Neal carves out a small chunk of Palmer Ranch

Three parcels spanning 17.8 acres at the corner of Honore Avenue and Jem Lane would see an increase in density if a development proposal is approved.

Neal Communities proposed building up to 50 detached, single-family units on the land.

The parcels are zoned “open use estate,” a designation used to preserve open space and meant for combined residential and agricultural use. Sarasota County zoning ordinances allow 1 unit per 5 acres to be built on property zone OUE. Sarasota County’s future land use map, a document used to manage anticipated growth, shows the parcels in a “moderate density residential” zone, which allows between between two and five units per acre. On 17.8 acres, 90 units could be built, according to that map.

The proposal includes a rezone request for all three parcels to “residential, single family.”

Five homes, erected between 1941 and 1972, stand on the parcels now.  The market value of the three parcels is $1.45 million, according to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser’s website.