County outlines Fruitville Initiative

More than 30 members of the public attended a neighborhood workshop Thursday night regarding the Fruitville Initiative, a Sarasota County planning project affecting more than 400 acres of land east of Interstate 75.

At the Fruitville Library, county staff took public input and discussed the project, which through public-private partnerships with property owners encourages a mixed-use, interconnected community on the mostly-vacant land north and south of Fruitville Road.

“We call this the anti-University Parkway,” said Steve Suau, an engineer working on the project, which has been discussed for a decade. “We will have streets out the wazoo here (to support development). That’s why we’re trying to do a road network before development occurs. We haven’t really planned like this in 100 years. Usually, we react to things. ”

From here, the Sarasota County Commission needs to approve a rezone of roughly 360 acres and a critical area plan to direct the unique style of growth within the plan’s boundaries. 

After the planning commission reviews the plan this summer, county staff expects for the board to vote on the plan in September. 

For more on this story see the April 3 East County Observer. 

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].