Urban Design Studio to hold open house

Sarasota residents will soon have an opportunity to interact with the city’s new Urban Design Studio, as the team working on producing a new form-based zoning code for the city is holding an open house this Friday.

Though the two-person Urban Design Studio team began its work in July, the open house is the official kick-off for the public conversation regarding the new code, according to a city press release. Community input is an important part of designing the form-based code, the release states.

“Ultimately, a form-based code is a tool,” said Karin Murphy, director of the Urban Design Studio. “The quality of development outcomes depends on the quality and objectives of the community plan. That’s why it’s so important for our neighborhoods to be engaged in this process.”

For the next three years, Murphy and Principal Urban Designer Andrew Georgiadis will rewrite the city’s zoning regulations as a form-based code. According to city officials, the form-based code is intended to allow for greater predictability regarding buildings for both residents and developers.

The Urban Design Studio open house will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, at the Federal Building, 111 S. Orange Ave.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].