Residents, commission lobby for traffic management

Residents of Rivendell and Willowbend communities in Osprey received support from the Sarasota County Commission last week regarding their concerns for potential traffic problems at a proposed development.

After reviewing the site plan for the Palms at Casey Key, commissioners voted at the Dec. 9 meeting in support of the project, but only if developer Ryland Homes added a right-turn lane northbound on Old Venice Road into the 31-home community.

Brian Lichterman, the agent for Ryland Homes, said the developer had not included a turn lane in the plan because a January traffic study, completed during peak hours, indicated the intersection could accommodate potential increased traffic from the development.

“We’re very aware of where traffic issues exist,” Commissioner Charles Hines said.

Planning Commissioner Michael Beaumier is a resident of the nearby Rivendell community, and he spoke against the study during the Nov. 9 Planning Commission meeting.

“What the traffic study says and what we live with every day are not the same thing,” he said.

County Commissioner Alan Maio suggested that the 50-foot road planned in the development be narrowed to allow for a right turn lane. The road will connect the Palms to the parcel to the south if it is developed in the future.

Lichterman said after the County Commission meeting that Ryland Homes would be willing to add the turn lane to the site plan.

Tony Nacinovich, a resident of the Willowbend community, had previously raised concerns for the originally proposed density of the development and the increased traffic impact to the intersection.

He collected 175 signatures to petition the county to ask for a lower density rating and was successful; the developer agreed to lower the proposed density from RSF-4 to RSF-2.

The turn lane would help get vehicles maneuver out of the main flow of traffic and enhance the safety of the roadway, Nacinovich said.

“It’s a constructive modification,” he said.