Sarasota considers 2050 changes

With support of members of the Sarasota County Planning Commission in hand, Sarasota County commissioners now will reconsider how to deal with the costs and impacts of growth.

The county is proposing changes to its 2050 growth development plan that would allow developers to move forward with development without showing the project is fiscally neutral in its initial phases.

The fiscal neutrality component of the 2050 plan, in its current form, states that charges, fees, assessments and taxes for services relating to a new development will balance with new public facilities and services to support the development. Before development begins, the developer must show the project will be adequate to provide the infrastructure needs and prove it again during different phases of the project.

The amendment would loosen requirements to give developers some flexibility at the beginning of developing, when it is difficult to predict if the proposed development is fiscally neutral.

It also allows county staff to decide how often analyses would be required to prove continued fiscal neutrality.

“We’re recognizing that and we’re allowing for that — early phases of development may not be fiscally neutral,” said Allen Parsons, planning division manager.

Developers still would be obligated to provide reports monitoring the fiscal impacts of their projects, and the development agreement would spell out what variances were acceptable. If monitoring shows the development is exceeding the variance, the developer would be responsible for reanalyzing fiscal impacts and demonstrating how fiscal neutrality could be achieved.

The Sarasota County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the proposed changes during its meeting July 24. Sarasota commissioners will hold two hearings on the item before taking a vote.

Opponents say the lack of monitoring will result in a burden on taxpayers and create problems with urban sprawl, traffic and overdevelopment.

However, others support the idea and say the changes still hold the developer responsible for infrastructure costs.

“It’s still very certain – it provides certainty for the developer, for the government and for the public,” attorney Bill Merrill said.

The proposed changes will now move up to Sarasota County Commission for a vote after two public hearings.

— Pam Eubanks contributed to this report.