The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

On Thurs. April 3, a request to rezone a portion of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce from PCD to CN will be heard by the Planning Commission. See here for details . Below are descriptions of what is permitted under each designation. Are there any uses we as nearby residents would prefer not to see across from our front entrance? Have a look, let us know . =========== PCD vs. CN by level of permission (Sarasota Cty Code Appendix 5) Info taken from the Municode for Sarasota County 4.7. - Commercial and Industrial District Intent Statements. 4.7.1. Commercial Neighborhood District (CN). a. The CN District permits small-scale, neighborhood-oriented commercial facilities. Their proper development and use shall be facilitated through design techniques and sufficient buffering (as set out in Article 7 ), which provide for walkable, pedestrian-friendly uses compatible with nearby residential uses. The district is not intended for use by major or large-scale commercial...