News Briefs

+ Property owners file petition against Walmart decision
Owners of the Ringling Shopping Center, Louis and Diana Doyle, are asking that a judge review the City Commission’s denial of a proposed Walmart at the Ringling Shopping Center.

The Feb. 23 City Commission denial reversed an earlier Planning Board approval of the site plan for the 98,000-square-foot supercenter.

The legal challenge, a petition for certiorari, was filed April 23, just before the deadline to file an appeal. In their suit against the city of Sarasota, the Doyles are seeking non-monetary or injunctive relief.

“The Doyle family is the petitioner,” said Sarasota City Attorney Bob Fournier. “At some point, I hope to talk to their attorney and find out more. We will talk to see if there are any other solutions.”

The property owners argue they went through the adequate process by holding neighborhood meetings and that they received written analysis from city staff stating why the project was consistent with the city’s zoning plan.

They also argue that some of the residents who appealed the Walmart project were not “aggrieved persons” and that the appellants did not follow the proper process to file an appeal.

+ Ryland Homes buys land for 90-home Palmer Reserve
Westlake Village, Calif.,-based Ryland Homes purchased 26.83 acres of vacant land across the street from Tatum Ridge Elementary School for $5.37 million.

The builder plans to create a community of 90 homes on the parcel, called Palmer Reserve. The new development will feature much larger homes than the homebuilder’s nearby community to the east, the 77-home Palmer Lake. 

Homes in the new community will range in size from 2,200 square feet for a three-bedroom/two-and-a-half bath home up to 3,500 square feet for a five-bedroom/three-and-a-half bath home. Prices will start in the high $200,000s.

“We’re planning to start development in June,” says Joe Fontana, president of West Florida division for Ryland Homes. “We hope to open by the end of the year. This will be a very nice-looking community in a phenomenal location in Sarasota.”

The homebuilder plans to start with its 2,785-square-foot Hemingway model. The community will also feature a tot lot, several parks and ponds and preserve land.

Meetings & Agendas
• Sarasota County Planning Commission Public Hearing — 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, Commission Chamber, Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
• Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee — 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 6, Second Floor, Think Tank, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
• Sarasota County Regular Commission Meeting — 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 8, Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
• Regular City Commission Meeting  — 2:30 and 6 p.m. Monday, May 15, City Hall, Commission Chambers, 1565 First St., Sarasota.