The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

An important message from Keith, President of the Lake Sarasota Community Group: Neighbors, we now have a new front on the #SaveLakeSarasota battle: 80 luxury homes proposed for Hand Road, with entrance/exit near the blind curve. More about this here and here . 80 Luxury Homes on Hand Road  Planned exit at blind curve A planning commission meeting is being held Thursday and very few people from Lake Sarasota received notice of a neighborhood workshop held in April 2023. Please, your neighbors need EVERYONE to email the following letter, with your name ***BY WEDNESDAY 9/20*** To Email these planning commissioners, send the letter below, or use your own words. To the Planning Commission: We are asking the commission for a delay on Agenda Items #4 ( SE 1875) and #5 ( RZ 23-19 ) of the 9.21.23 meeting , as the Lake Sarasota community has not had adequate notice of the plans nor of the meeting. Due to clerical errors and to the county's highly restricted notification range of 750 fee...

As seen on Hand Road: Site Plan for 80 homes on Hand Road  The Baptist Church on Hand Rd. plans to sell some 26 acres north of its church and school to a home builder who plans to build 80 single family homes. The layout calls for two entrances/exits onto Hand Rd. from the new cluster, to be built by David Weekly Homes .  The development proposal, which can be found in full here , raises questions. For example, what will be the impacts on traffic on Hand Rd., a narrow two-lane road which has two schools - Lakeview Elementary and Oak Park - that attract large numbers of cars and buses on weekday mornings and afternoons? In addition, Lake Sarasota is currently facing another developer's initiative - a 208-unit condo proposal called West Bridge that would squeeze into the wooded land between Molokai and I-75. This project. would add some 400 cars to Lake Sarasota's internal streets, primarily Jarvis, which leads to Hand Road.  The Sarasota County Planning Commission will re...

You can attend the Lake Sarasota meeting this evening at Alliance Church - North side of Bee Ridge opposite Chaucer - or via the TEAMs Link below.  The Topic is a development that is proposed to be built inside Lake Sarasota - the name of the future project is West Bridge at Lake Sarasota - More on that here . The Lake Sarasota Community is meeting on  Thursday 7/27 at 7 pm in Alliance Church.  If you are able to attend in person, please, do. If not, the attached TEAMS link should be clicked to virtually attend the LSCG meeting on 7/27 at 7pm. You  do not  need a subscription to any service. Just click and accept any permissions your computer asks for. Please, log in a few minutes early so that we may adjust any technical difficulties and start on time. Yours, Keith Russo Community discussion on what to do about West Bridge.  Microsoft Teams meeting Join on your computer, mobile app or room device Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID:  938 229 826...

NOTE: This meeting has been postponed to Thurs. July 23, 6 pm, on Zoom. A plan for the land behind the Racetrac at Mauna Loa Blvd. - and for four commercial parcels along Bee Ridge - has been submitted to Sarasota County.  See the data below for some detail. It appears that TerraCap, which owns the property, intends to build 270 multi-family apartments - with allowance for more than 500 parking spaces. Additionally four commercial buildings on Bee Ridge Rd. are planned - no uses specified. Lake Sarasota and TerraCap have a Covenant that places limitations on lighting, noise, kinds of businesses that are acceptable.  Use this link to ccess the Covenant . A few residents may have received notice of a Neighborhood Workshop on Wed. July 15 at 6 pm. ONLINE. The Workshop is an opportunity for neighbors to ask questions, express concerns. How will this impact traffic, noise, lighting, and more? More details about accessing the Workshop will be posted o...

TerraCap, the Canadian owner of the property opposite the Mauna Loa entrance to Lake Sarasota on Bee Ridge Rd.,  voluntarily signed a Covenant in 2014  to work with our community with regard to certain business uses it might wish to include on its 7-acre  property. The land lies behind, as well as both west and east of Racetrac. TerraCap recently asked whether the community would accept an automated car wash east of Ractrac on Bee Ridge, and multi-family housing behind the service station - both uses are restricted by the Covenant. The Covenant document is here . Next Thursday, Dec. 6, the community will meet to assess these proposals. A planner working with TerraCap will be present to discuss. Neighbors who live near Bee Ridge might be especially interested in seeing plans and discussing. Where: Meeting rooms behind Sarasota Alliance Church When: Thursday, Dec. 6, 7 pm If you cannot make the meeting but have concerns, share with Keith Russo, LSCG president, at ...

Pot luck picnic! Improved games! Fun activities for the entire neighborhood! Get together with your neighbors and have a good time at the Pavilion in Lakeview park, near the boat ramp and restrooms. Bring an item if you can, or a game, or advertise your business. You'll find the sign-up here:  

Dear Neighbor, Let's talk about grants, baby. Has your neighborhood received one? We're ramping up for Cycle 30 - that's right, THIRTY! The Neighborhood Initiative Grant Program has been offering two cycles per year for fifteen years. There have been over $1.25 million in funds awarded to homeowners associations, condominium associations, mobile home associations, and ad hoc neighborhood partnerships; encompassing projects that address neighborhood character, leadership, safety, environment and health. If you would like to learn more about this matching grant program, the coming month is full of opportunities. On May 30, we will host a Grant Share-shop featuring the completed Pine Run Association project (Cycle 26) that removed invasive plant species from natural habitat area. The Share-shop will be presented at Gulf Gate Library from 4:00pm - 5:00pm. Grant Workshops, which are mandatory for establishing applicant eligibility, will run May 31 through June 19. ...

The followings are the County-assigned contacts for Bee Ridge Rd now that the project is complete:  ·           Tree Trimming beyond project limits:  Tim Eiseler,  941-650-0738 ·           Mowing:  Gregg Young  941-302-8164 Per the construction contract, “The County will be responsible for mowing, edging, trimming, and litter pick-up of all sodded areas” ·           Landscape and Irrigation System:  Alex Boudreau,  941-650-0765 ·           This is currently being monitored/maintained under the “Plant Establishment Period and Contract Warranty” section of the construction contract until  December 12, 2017 .  “The contractor shall be responsible for regular maintenance of all landscaped beds, bioswales, mulched areas, shrubs, plants, trees and pa...

The next regular meeting of the volunteer LSCG will be 7 pm on Jan. 26th, 2017, at Sarasota Alliance Church - the meeting rooms behind the main building. All Lake Sarasota residents are welcome - bring your thoughts about how to improve the place you live. Actually we have a lot of residents.

What's not to like? It's the Lake Sarasota Fall Festival - a chance to meet folks in the neighborhood, eat some hot dogs, and enjoy a fine Fall day at the Lakeview Park pavilion, right on the lake. Not sure where? Take the dirt road off Hand Rd. right by the dog park all the way own to the lake. You'll find us at the pavilion from 10 am to 2 pm Saturday Nov. 5th. Bring the kids! If you want to let us know you're bringing food or games, you can tell us here .

From Keith and Sommer Russo: The Lake Sarasota Fall Festival is on 11/5 from 10 am-2pm at the Lakeview Park Pavilion. More people are signing up to bring something every day. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/lakesarasotafall We are having a meeting at our house, 4032 Westminster Dr., on Thursday, 10/27 at 7pm. Any non-perishable items can be brought to the planning meeting. We will also be handing out flyers to be distributed on Halloween with candy. All are welcome to join the planning meeting. Yours,  The Russos

Have you signed up for the Fall Festival? Got a game kids like? Some cooking skills? It's Nov. 5, 10 am to 2 pm at the Lakeview Park pavilion. Here's what we need - what can you do?

A new entrance sign has been built and installation is expected in the near future at Mauna Loa and Bee Ridge. In other news, at the Sept. 6th Lake Sarasota meeting, a few plans were set in motion: 1. A new flag and a solar light for it are in the works. 2. A Community Garage Sale date has been set for Saturday, Nov. 19th. 3. The Lake Sarasota Fall Festival is set for Nov. 5. We welcome all who wish to help plan and set up for the event, which will be at the pavilion in Lakeview Park. A meeting specifically to organize the festival is set for Thursday, Sept. 29. More to come on all the above.

Crews to work Saturday, July 23, east of Wake Avenue.

An alligator is blamed for the death of a medium-size dog around July 4th at Lakeview Park. Though there were no witnesses, some disc golfers were out playing in the afternoon with their dog, a sort of medium-size ridgeback, when it disappeared. The man returned later with a kayak and found the dog floating in the lake. Dog owners and parents are advised to be very careful - keep dogs on leash near Lake Sarasota.

New traffic pattern at Bent Tree - no longer a signal there. Landscaping to begin.

The annual community CLEAN-UP is set for Lake Sarasota for Saturday, June 4, from 7:30 am to NOON.  Dumpsters will be in two locations - near the firehouse, and at the dog park on Hand Rd. In the past, hazardous materials, TVs and computers have not been accepted at either location.  The recycling center at the end of Bee Ridge Rd . (by Rothenbach Park) is now open daily 8 am - 4 pm for drop-offs of these items.

UPDATE Crews were scheduled to pave the intersection at Mauna Loa Boulevard Sunday night and Monday night, May 15 - 16. However, due to an issue with the asphalt plant, the Sunday night work did not happen. Everything is rescheduled for tonight (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) night, barring any unforeseen problems. The night work is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. on both days. Please be cautious of the traffic control officers and flag men controlling the intersection. From 6 pm to 6 am Sunday and Monday, May 15-16, expect to find workers at the Mauna Loa intersection. Those entering or exiting Lake Sarasota might wish to use one of the other available access points.