Fruitville Initiative gets back on track

The Fruitville Initiative, a Sarasota County planning project affecting more than 400 acres of land east of I-75 is gaining momentum with a neighborhood workshop scheduled Thursday.

County staff will take public input and discuss the project, which through public-private partnerships with property owners aims to encourage a mixed-use, interconnected community on the mostly-vacant land north and south of Fruitville Road. The Sarasota County Commission would need to approve a rezone of roughly 360 acres and a critical area plan to direct the unique style of growth within its boundaries.

"May of last year was when we saw the project really ramping up again," said Planning and Development Services Impact Fee Administrator Beth Rozansky. Commissioners had approved guiding principals for the area through a Comprehensive Plan amendment in 2010.

"Now we're getting from a macro level more into a micro level," Rozanksy said.

Residents interested in what type of development will come out of the area should attend, Rozansky said.

After the workshop, county staff will prepare a planning application, and the regulatory side of the plan should take roughly six months to complete, Rozansky said.

IF YOU GO
What: Fruitville Initiative neighborhood workshop
When: 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27
Where: Fruitville Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota