here . Many more documents focusing on parts of the plan are here, on the lower right side of the page. From this page residents can also submit comments or questions that are posted here . In brief: Many people feel that the changes to the 2050 plan dilute it and essentially open the floodgates to rapid and poorly conceived development east of I-75. They see the primary movers of the changes to be a handful of developers and builders who simply wish to put more of the same sort of housing and commerce in the rural lands to the Ea

Orchard Festival, Free HIV testing, One-Night Rodeo, more

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Dear Lake, Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at pubcom @scgov.net.     County to hold Community Orchard Festival SATURDAY :  The festival will be held  Saturday, June 21, 8:30 a.m. -noon, at Colonial Oaks Park. It  will feature free youth birdhouse-building workshops, fruit tastings, and information on growing fruit trees and the "Growing Fruit Trees and Kids" program. Library to host forum on help for Parkinson's disease patients and caregivers SATURDAY :   The North Port Library will host a free discussion titled "Overview of Parkinson's Disease and the Supportive Role of Neuro Challenge Foundation" Saturday, June 21,  10:30 a.m.-noon . Free HIV testing available Free HIV testing will be available to the public at several locations in Sarasota County as part of the 20th Annual National HIV Testing Day observance du

East Sarasota 2050 - What is at stake?

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The Sarasota 2050 plan offers generous development options in exchange for taxpayer and community protections. But what began as a compromise and is being finagled into a free ride. More here. What one community leader is saying: The deal struck with Sarasota 2050 is this: If you want to develop rural land at high density before we need to move the USB, then you pay for the infrastructure and develop in an efficient, environmentally friendly way that creates enough tax revenue to pay for the services the development requires. Now 6 firms want to keep increased density and welch on the rest. This isn't about the free market, this is about a free ride. - Cathy Antunes, vp Sarasota CONA Find out for yourself: Sarasota County Public Information Meetings about 2050:      June 18, 2014   Robert L. Anderson Administration Center,  Commission Chamber, 4000 S.Tamiami Tr., Venice, FL  June 26, 2014  County Administration Center, Commission Chamber, 1st Floor, 1660

Kicking off the expansion of Bee Ridge Rd. July 11, 10 am

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Come out to the Fire Station #8 to celebrate the start of the widening of Bee Ridge Road,  the single most significant transformation of the area in decades. The Groundbreaking is at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 11.  Learn about how the roadwork will proceed, and find out how it will look when done. Plenty of parking available around the Firehouse. Free refreshments!

Discussions with Developer, signs removed, Sheriff's report, more.

Highlights of the June Quarterly meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group (LSCG): 1. Representatives of TerraCap Mgmt Inc. told the LSCG board and members of the community that they could be open to a "Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions" modeled upon that employed at the Publix Plaza at Bee Ridge Extension. A rough draft of a Declaration for the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce will be drawn up and shared with the Community for comment and feedback before further talks are held. The purpose is to identify legally binding constraints that would protect Lake Sarasota residences from noise, glare, and other potential nuisances, as well as produce an appealing upscale commercial center. 2. Plans were made to rescue the Lake Sarasota signs at the entrance at Mauna Loa. The task proved easier than expected, and the signs are now in safe keeping. The concern was that they might be lost once the Bee Ridge road widening begins. If a child reports that they were stolen, plea

Help create a neighborhood-friendly Covenant

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This evening, June 12, is our quarterly Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting. It begins at 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church, on the North side of Bee Ridge Rd., opposite Chaucer, in the meeting rooms behind the church. Here is the Agenda: Discussion of Neighborhood-Friendly Covenant for the development opposite our front entrance with Representatives of TerraCap. Rescuing the existing Lake Sarasota signs at Mauna Loa and Bee Ridge before the road widening begins. Update on the timing of the Bee Ridge Road Widening. Update on Sheriff's report for Lake Sarasota. Brief background on the first item: Ever since the residents of Lake Sarasota were surprised to learn about the plan for a supersized Racetrac gas station at Bee Ridge Rd. and Mauna Loa Blvd. in 2012, some of us have tried to keep an eye on plans for "Bee Ridge Park of Commerce" (BRPOC) to avoid further surprises. In April, we wrote a letter to the developer asking him to work with us o

Discussion with Developer June 12th

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Representatives of the developer of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce say they plan to attend the quarterly meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group this Thursday, June 12. They indicate the possibility of working with Lake Sarasota residents on a neighborhood-friendly Covenant regarding the site and business uses. The meeting begins at 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church. The letter from Mr. Peter Dailey reads in part: Thank you for inviting us to your  June 12 th Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting. We have been authorized by our clients (Terracap Management, Inc.) to attend and look forward to sharing meaningful dialog per matters of concern (this is “Notice” we will attend).   As requested, please accept the following outline of matters we are prepared to discuss and those we simply cannot:   We are prepared to discuss the possibility of a “privately initiated” Restrictive Covenant Agreement (to be filed with Sarasota Clerk of Circuit Court) per permitted land uses in

FDOT meeting regarding changes to I-75

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, is holding a public information meeting regarding  design improvements to Interstate 75 (I-75) from north of Fruitville Road to north of University Parkway in Sarasota and Manatee counties.  The  public meeting is being held from  4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, 2014  at the Holiday Inn Lakewood Ranch Osprey Room, 6231 Lake Osprey Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34240.  FDOT will hold this meeting to give interested persons the opportunity to view the proposed design, review displays, talk one-on-one with staff, and make comments about the project. The 3.5 mile design project includes reconstructing the I-75/University Parkway interchange from the existing diamond design to a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) design , the first DDI in Florida to advance to the final design phase. The project also widens I-75, from north of Fruitville Road to north of University Parkway, to an eight-lane highway with three throug

June Public Meetings to Review Changes in 2050 Policy

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The 2050 Plan provides a vision of how, when, where, and who will pay for the development of East Sarasota County. Large tracts of land will be developed according to the rules set by the 2050 Plan. If you wish to have some understanding of 2050 (that is the date to which the County is attempting to plan for), or if you wish to provide your input to County staff and officials, some upcoming events offer an opportunity. The following public meetings have been scheduled in the ongoing effort to review Sarasota 2050 RMA Policy and implementation regulations. All interested parties are encouraged to attend in order to learn more about proposed changes and provide input. June 18, 2014  – 2050 Phase 3 Information 6 p.m. Public Meeting Robert L. Anderson Administration Center Commission Chamber 4000 South Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34293 June 26, 2014  – 2050 Phase 3 Information 6 p.m. Public Meeting Sarasota County Administration Center Commission Chamber 16

County News and Upates

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Dear Lake, Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at pubcom @scgov.net.       Editor's note:  Sarasota County News and Updates will return with more county news on June 19 . Proctor, Wilkinson community cleanup scheduled for  June 7 SATURDAY :  Sarasota County will hold its annual free community cleanup for the Proctor and Wilkinson area  Saturday, June 7 . Cutting the ribbon on the Nokomis Community park playground SATURDAY :  J oin the celebration of National Trails Day  Saturday, June 7 , at  10:30 a.m.  for a ribbon cutting to officially open the renovated Nokomis Community Park playground. Mock disaster drills prepare volunteers for hurricane season Volunteer Community Connections will conduct its second annual mock disaster exercise on  Wednesday, June 11 ,   6-7:30 p.m. , at North Port Library.    Local photographer's imag