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...

Letter to the Planning Commission June 11, 2021: Andrew.Stultz@ sarasotaadvisory.net , Colin.Pember@sarasotaadvisory. net , Kevin.Cooper@sarasotaadvisory. net , Laura.Benson@sarasotaadvisory. net , Teresa.Mast@sarasotaadvisory. net , Neil.Rainford@ sarasotaadvisory.net , Drew.Peters@sarasotaadvisory. net , Justin.Taylor@ sarasotaadvisory.net , Frank.Strelec@ sarasotaadvisory.net , The community of Lake Sarasota consists of more than 1,600 homes along and to the south of Bee Ridge Road immediately east of I-75. The Lake Sarasota Community Group has had constructive communications with TerraCap, the developer of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (BRPOC), since 2013. The developer voluntarily signed a 2014 Covenant by which it committed to certain constraints upon uses to avoid nuisance issues. The original of that Covenant and a newly revised version of it are in your packets for this public review, and a document with both the original Covenant and the developer's proposed revised vers...

UPDATE: Late this afternoon, the attorney for TerraCap confirmed that the firm, which owns the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce, has asked the County to postpone a rezoning hearing previously set for Sept. 10th. The reason is to allow time to work on a mutually beneficial agreement between TerraCap and the Lake Sarasota. See below for details of the neighborhood's reasons for seeking such an agreement. === At a meeting yesterday with TerraCap and a land-use attorney it has retained, representatives from Lake Sarasota and the Bee Ridge Neighborhood Committee laid out neighborhood concerns related to the prospective development of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (BRPOC). The meeting was the first with corporate officers for TerraCap , which owns the land. Earlier discussions with its local agents had stalled . Key points of our presentation: - The 50-acre plot of land lies directly opposite the front entrance to Lake Sarasota, at an already difficult intersection that sees frequ...

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...

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 permitte...

The Sarasota County Commission Wednesday voted to continue the rezoning petition brought by the developers of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce. The Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to postpone consideration of the proposed plan for the BRPOC , situated opposite the entrance to Lake Sarasota at Mauna Loa Blvd. and Bee Ridge Rd. The Commissioners cited several reasons for not approving the petition:  For one thing, the proposal for an 77,000-square-foot building lacked clear definition of how it would be used. "You could do something more imaginative and appealing," said Commission Nora Patterson, adding that with some creative work, it could prove to be a community asset. For another, the request for an extra median cut in North Mauna Loa Blvd. opposite the planned Racetrac Gas Station raised public safety concerns because of its proximity to the signal at Bee Ridge and Mauna Loa Blvd. A third issue mentioned by three of the five Commissioners was that the developer,...

A letter requesting the developer of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce was sent to the developer, TerraCap Management, to its agents, Peter Dailey and Richard M. Fischer, and to several members of the County's planning staff. The letter asks that the BRPOC voluntarily sign a binding agreement, or Covenant , stipulating that they will not allow adult entertainment, shooting ranges, or other uses that could degrade or otherwise harm the property values and / or relative tranquility long enjoyed by residents of Lake Sarasota and other communities along the Bee Ridge Corridor. The uses identified as objectionable were determined through neighborhood polls. A copy of the letter is here , or here . If neither link works for you, you can request a copy by writing to LakeSarasota@gmail.com. The developers are seeking Sarasota County's approval to rezone a portion of their 40-acre site to Commercial Neighborhood. They come before the Board of County Commissioners at a hearing on May ...

At a Planning Commission hearing on April 3, the agents for TerraCap, the owner of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce, were directed by the Commissioners to work with nearby residents to establish an understanding of what the neighborhoods would consider friendly and welcome uses for the commercial spaces. On May 21, the County Commission will be asked to approve the rezoning of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce. About 7 acres of the 40-acre site will be converted from  PCD to CN zoning . The rest remains PCD. As the above link shows, PCD allows a very wide range of uses, from clubs to liquor stores to gun and archery ranges. Even under the narrower CN zoning, the range includes several uses that Lake Sarasota and other area residents cited as objectionable. These included: Stormwater facility in different zoning district than principal use Clubs & lodges Day Care Bars Boarding House Entertainment Outdoors Animal Hospital On April 3, TerraCap agents Richar...

A public hearing on the fate of Spine Road resumed Wednesday, April 9. The head of County Transportation presented the County Commission with a detailed history showing that Spine Rd. was originally put in the County Comprehensive Plan in 1989, but as a straight line that, if built, would have run through existing homes, he said. Spine Rd. was removed in 1992 from the plan, but it was later realigned and put back into the Comp Plan by a 4-1 vote of the 1996 County Commission. The Transportation Dept. feels the road is buildable and will be needed in the future, and recommended the County take no action to remove it. The developers of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (BRPOC) had requested the removal, prompting the hearing. The Board took no action Wednesday, but may revisit the issue on May 21, at a final hearing on a proposed rezoning of the BRPOC. Jonathan Paul went on to say that the concerns expressed by community residents of Lake Sarasota had some justification. "...

The Planning Commission will review TerraCap and Peter Dailey's request to rezone the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce from PCD to CN, and to create a right-in/right-out turn on Bee Ridge so cars heading West can enter 460 feet East of the Mauna Loa intersection.

The next meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group will feature   Sarasota tax attorney Mary King , who will talk about tax resolution and take questions from those in attendance. The meeting is set for March 13, 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church (opposite Chaucer). Other items: 1. The Lake Sarasota Community Garage Sale is set for Saturday March 29th. If you wish to be on the map, contact Sandy Allen at SarasotaDreams@gmail.com. Here's the map so far: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zBfHYD-6Jr3Y.kGQrIcvMzfGU 2. The proposal to rezone the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (directly opposite the Mauna Loa entrance to Lake Sarasota) comes before the Planning Commission April 3rd, 6:30 pm , at the North County Admin Center. After this review, it will go to the Board of Commissioners. Included in this proposal are two items: 1) rezoning from PCD to CN, and 2) a right-in/right-out turn from Bee Ridge into the Park of Commerce about 450' from the intersection ...

The agent for the Canadian owner/developer of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce -- the site opposite the entrance to Lake Sarasota -- offered a more detailed, pared-down version of a plan he presented in February . The plan now calls for creating a 77,400-square-foot commercial building and two restaurants on land on the north and east sides of the site designated for a Racetrac gas station. The presentation by Peter Dailey contained a few surprises, and was somewhat different from what appeared on earlier paperwork submitted to the county planning department. This is a summary of key items. A longer analysis will come later. 1. The petition seeks permission to build a single commercial building about 77,400 square feet in size. Earlier, the developer had wanted two separate buildings. The single structure now proposed would have one floor, eliminating a second-story residential floor sought in earlier stages of the plan. 2. The developer seeks to raise a limit to 33,700 square f...

UPDATE OF THE UPDATE: This meeting has been rescheduled for Dec. 16th, 6 pm, Sarasota Alliance Church. [Former UPDATE: This meeting has been postponed by the developer's agent, citing "an advertising glitch." They are seeking to reschedule for mid-December - stay tuned.] A second Neighborhood Workshop focusing on a request to rezone a portion of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (the land for which the Racetrac and other businesses are planned) has been scheduled. It is to be held Monday, Nov. 25th at 6 pn at Sarasota Alliance Church -- the same building where we hold our quarterly Lake Sarasota Community Group meetings. A previous meeting with Peter M. Dailey, representative of TerraCap, owner of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce, was held on Feb. 20th, 2013, and was  reported here.   Video here. This new proposal is similar -- a request to rezone a portion of the property, some 8.8 acres, to Commercial Neighborhood from PCD. No explanation for why this is sought has ...

The next regular meeting of the Lake Sarasota Community Group is Thursday, March 14th, 7 pm, Sarasota Alliance Church offices (behind the church). It has been suggested that we in Lake Sarasota identify what we consider as "acceptable kinds of businesses" for the TerraCap development. Why? Because if TerraCap's petition to rezone to CN is approved, a lot of what is now supposed to be medical use can become any of a wide variety of other uses, in some cases needing no approval from the county or the neighboring communities. TerraCap at Mauna Loa and Bee Ridge Rd. Sandy has compiled a very good comparison of potential uses in PCD zoning (the current designation), and those in CN (the designation TerraCap is seeking). (More  here. ) In general, PCD is much broader - e.g., light industrial uses are permitted, so are loud activities such as shooting ranges -- which are not allowed under CN. CN also requires more buffering and landscaping. Gluttons for punishment...

The topic did not come up at the Neighborhood Workshop, but aside from the 90,000 square feet that TerraCap is seeking to rezone to CN for retail, offices and restaurants, there are other parcels totaling another 85,000 square feet which are already approved for a bank, drugstore, etc. Yet another parcel of unspecified size is approved and designated for a hotel. Here's the letter from Peter Dailey stating all this - click to enlarge:

As many know, a Canadian investment firm, TerraCap, is seeking to rezone 10 acres that front on Bee Ridge Rd. directly across from the Mauna Loa entrance to Lake Sarasota. The site is known as the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce , or BRPOC, for short. TerraCap and its representative Dailey Design are seeking to change the designation of these fronting 10 acres from PCD to CN, and in order to do this, they must hold a public meeting, called a Neighborhood Workshop. A meeting date will be set and announced soon, we're told. The governing land use and zoning codes are very detailed, Some members of the community have attempted to make a side-by-side comparison of what is permitted in PCD vs. what can go into a CN. None of us is an expert, but the information has been drawn from an authoritative source, the Municipal Code of Ordinances of Sarasota County . Generally, a PCD allows for a broader range of uses - including bars, liquor stores, warehouses, lumberyards, extreme sports, ...