Sarasota's Intentional Sprawl

Sprawl is like pornography, you can easily recognize it when you see it, as one can from an aerial or by driving through it. For the most part it should be called suburban sprawl. 

Admittedly there are lots of poor definitions, and debate over the exact meaning but it is pretty universal in conveying what it is. For example, it is not unplanned, haphazardly developed or unattractive to most people. In the case of Sarasota not only is it planned it is mandated.

The problem is not that it is unplanned but that the geography is not comprehensively planned; it is mostly a plan for developers and their interests. For example, in Sarasota County there is no comprehensive agriculture or natural resource plan for land uses or systems. All lands that are not publicly owned have some type of development designated including all the rural area.

"Sprawl" conveys that suburban and urban land use designations cover all the land -- even the agriculture and natural resource based lands. It basically renders the agriculture and natural resource base uses unaffordable, since the high price of development rights makes them financially unfeasible, and encourages strong pressure to develop the land.
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The natural resources and ecological infrastructure are not planned holistically. They are done piecemeal with the hope that everything will fit together. In effect, the developers are given all the responsibility for planning natural resources and agriculture within their developments, which is impossible because there is not even a blue print for them to fit into and and much of the development is grandfathered in, so there is no requirement for natural systems to ever be developed as a system. We instead end up with natural resources being covered, fragmented and unmanaged thanks to development, except to prevent environmental risks such as flooding. We even do that poorly.

I like the term "sprawl" because it illustrates the spreading out of very low density, single use and ineffective development patterns and systems, highly car dependent, requiring highly ineffective transportation and public facility systems. It also conveys the lack of planning for an area's natural resources and agriculture.

There is much more interesting discussion on sprawl in Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl

Maynard Hiss

Fiscal Neutrality Public Hearing July 8

Who's paying for this?

The Sarasota Board of County Commission will hold a public Hearing beginning at 1:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible on July 8, 2015 at the Sarasota County Administration Center, County Commission Chamber, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 34236.

All interested parties are encouraged to review and provide input on the draft report and guide for the Fiscal Neutrality Methodology Development process being presented within Category: 04/ Fiscal Neutrality Methodology, on the Sarasota 2050 Evaluation webpage.  

Copies of all documents are also available during normal business hours in the Office of the Planning and Development Services Department at 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, Florida 34236.

Written comments may be submitted via the comment submittal box on the right side of the Sarasota 2050 webpage (*) or be sent to the Planning and Development Services Department at the above address or by email to planner@scgov.net . 

All pertinent comments received will be addressed by the consultant at the public hearing.

The consultant has revised and updated the draft report and guide dated June 10, 2015 in response to both public and staff comments, and they are available for review on the Sarasota 2050 Evaluation web page within Category: 04/ Fiscal Neutrality Methodology.


*Link: https://www.scgov.net/CompPlan/Pages/Sarasota2050Evaluation.aspx


Thank you,

Amy L. Lavender on behalf of Allen Parsons, AICP, Planning Division Manager

Sarasota County Planning & Development Services Department

1660 Ringling Blvd., 1st Floor, Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone 941-861-5000 | Fax 941-861-5593

alavende@scgov.net   

A site that makes so much sense it hurts

A common sense approach to explaining the very strong reasons why suburban expansion is costly in every way, and will undermine our future:

The Cost of Sprawl

Sarasota County "needs our voices" on the Comp Plan

Now that the Comp Plan has been amended, Sarasota County seems to want to introduce citizens to its concept. 

Would it not have been more logical to get the people's' input before huddling with the developers and amending the plan beyond recognition to favor those same developers?

Kinda sounds like . . . poor planning.

SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County will kick off the next Comprehensive Plan Update with a public event from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, in Conference Room AB of the Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota.

The Comprehensive Plan is updated regularly to reflect existing community characteristics and demographics changes, with an understanding of anticipated future trends. It also guides future development and growth.

"Over the coming years, southwest Florida anticipates an influx of new residents and seasonal visitors who will bring with them the need for commercial and residential development," said Sarasota County Administrator Tom Harmer. "Planning for this growth is a vital part of ensuring a good quality of life for those living and working in Sarasota County."

The goal of the update process is to encourage healthy dialogue between citizens and government, and help citizens understand the importance of the plan. The kick-off event is just the beginning of an 18-month-long series of cycles that will address individual themes ranging from environmental systems to quality of life.

"We want to emphasize that the Comprehensive Plan is not just about land use and urban design," said Planning Division Manager Allen Parsons. "Planning for a successful community is just as much about the future of our libraries, educational systems and infrastructure. Each priority fuels the others, and no community can call itself a success unless it carefully considers how each theme can ultimately serve all of its citizens. The Comprehensive Plan is a tool we use today to plan for a resilient and thriving community that will serve all of our citizens into the future."

The update begins in March with the first of seven cycles which address major community themes such as environment, mobility, economic development, public utilities, land use, urban design & quality of life. Each cycle will last approximately eight weeks (although some may last longer) and will begin with an online survey and materials to educate the public about the plan and gather input on the respective cycles.

After each cycle closes, staff will evaluate the goals, policies and objectives for that cycle, combine all the public feedback into an end of cycle report which will be loaded to the website for review. The end of the cycle reports will inform the Comprehensive Plan.

The county will allow distance participation via a website that will illustrate each cycle of the update and include a survey section, public meeting announcements, an events calendar and documents pertaining to the update process.

At the end of the process in 2016, staff will use all the feedback gathered to draft a Comprehensive Plan that is simpler to use and understand.

For more information about the Comprehensive Plan update call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000 or visit 

www.scgov.net/CompPlanUpdate.

This market is not about to buy in East Sarasota County

No Picket Fence: Younger Adults Opting to Rent

from the NYT: 

. . . as the economy slowly improves and job growth picks up steam, the millions of 20- and 30-somethings who shared living quarters with friends or nestled in their parents’ basements to ride out the economic shock waves from the Great Recession are beginning to branch out on their own. But they are still largely shut out of the mortgage market.

“A lot of people 10 to 15 years ago who were able or willing to get a mortgage, now they can’t,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics. “They’re caught in an awful Catch-22 trying to get a down payment” now that they’re spending on rent. 

While construction of single-family homes is only halfway back to its prerecession levels, construction of multifamily units — which include both condos and rentals — is at its highest level in 25 years. Apartment construction is exceeding its prerecession peaks in some markets, including Austin, Tex.; the Washington metropolitan area; and San Jose, Calif., according to a recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard.

Understanding sprawl

Looking for resources on Urban and Suburban Sprawl? We've created a Page with links to several of them. Have a look.

Suburban sprawl, Scottsdale

Thanks to The Preservation Institute for its work and resource list.