Coming soon to EVERY
Neighborhood in Sarasota
Little-noted comprehensive plan amendment promotes lot-line to lot-line re-development for multi-story “Urban Mixed Use” along every major road (41, 301, Fruitville, Lido) in the city.
Impacts entire city
The housing need
What's the problem?
Sarasota wants to spur development of housing working families can afford. But the mechanisms included in the proposed comprehensive plan changes won’t do that.
Results of "administrative approval"
Sarasota has an affordable housing problem which has been building for decades. The pandemic-era explosion in growth has exacerbated the issue. We need more housing people who live and work here can afford.
Over 13,000 city households are burdened by housing costs over 30% of their monthly income.
The recent building boom has add thousands of high-end units, but none of the housing working families need. It will take time to build new housing, but the recent introduction of the “Nashville Plan” (rental assistance) is providing some short-term relief.
Proposed new mixed use plan
- Does NOT guarantee even 1 affordable unit (uses same bonus height and density mechanisms that failed to produce affordable housing when the Rosemary District displaced Overtown);
- Puts a redevelopment target on almost 1,000 parcels (a tenth of the city land mass) along every major roadway in the city, including 41, 301, and Fruitville Road;
- Incentivizes lot-line to lot-line multi-story building abutting 1-2 story neighborhoods;
- Disenfranchises residents and neighbors, as well as elected officials, by giving city staff unilateral administrative approval for new construction, with no notice to neighbors or community input;
- Has no constraints on building height outside of the downtown zones (could yield skyscrapers alongside all major roads).
Results of "administrative approval"
Lot coverage
Mixed use = more lot coverage. Most parcels currently have .5 lot coverage.
Proposed rezone to 2.0 lot coverage = 4x buildable mass
Step-ups
Staggered building heights with lower structures abuting neighborhoods
Urban Mixed Use - Design Patterns
Along major roads
25 units / acre
9 shopping centers
50 units / acre
Areas targeted for urban mixed use
Medium Density - 25 units an acre
Transportation corridors
- Sarasota's main roads include shallow parcels directly adjacent to single-family homes.
- More study and neighborhood consultation is needed to assess compatibility before placing EVERYTHING on the transportation corridors on a redevelopment path.
High Density - 50 units an acre
Repurposing malls
A low impact way to add housing is to adapt or redevelop existing strip malls
Subject Parcels
Neighboring properties
If you live in one of the teal zones, you are impacted
Properties which could get a future land use map ("FLUM") designation as "Urban Mixed-Use"
Are you an "Affected Person"?
If you own one of the parcels on the below maps, or live within 500 feet of a parcel which could be rezoned to allow high density multi-story mixed use (e.g. retail or parking on first level, and multiple stories of residential or office above) then you are an “affected person”.
This means you should be given the opportunity to learn more about how these changes will impact your home or business before they are cemented prior to the election.
Every city commission candidate has spoken against these plans, because they do not address the affordable housing problem we have, but could destroy what is left of Sarasota’s charm and unique neighborhoods.
- Write to the City Commission and ask them to slow down and get this right. If redevelopment is going to be encouraged, let's make sure it will address our affordable housing needs.
- Abandon administrative approval for anything other than bonus density. Neighbors deserve to know about, and an opportunity to help shape, projects built next door to them, which precludes administrative approval of site plans.
- Use mandatory inclusionary zoning when upzoning to mixed use, and require 25% of new units be priced at 60/80/100% of Area Median Income. Offer optional bonus density incentives in the downtown zones, which already have mixed use.
- Promote compatibility with neighborhoods by establishing transitional zone design standards. Cap height at 4 stories or 45 feet maximum. Require substantial setbacks and step-ups .
- High density first. Start with the 9 area malls with large acreage to work with. That would potentially yield 9,650 new units of housing, with at least 2,400 in the affordable range.
- Be judicious about mixed use on corridors. Not EVERY lot along a major roadway is deep enough to accommodate 25 units an acre. Take a more tailored approach to assigning this land use.