Resident groups call for zoning changes

Hoping to get the city to address a series of frequently discussed topics related to development, resident groups are banding together to call for change.

Representatives of four groups released a letter July 9 asking the city to adopt six principles related to the zoning code. Those principles cover a variety of issues residents have raised regarding development in the city, from the public input process when new projects are proposed to safety measures when buildings are under construction.

The groups that have endorsed the proposed development changes are:

• The Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations,
• The Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association,
• STOP, a resident activist group formed to advocate for policy changes related to development,
• SHOUT, a group of South Palm Avenue residents advocating for development-policy changes.

In the letter, the group writes that it expects the city to “act immediately” on those principles. Melvin Sykes, chairman of the DSCA’s zoning code committee, said the groups wanted to move quickly, frustrated by the pace of ongoing conversations on development-related issues.

He expressed optimism the proposal was in line with city staff’s development goals, and the principles were broad enough to build consensus for adoption.

“We’re not really getting into how the zoning code should be written in real technical detail, but we are setting up what the overall goals should be — the principles,” Sykes said.

The commission has talked about several issues related to the recommendations the residents have made. On topics such as setback requirements and administrative development review, the board has deferred any action until it considers a proposed form-based zoning code, which would rewrite the building rules citywide.

That process has been delayed. After initially releasing a draft of the code in March, the city halted its review of the document, hoping to make the proposed changes more understandable for residents and officials. The revised code is expected to be completed this week, according to Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown, but adoption won’t take place until early 2019 at the earliest.

Sykes and other residents want to take action more swiftly.

“Most of these things, they could be done now,” Sykes said. “We don’t have to wait.”

Tim Litchet, the city’s director of neighborhood and development services, said staff would be willing to make any changes if the City Commission is interested in pursuing them. 

“I think that’s a policy issue the commission is going to have to take up,” Litchet said.

On at least one point, Litchet doesn’t believe any change is necessary. Although the residents ask the city to be more proactive in ensuring proposed developments are compatible with their surroundings, Litchet said staff already enforces compatability standards existing in the code.

Litchet said the city would have to do more than adopt principles for the changes to have any real effect. Staff would need to write zoning text amendments designed to achieve the goals the principles advance, and the commission would need to formally adopt them to modify the code.

Although the city hasn’t yet taken any steps toward responding to the groups, Sykes is optimistic a unified front will be a compelling motivator for change.

“These groups represent a lot of people, a lot of residents,” he said.