It took a Celery Village
but the Last Stand at Celery Hill has been won!
On November 6, 2019, the Sarasota County Commission finally heard the public outcry to “Save Our Celery Fields” and voted 5-0 to place three of the four parcels in a conservation easement. The Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast and Sarasota Audubon will work with the Sarasota County Administrator and Planning to reforest the southeast parcel and do something for the northeast parcel with the retention pond. The southwest parcel will also come under a conservation easement. The northwest parcel with the fire station was left out of the vote. We will continue to monitor that parcel as 4.1 acres there are not part of the conservation easement, and could be rezoned in the future.
I want to thank everyone who helped in defeating past and present Commissioners from selling the Quad properties for development. This was a non-partisan effort that was supported by local, state, national and global efforts. People can continue to enjoy the Celery Fields without further introduction of development in the Quad Parcels surrounding the park. What a joy!
However, with this exciting win for the Celery Fields, there is something we need to continue to monitor. The “WTF” Waste Transfer Facility, adjacent to the Quad properties, is in its early stages of being built by TST Ventures. Sadly, Mr. Gabbert decided to build his dump despite heartfelt community efforts to persuade him to find an area better suited for his business.
Mr. Gabbert and his attorney William W. Merrill III have applied for a Zoning Appeal with Sarasota County. Screen shots pertaining to this appeal may be seen below.
In a nutshell, if you are interested, there is a Public Hearing beginning at 6:00 pm on Monday, November 18 to considering Zoning Variances from the Sarasota County Zoning Regulations. It appears that Mr. Gabbert wishes to alter the Special Exception plan: He is now asking to move the location of a proposed stormwater retention pond to a property he owns outside the boundary of the WTF. The new proposed tank would not only change the site plan, but it would be underground, making it likely more difficult to monitor.
Sarasota County Zoning staff have denied Mr. Gabbert’s zoning modifications, hence, the appeal. We will be attending this meeting and following its outcome.
I (and many Sarasota scientists who have much more knowledge than I do) believe that with Gabbert’s dump, there will be known construction particulates that contain poisons such as lead paint, asbestos and who knows what else that will be sprayed down in the open air dump. This water will leech into the Celery Fields Stormwater Retention Pond. This drainage ultimately ends up in Sarasota Bay.
We will keep you abreast of the situation but if you want to attend a meeting, please join us at 6 pm Nov. 18 at 1660 Ringling Boulevard, Commission Chambers.
Bunches of Celery Hugs,
Adrien Lucas
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