The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Thursday, June 17, 2021: The Sarasota County Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of TerraCap's proposed mixed-used project on North Mauna Loa Blvd. The Commission is a volunteer board appointed by the Sarasota County Commission. It reviews proposed plans and offers comments before deciding whether to recommend approval or denial of the project, which then goes to the Board of Sarasota County Commissioners for final approval. Planner Brian Lichterman presented an overview of the project, which is called The Enclave at the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (BRPOC), which will be behind, and to the left and right of the RaceTrac at Bee Ridge Road and Mauna Loa Blvd. Lichterman shared some artistic renderings of what it can look like when completed. Here are three captures: Artistic rendering of commercial and residential buildings seen from the West Aerial view of the Enclave on the right and the area already built out (left) Rendering of The Enclave with Commercial i...

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 Grand Opening is November 28th, 2 pm at the Colonial Oaks Baptist Church, in the parking area.

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Some changes in traffic pattern at Mauna Loa, and more.

The release below from FDOT offers a brief overview of the plan for Bee Ridge Road and I-75, with major changes, and widened roads and highway. Note there is a public information gathering on Tuesday Dec. 15th - details below. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One is preparing design plans for future widening of approximately 3.8 miles of Interstate 75 (I-75) from south of Bee Ridge Road to south of Fruitville Road and reconstruction of the I-75/Bee Ridge Road interchange in Sarasota County, Florida. In December 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved a preferred alternative from the Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) study of I-75 from south of SR 681 to north of University Parkway in Sarasota and Manatee counties. As part of the PD&E study, two public hearings were held in 2009. At the I-75/Bee Ridge Road interchange, the preferred alternative maintained the existing partial cloverleaf interchange but added turn lanes o...

Bee Ridge roadwork update for Thanksgiving week:

SCAT Route 14 which runs along Bee Ridge will change as of Nov. 14th - see map and schedule below - click on image to enlarge.

Below are notes gathered through "the grapevine" offering info regarding deadlines and other construction decisions. This is not official info shared by Sarasota County. --Road completion date moved one month form Apr/May to May/June due to weather. Roundabouts will be last element completed. --No date on Mauna Loa build up and re-route. --Contractor has had over $50,000 worth of tools and materials stolen from there storage site at the end of Bee Ridge. Ask neighbors to report any activity on the road after hours where equipment or other materials are being removed. --Water locations east of Bent Tree in front of churches will be filled in before sidewalk can be placed. --Contractor is wiring all street lights—FPL will make hot and contractor will turn on sometime this month, before daylight savings is over. --Where fence will be situated, all 550’ will be set at a constant height of 6’ relative to side walk. --No dates yet on start of roundabout at Iona.

From Sarasota County: We stated in last week’s Project Update (see attached) the entrance off of Bee Ridge Road to the Publix would be closed this week, but the exit would be open. This would need to happen for connection to the utility infrastructure. However when the contractor started digging this morning, they found out that the waterline was not where it was shown on the plans. Therefore they are going to have to dig up a larger area. In order to shorten the duration of this closure, they will need to close the entire entrance/exit on Bee Ridge Road. The patrons of the Publix shopping center will need to use the entrance/exit off of Bee Ridge Extension. Hopefully, the closure will only last for one week.

Construction on Sky Zone , an indoor trampoline and fitness facility, is well underway at on Edgelake Drive and kids should be bouncing early next year. Sky Zone under construction

Full Tent Joe O'Hara and Commissioner Charles Hines (seated) Dignitaries and Citizens Dig In Laughter, speeches and cookies made today's groundbreaking for the widening of Bee Ridge Road an enjoyable moment. The road project, which is expected to take two years to complete, will transform Bee Ridge Road East of I-75 into a gateway to the East.  The road will be widened to four lanes up to Laurel Oaks/Bent Tree. It will have a planted median, bio-swales, sidewalks, bike paths, four roundabouts and buffering -- some 12,000 trees, bushes and plants will be put in with drip irrigation. The project began with a proposal that came from the communities of Bee Ridge Road. Joe O'Hara initially approached Sarasota county officials in 2002, and formed the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee to work with the County to work on every aspect of the project to make sure that in the end -- after the dust settles -- it will add beauty, value to the communities alon...

The Groundbreaking Ceremony is set for Friday, July 11, at 10 a.m. at the Firehouse grounds on Bee Ridge and Tora. Look for the large tent - there will be refreshments, and brief remarks from County Commissioners. The hope is that residents of Bee Ridge neighborhoods will come out and show their support for the project. If the County understands that the road is important to residents, it might be more likely to consider modifications. For an update on the timing, costs, and design of Bee Ridge Road, and details of the four roundabouts,  click here. While the full time line for the project is 600 days (Summer 2016), the expectation is for most of the work to be substantially completed within 300 days of commencement. Note that the work schedule is approved for roadwork from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 6 days a week. One lane of Bee Ridge will always be open for cars to get through. More details here .

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!

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...