The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Commercial Center Planned around Racetrac Thursday, Aug. 22 - 7 pm - there is an important meeting to look at the plan for a commercial center behind and East of the Racetrac at Mauna Loa. Why does this matter? For one thing, whatever is built there will be visible, audible, and potentially smellable for the residents of Lake Sarasota who live along Bee Ridge Road. Also, our community has a  legal Covenant  that gives us some say over what kinds of businesses can be there, and their hours of operation. But if we are not watchful, if we do not participate in the planning process, we could lose that power forever. Come to the meeting in the offices at the rear of Sarasota Alliance Church Thurs. 7 pm. A version of the proposed commercial site Meeting Thursday 8.22.19 7 pm Sarasota Alliance Church -- offices behind church 7221 Bee Ridge Rd. Sarasota, FL 34241 To help understand the issue, here's the County's Zoning Use Table that clarifies what can...

As many know, Lake Sarasota and other Bee Ridge neighborhoods tried to work with RaceTrac to add some buffering to their landscaping - a few more trees, etc. Normally such large gas stations are not situated directly across from residential neighborhoods. Unfortunately the plans for the gas station were submitted years ago and approved by the Sarasota County Commission before virtually anyone in the community knew about it. The letter to County Administrator Thomas Harmer from a couple of days ago came from the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee, which represents 14 communities along Bee Ridge Rd. and Bee Ridge Extension, comprising a total of over 9,000 rooftops. Mr. T. Harmer     tharmer@scgov.net County Administrator Sarasota County Dear Mr. Harmer:   Recently a RaceTrac gas station opened at the intersection of Manua Loa and Bee Ridge Road, (Northeast corner). While facing Bee Ridge, it sits directly across the street from ...

The Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee -- a coalition of Bee Ridge communities including Lake Sarasota, Laurel Oaks, Bent Tree, The Hammocks, Misty Creek and several more -- specifically asked the project manager of RaceTrac to beef up the landscaping. In return, the coalition offered to support their petition for a right-in turn lane from Bee Ridge Road. The coalition has kept its part of the bargain, but when Tom Hardy, project manager for Racetrac, was asked why there was not a single plant more than the minimum required by the County, here's Mr. Hardy's reply in toto : I have considered your request for the additional trees along Bee Ridge Road. We will not be adding any additional trees. We feel we have a balanced landscape that meets Sarasota County’s requirements. We have provided significant base shrubs and groundcover along the frontage that is well above code.  As far as the residents of Sarasota Lakes, we look forward to serving them and will embrace ou...

Tomorrow, Oct. 22, Sarasota County Commissioners will vote to approve a set of changes to the county's 2050 Comprehensive Plan that will weaken it, allow development to overbuild, ignore wildlife and water issues, and change the face of Sarasota county forever. More Racetracs. More pavement. More burbs, fewer trees, farms, ranches, and native creatures. Would you like East Sarasota to resemble Miami? Miami, FL If you don't want that, show up. Wear a white shirt. Use your freedom.  The hearing will be in the Commission Chambers beginning at 1:30 pm. To speak, sign a card that you'll find in the back of the room. You get 5 minutes. To learn more about the issues, check out the 2050 Action Network blog here: http://sarasotavision2050.blogspot.com/ A good overview by Sarasota's Cathy Antunes is at the blog's top - it begins:   On Wednesday the County Commission will be voting on amendments to the Sarasota 2050 plan. The original 2050 standa...

A summary of the Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting of Sept. 11, 2014. Treasurer’s report - the group has $297 and no debts. It voted unanimously to renew membership in CONA Sarasota . Update on Bee Ridge roadwork : Speed limit remains 35 mph throughout the duration of the project. Police are actively enforcing the limit. Racetrac  has begun work on its gas station at Mauna Loa Blvd. and Bee Ridge Rd. opposite the entrance to Lake Sarasota. The station will have 20 bays and a large store footprint. Racetrac construction TerraCap and the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce : TerraCap requested and received a postponement of its petitioned rezoning for the 50-acre plot at the north side Mauna Loa and Bee Ridge Rd. to allow time to meet with neighborhood representatives who are seeking a legally binding covenant to limit impacts on traffic and nuisance issues (bright lights, noise at night, etc). The rezoning will be heard at the County on Nov. 4. Representatives of resident...

Members of the Board and other interested residents of Lake Sarasota will meet today with representatives of TerraCap in a final effort to negotiate a neighborhood-friendly agreement addressing the concerns regarding safety, tranquility, and property values. The results will be reported here. === A conversation about a legally binding Covenant between Lake Sarasota residents and agents for TerraCap Mgmt. has not progressed since a June 12 meeting . The community has concerns about traffic, nuisance noise and odors, and damage to property values that could arise from mishandled development of the commercial land opposite the front entrance of the Lake S. community at Mauna Loa Blvd. and Bee Ridge Road. Agents for TerraCap , the Canadian owner of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce who sold the front property to Racetrac, were approached in April about a Covenant, but ignored the Community's overture. After the developer's latest rezoning plan failed to receive County app...

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,...

The Sarasota County Planning Commission voted 6-1 to forward the re-zoning petition for the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce to the County Commission. That is, the Planning Commissioners, after about an hour of probing discussion and remarks from nearby neighborhoods, agreed to give Mr. Peter Dailey and Richard Fischer the right to convert 6.9 acres of the Park of Commerce -- adjacent to the north and east of the Racetrac parcel - to Commercial Neighborhood. In a separate ruling, they allowed the agents to expand from CN's usual limit of 20,000 square feet to 37,000 square feet for one building, without committing to specific uses for it, or for two other parcels. In return, Dailey and Fischer on behalf of TerraCap agreed to honor a 50' setback buffer along Bee Ridge Rd. The CN designation does not require that large a buffer, but it was already built into the plan and will remain intact. Commissioner John Burrus cast the only dissenting vote, stating that the absence of specif...

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 ...

One of Sarasota County's project managers for the Bee Ridge Road widening provided some updates on that project at Friday's meeting of the Bee Ridge Neighborhood Committee. State to put in Sidewalk  In a surprise move, the state plans to build a sidewalk on the South side of Bee Ridge from Cattlemen to where the state's portion of Bee Ridge ends -- near the exit ramp from I-75. This project was moved up -- originally it was not expected to happen before 2018, but with this funding, it might be completed before the end of this year. This is great news for those who have had to walk along the roadway, or in the weeds, to get to businesses West of the highway. State's portion of Bee Ridge begins at the dark area marked with the yellow pointer. When the County completes its widening of Bee Ridge, a sidewalk will run along the south side, connecting with the state's sidewalk and providing a continuous walkway from Cattlemen out to the Bee Ridge extension. Ther...

Long before Racetrac developed its "sit-down" gas station with coffee and wifi, Frank Lloyd Wright had a similar (but not quite identical) idea for a "waiting station" as a cultural center :

Quick notes from the March 14, 2013 LSCG meeting: 16 attending. 1. Treasury currently has $439.20. Minor expenses approved for copying documents, and for renewing the 501(c)4, and for joining CONA ($35). 2. A slate of officers was nominated to be the board for the new year beginning at the time the corporate status is renewed, in May. 3. We continue to work with the County on a style of sign and placement for Lake Sarasota after Bee Ridge is widened. Several styles are being considered by the County, which can be seen here.  Those in attendance expressed a preference for the "Silver Lake" sign. 4. The group voted unanimously to join CONA Sarasota . 5. A meeting with the County is being scheduled to discuss the traffic impacts of a planned Racetrac. Racetrac says it is considering pausing its construction due to the Bee Ridge road widening. 6. A meeting with Zoning will be considered to express our community's wishes regarding CN zoning stipulations on the T...

Lake Sarasota Community Group meets Thurs. March 14, 7 pm at Sarasota Alliance Church , 7221 Bee Ridge Rd., Room C106. Design of 6,000 s.f. Racetrac Gas Station at BRPOC Agenda 1. Treasury (Ellie) 2. Racetrac update (Tom) 3. TerraCap Update a. PCD vs CN (Sandy, Francine and Arnis, Tom, and anyone else). b. Options allowed by the process. 4. Security - Citizens Patrol, Sheriff's Report - (Ted) 5. Activities (Sandy) 6. Current State of the Real Estate market (Sandy)

The Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee met with Racetrac this morning to discussion ways to mitigate impacts of the planned 24-pump Racetrac gas station that is planned for the Northeast corner of Bee Ridge Rd. at Mauna Loa Blvd. Here are some highlights -- more detailed report will follow. Racetrac representative Tom Hardy fielded questions from the Committee for an hour, then addressed questions specific to Lake Sarasota, as this is the nearest and most exposed community. The top items: 1. The company is looking at possibly reducing the size of the store from 6,000 square feet to 5,200 square feet. This is a result of the realization that the station will be on a "tight site" within a cul de sac.  The smaller store will have all the same amenities, including window counter with wifi and a beer cave, that the larger, 6,000 square foot stores have. 2. Because Bee Ridge Rd. is due for widening, Racetrac is now thinking to push back its construction start until...

Thanks to Lewin for some helpful research on location issues with large, busy gas stations. The full article is here . Good & Bad Convenience Store-Station Locations Given the impacts and corrective measures described above, an optimum convenience store-gas station location would have the following characteristics: At least 300 feet from the nearest home; or Buffered so the store cannot be seen or heard from the nearest home; For ultra-high volume gas stations, a minimum if 300 feet away; Not within view of historic resources; Away from highly sensitive ground or surface water resources; Accessible by foot and bike as well as cars; Located in a downtown or neighborhood commercial area; Well lit, but not to the point of causing light trespass into nearby homes; In an area with many passersby and few escape routes for criminals; and In an area where the market can accommodate a new store without putting existing ones out of business.

A video of the recent Neighborhood Workshop for TerraCap's proposed rezoning of 7.7 acres of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce, directly across from Lake Sarasota's front entrance.   The video is posted to Youtube . Here are a few brief highlights from the meeting.

Does anyone remember the 2050 plan? The idea was to respect and preserve the rural character of Sarasota County east of I-75. There was general agreement in favor of a concept -- that landowners could create master-planned communities east of I-75, in exchange for meeting higher standards of development and enhancing environmental protection. And, by supporting this alternative, environmentalists and others would accept development that protects and connects valuable natural assets.  Those were the goals then. How can they be remembered and embraced again? Source; Sarasota Herald Tribune 2.17.13 How's that working for us, facing the prospect of Racetrac 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

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: