Interchange proposal will be removed

Better late than never was the feeling in the room.

Almost two years after the Sarasota County Commission asked staff to make the necessary changes to wipe away plans for a Central Sarasota Parkway interchange, staff was directed again at the commission’s Wednesday, May 9 meeting to begin Comprehensive Plan amendments to remove it.

“Why did everything come to a halt in the first place?” asked County Commissioner Joe Barbetta. “Everything got really messed up here.”

Barbetta was referring to what he perceives as staff not following commission direction and county resources being wasted because of it.

The county agreed not to construct the interchange in May 2010, and a contract with the Florida Department of Transportation for the project was voided in favor of an interchange further south at State Road 681.

But Wednesday, staff said the delay was a presumption that the entire interchange concept as designed was going to be moved further south for the planned interchange at State Road 681. What commissioners wanted was for staff to remove all references in the comp plan for an interchange at Central Sarasota Parkway and then move forward with plans for an interchange further south. That process would have been quicker, commissioners said.

“The direction we’re heading now is removing this interchange from the comp plan altogether,” said Commissioner Nora Patterson.

In total, staff received direction to move forward with both public- and private-sector comp-plan language changes to delete the interchange and any inconsistencies. An agreement with Palmer Ranch Holdings LLC must also be amended to reflect it doesn’t support an interchange there any longer.

Pulte Homes, which submitted preliminary plans for a new housing community near the proposed interchange a few months ago, has agreed to pay for administrative costs involved with amending the comp plan language for a private sector comp plan change.

“All the changes should come out together at the same time, because we are processing them together and will cure all the internal inconsistencies,” said Commissioner Jon Thaxton.