Staff will work on Laurel Park development concept

The Sarasota City Commission agreed to direct city staff to work on a potential Laurel Park development buffer zone at its Monday, Aug. 20, regular meeting.

Many Laurel Park residents have concerns about how neighboring vacant parcels that surround their downtown neighborhood are developed and have suggested if a project is built in a specified buffer zone near their homes that they be given the right to voice concerns in a public setting during the early stages of the planning process.

Currently, projects on the outskirts of their neighborhood can progress without public input during the planning and site-plan review process, making it unlikely residents can express concerns about a project until later, when it comes before the commissioners for final approval.

Laurel Park Neighborhood Association President Kate Lowman told commissioners the neighborhood has requested a 100-foot buffer zone. If any development touches that buffer zone near their neighborhood, it would trigger the community’s input and concerns early on.

“It doesn’t mean we get to decide what is built, but it means we get the opportunity to comment on quality-of-life issues,” Lowman said.

Laurel Park resident Daniel Harris also urged commissioners to allow staff to work on a concept that will be brought back for the commissioners’ review.

“All we are looking for is input and dialogue for future development on the edge of our neighborhood,” Harris said.

Although the commission directed staff to evaluate Laurel Park’s request for changes to the administrative approval process for projects, not everyone was happy with the decision.

Attorney Michael Furen noted that client and real-estate agent Michael Saunders has concerns about how any changes will impact her properties in the area.

“Michael Saunders has concerns because the proposal would delay and create new obstacles for future projects within the downtown area of the city,” Furen said. “On a personal note, I question whether spending public funds for staff to look at this are proper for a private initiated concept.”

The request for staff to review the request was approved by a 4-1 vote, with only Commissioner Paul Caragiulo dissenting.

“Before we got into this, we should have exploratory conversations with some of these property owners to see what their concerns are,” Caragiulo said. “I would rather the parties meet on their own before we start spending money to do it.”

If the commission moves forward with a suggested buffer zone for the neighborhood, the commission would approve the change and go through a lengthy Comprehensive Plan amendment process.

In the meantime, Laurel Park residents were pleased to discover last week that a high-rise condominium planned next to their neighborhood on Ringling Boulevard has been changed to a three-story townhome project.

Jebco Ventures Inc., which purchased 2.05 acres of vacant land at 1750 Ringling Blvd just north of Morrill Street in April, intends to file preliminary plans at City Hall by the end of the year for 45 townhomes on the property. The $300,000-plus townhomes will have square footage that ranges from 1,400 to 2,000 square feet.

Without a change in the site-plan review process, Laurel Park residents wouldn’t have been able to provide public input on the project early on if plans remained in place for a larger and taller building.

“Large buildings deserve some scrutiny in regard to our historic neighborhood,” said past Laurel Park president Jude Levy.