City Commission to discuss downtown sound committee

City commissioners will discuss tonight plans to establish an ad-hoc committee charged with studying possible ordinances regulating downtown sound.

The committee will be made up of five to seven community members.

“I would suggest the committee should be required to report back with recommendations to the City Commission within 75 days of their first meeting,” City Manager Tom Barwin wrote in agenda paperwork for the meeting. “The commission can delegate the appointment of the ad-hoc sound commission to the city manager or appoint the committee directly.”

The sound discussion is the last item on the agenda for the evening portion of the meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

At the City Commission’s March 4 meeting, commissioners unanimously agreed to set up the committee.

More than 20 residents spoke at that meeting, with about half supporting less-restrictive regulations and the other half wanting more regulations on sound levels downtown.

In other business, commissioners will:
 

* Hear a city attorney report on the Citizens for Sunshine versus the city of Sarasota lawsuit alleging a Sunshine Law violation in the context of the contractor-selection process for the State Street parking garage project.

* Consider a submerged-lands easement between the city and Florida Department of Environmental Protection for public pedestrian bridge and boat ramp at Alderman Street and Hudson Bayou.

* Hear a resolution outlining reasons for denying a site-plan application and reversing the Planning Board approval of a site-plan application for construction of a Walmart at 2260 Ringling Blvd. in the Commercial Shopping Center - Neighborhood (CSC-N) Zone District.

Contact Roger Drouin at [email protected].