East Palmer Road Traffic Stats

Coburn/Apex	NB	Fruitville to Palmer	3079
Coburn/Apex	SB	Fruitville to Palmer	3061

Palmer Blvd	EB	Packinghouse to Porter	8975
Palmer Blvd	WB	Packinghouse to Porter	8004

Source

Public Land Use: Higher Burden of Proof

Letter to the Sarasota County Planning Commission:

Date: May 19, 2017

To: Planning Board Commission, County Administrator Harmer

From: Adrien Lucas

Re: Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility

Hello,

I am writing to you today in consideration of the upcoming Planning Commission meeting scheduled for June 1, where Mr. Medred will present a Rezone and Special Exception petition request for his client Mr. Gabbert for his proposed Waste Transfer/Recycling facility.

I have been immersed in County documents trying to learn how we got here and how is it that County Administrator Harmer made the determination to sell the county surplus “Quad” properties adjacent to the Celery Fields.  I will explain why I continue to be perplexed.

With all due respect and in consideration of how many documents are related to these properties I can understand how Mr. Harmer,  Planning Board members and the County Commissioners’ have a task that is almost impossible to stay on top of. However, it has become clear that the Planning Board and County Commissioners’ have been depending on and putting their trust in Sarasota Planning Staff and land use agents such as Mr. Medred. Both boards appear to not be vetting projects and performing true due diligence on projects related to development.  And I understand, because, I reiterate, the amount of papers and reading materials are abundant.  

However, the trust given to land use agents such as Mr. Medred has put our county in a predicament that should not have occurred with any of the county owned lands surrounding the Celery Fields. Beginning with the county surplus land sold to Randy Benderson for his failed trucking distribution facility adjacent to the North side of the Celery Field nor the four acres that were sold to Mr. Gabbert in 2015.  Neither of these properties owned by the county should have ever been sold.  I will explain below and I hope you all take the time to read this letter, however, if you choose not to read this, at least the content will be in public records for future use.

Had Mr. Harmer taken the time to read any of the reports provided by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), I’d like to believe that Mr. Harmer would have refrained from putting us in the situation that now exists. County stakeholders, such as myself, and hundreds, if not, thousands of county stakeholders repand tourists who visit Sarasota strictly for its incredible eco-tourism opportunities are disgusted by what is turning out to be one of the largest eco-blunders, tourist-blunders and neighborhood-blunders that the county has gotten itself into by relying on people such as Mr. Medred, who (I must admit) is talented at manipulating and distorting Sarasota’s Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Designations and Zoning Codes.

Reports from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin begin in 2011 and are necessary to comply with annual monitoring requirements from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) related to ACOE Permit SAJ-1994-04745 for the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility.  I am not sure if the requirements by the ACOE have all been met, I have a request to Sarasota Public Records for numerous documents in relation to this permit. I recommend that you all peruse the VHB reports. These reports may assist you in arriving to the correct determination that the Celery Fields Stormwater Facility is a fragile eco-system set-up to deal with the burdens that it was built for, not additional burdens that resemble “heavy industry” as Mr. Medred tries with his fableist reporting.

There are many reports from VHB on the Celery Fields, I am awaiting information on all of the costs associated with these reports. However, I can share, the latest report from VHB, dated September 16, 2016 cost Sarasota County $20,125; this report appears to be the thinnest, other reports from past years are voluminous. A cautious estimate of $20K per report from 2011 - 2016 is approximately $120K and I believe I am lowballing the cost estimates associated with the these reports.

County stakeholders again pay for consulting fees for reports that are never used as valuable resource material by county staff.  Why?  Because you are depending on Mr. Medred to dictate the future of the county and you are trusting him to be truthful in his presentations for the clients he represents.  When, in fact, the “Medred’s” and his ilk are providing misleading facts in their narratives that they submit for their clients.

Which leads me to the latest Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility Integrated Management Plan dated September 16, 2016, prepared for the Sarasota County Government Public Utilities Stormwater Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources by consulting firm VHB (Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.)

Source: Click HERE, remember this report cost the county $20,125.00.

Page 18 of 28, Challenges and Opportunities, Improving the Facility to Accommodate Users and More Wildlife:

Potential future improvements could include additional parking and a designated school bus drop-off point that does not affect other uses of the CFRSF and Audubon Nature Center.

My Suggestion: what about that Quad Property that almost went to Restaurant Depot?  It’s a win-win location, next to the future firehouse.  Talk about children being safe!  What criminal in their right mind would attempt anything nefarious with a firehouse next to that parcel?  Hey, if Bo Medred can present stretches of scenarios of “what ifs” for his clients, all is fair in imagination.

Page 19 of 28, Expanding Environmental Education Opportunities:

There also exists potential challenges to maximizing public use for recreation and environmental education. As the site’s popularity and diversity of public uses continue to increase, it will be important to manage the conflicts for different human users by both location and time. This will be critical to maintaining the facilities and natural areas in a desirable condition for humans and wildlife, and managing the conflicts between human uses.

My Opinion: Indeed.  It is “Critical” that we get this right for everyone.  The site’s “popularity” will not continue to grow with a dump in viewing distance of “Celery Mountain.” Wildlife will not thrive with the introduction of a dump and more trucking/vehicle obstacles to dodge. Stakeholders who live in the Celery Field area, stakeholders who live on or near the Phillippi Creek, stakeholders who live on or near Robert’s Bay, stakeholders who live on or near the Gulf of Mexico, stakeholders who work in the Sarasota County tourism industry, the children of Sarasota County who go to Tatum Ridge School and children who are fortunate to have educational eco-experiences at the Celery Field, local business stakeholders within the Celery Field neighborhood.  It is critical that our county follow Sarasota’s Zoning Mission Statement: Zoning’s Fundamental Purpose is to Protect a Community’s Health, Safety and Welfare.

And finally, the super-sized pièce de résistance.

Page 19, of 28, Coordinating with Other Adjacent Land Uses to Maximize Facility Benefits.

Future opportunities exist to improve the CFRSF through a complete integration with future development and infrastructure improvements in adjacent private properties and County-owned and managed parcels.

One such opportunity, called the Fruitville Initiative, exists just to the north of the CFRSF and is currently being evaluated, planned, and designed. The Fruitville Initiative is a public-private partnership to develop a coordinated plan for the development of lands north and south of Fruitville Road and immediately east of Interstate 75. The intent of the Initiative is for the County to encourage a preferred development outcome for six properties within the boundaries of a Special Planning Area in the Future Land Use Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.

Other activities that directly improve the CFRSF could also be implemented to the mutual benefit of adjacent land uses and CFRSF functions. The effects of future infrastructure improvements should consider the importance of essential functions and other benefits of the facility and will include other CFRSF stakeholders for review and comment.

My Opinion: It appears the county’s costly investment in developing the Fruitville Initiative is dead, is this true? This report is encouraging integration of the county-owned parcels a.k.a. The “Quad” properties. Will you include other CFRSF stakeholders in these discussions or is this only a subject that Mr. Medred gets to speak to?

I watched the past April 20, 2017 Planning Commission meeting and it was with hope during “Commission Reports, Item No. 5 (Click here to View) to witness all of you discuss that the commission needs to stop trying to resolve applicant issues and that applicants need to thoroughly vet their applications before they get to the Planning Commission meetings.  

Of course the county needs to review development applications, but the burden of proof should have a higher threshold for land use agents, considering how many special exceptions and zoning changes Mr. Medred appears to be pushing through effortlessly.  This may help alleviate the burden placed upon county staff of what only appears as accommodating the applicant in hopes of satisfying Mr. Harmer’s encouragement of selling county property.  

When viewing past Planning Commission meetings and BOCC meetings (and trust me, I have watched hours of these meetings), there is an appearance of county staff, land use agents and county attorneys as all working under one roof and they don’t.  We, your constituents are the true stakeholders of the Celery Field Stormwater Facility and the Quad properties, not Mr. Medred, not Attorney Bailey.  And Mr. Gabbert is only one stakeholder of four acres adjacent to the C.F. due to no one in the county reading any of the expensive reports we spend a lot of money on.  

Had county staff had the time to read the read these fine reports from VHB, perhaps, just maybe, we wouldn’t be where are today.

I respectfully ask all of you to just Google “Celery Fields” and other keywords related to CF, there is a wealth of supporting empirical evidence that discounts any of Bo Medred’s claims for his client Mr. Gabbert.

We, the people of Sarasota County, are stakeholders too.  We ask that the Planning Commission study Mr. Medred’s request carefully for his client, Mr. Gabbert.  We put our trust in you to make the best decision for all of the people in Sarasota, not just for the Medreds of the county.

Respectfully,

Adrien Lucas

The word is out

On Thursday, June 1, Sarasota's Planning Commission will hold a hearing  on a proposal to build a 15-acre, unenclosed waste processing plant on public lands very near the Celery Fields Preserve and Bird Sanctuary. For the first time, the body will begin its meeting at 5 p.m.

Planning Commission Meeting on Celery Fields

5 pm (information rally at 4 pm)

County Administration Building, 1st Floor 

1616 Ringling Blvd.

Below is a recent letter to the Commission: (See below if you wish to write a letter or email)

Commissioners:

The word is out that a developer wants to build a concrete crushing facility on Palmer just a few blocks from our precious Celery Fields bird sanctuary and wildlife preserve.

On June 1, the Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on zoning change which would pave the way for this travesty to be built. 

However, there are a few problems.

Cement crushing produces large amounts of cement dust which we believe will not be controlled. With 35 ft. or higher piles of it, and prevailing winds up to 25 miles per hour or more, this dust (which can cause silicosis, lung cancer, and COPD) could easily be blown into Celery Fields and communities beyond. Cement crushing machines, backhoes and large loaders will be creating horrific noise which will exceed the maximum levels allowed by the Sarasota County Noise Ordinance. In addition, the dust and noise will have major negative impacts on the birds and wildlife of the area.

This proposed heavy industrial use is completely incompatible with the longtime use of Celery Fields as a beautiful and immensely popular Sarasota site for bird watching and outdoor recreation.

We are asking concerned citizens and nature lovers to come to the Planning Commission before 5pm, put in a speakers card and make your voice heard in opposition to the approval of the zoning change and of this terrible proposal.

Jami Caseber, Environmental Information Coordinator - Palmer East Group

• Former Director - Citizens Opposing a Polluted Environment (COPE) 
• Former Chair of the Berkeley Community Advisory Commission (CEAC)
• Recipient of Clean Air Champions Award from the San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District for Work on Air Pollution
• Co-author, Berkeley Hazardous Waste Importation Regulation Act
• Organizer of campaign that halted the siting of hazardous waste incinerators in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Recipient, Special Award from the American Lung Association for work on Air Pollution
• Certificate of Distinguished Contribution to the City and its Citizens, Berkeley, CA

===

This letter was published in the Herald Tribune on May 17, 2017.

If you wish to write to the Commission, the names and email addresses of the 9 members and school board rep are below. To see former hearings, go to this page and look for the date or agenda of the meeting you are interested in. (The Oct. 20, 2016 meeting is here).

Sarasota Planning Commission

Laura.Benson@sarasotaadvisory.net

Jack.Bispham@sarasotaadvisory.net
Kevin.Cooper@sarasotaadvisory.net
Ron.Cutsinger@sarasotaadvisory.net
Mark.Hawkins@sarasotaadvisory.net
Robert.Morris@sarasotaadvisory.net
Joseph.Neunder@sarasotaadvisory.net
Colin.Pember@sarasotaadvisory.net
Andrew.Stultz@sarasotaadvisory.net
Kathie.Ebaugh@sarasotaadvisory.net 

   (Ebaugh is non-voting School Board rep)

June 1st: Save our Celery Fields

Sarasota residents ask concerned citizens to come downtown on June 1 for a brief gathering prior to a hearing on a controversial plan to build and operate a large unenclosed industrial Waste Processing facility on public lands adjacent to the Celery Fields.

WHAT: On Thursday, June 1, the proposal to put an unenclosed, 15-acre industrial waste plant on public lands near the Celery Fields comes before the Planning Commission. Area residents, clean businesses, environmentalists and everyone concerned that County planning has lost sight of the public interest will gather for a brief update before the 5 pm hearing at the County Administration Building. Many will attend the hearing to monitor the proceeding.

WHEN & WHERE:  Thursday, June 1, 2017 @ 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 34236.

• 4 pm: Gathering in front of the Administration Building on the Ringling Blvd sidewalk.
• 5 pm: Planning Commission hearing in the Commission Chambers.

PARKING: Behind the County Administration Building at 1660 Ringling Boulevard.

WHO: A broad-based nonpartisan group of Sarasota taxpayers including Neighborhood Associations, business owners, environmental organizations and citizens who recognize the value of the Celery Fields as a regional stormwater system, tourist destination, bird sanctuary, and recreation area. Is the County practicing rational planning that fairly balances private enterprise with the public interest as our Comprehensive Plan requires? Folks will be on hand to offer updates and answer questions beginning at 4 pm.

WHY:  Industrial development for the public lands adjacent to Our Celery Fields is neither compatible with the natural setting nor with common sense in light of 25 years of growth trends in the area -- the Fruitville Initiative, many new neighborhoods, light clean businesses and the growing commercial Packinghouse District.

Approval of this industrial waste site would FAIL the County's mission statement:

"Protect a Community's Health, Safety and Welfare."

Public Participation in the Siting Process

Does Sarasota County make planning decisions rationally? This seems a fair question, given the recent efforts, abetted by some board decisions, to bring industrial zoning, even heavy industry, into close proximity with the Celery Fields.

At a public hearing at the Board of County Commissioners in 2015, the Board was asked to allow a Waste Transfer Station to be built on 4.5 acres at Porter Rd. and East Palmer Blvd.

You can see the relevant part of the hearing by clicking to about the two hour and 5-minute mark (2:05), when Bo Medred begins to present his client's application.

It soon becomes clear that the Commissioners know nothing about waste transfer stations, and there's no shame - it's a specialized industry. But they are the deciders, so they ought to have some prepping. For example, someone might have offered them this pamphlet from the EPA:

Waste Transfer Decision Making Guide (EPA)

Amazingly, our federal government produces documents over the entire range of civic realities, most available for the asking. Does anyone ask?

For future reference, here's a digest of just one part of the pamphlet, selected by an environmentalist working to enlighten a set of deciders who seem to make up their minds based on who they know, rather than what.  It's brief - have a look:

The Siting Process and Public Involvement

The [siting] committee’s main responsibility includes developing criteria to identify and evaluate potential sites. The committee should consist of key individuals who represent various stakeholder interests. These stakeholders might include:

• Community and neighborhood groups.
• Industry and business representatives.
• Civic and public interest groups.
• Environmental organizations.
• Local- and state-elected officials.
• Public officials, such as public works employees and solid waste professionals.
• Academic institutions.

Planning and Siting a Transfer Station 

Maximizing Public Committee Participation
Public committees are often convened to assist with developing public
policy.

To maximize participation, the process should:

• Give committee members a chance to be actively involved.
• Allow the committee to remove the selected facilitator if concerns about objectivity exist.
• Encourage members to discuss relevant concerns and to raise questions or objections freely. Criticisms or challenges should be directed toward the issues; the facilitator should swiftly mitigate personal criticisms.
• Agree on a means to resolve disagreements before they arise.
• Allow members to discuss the results of each meeting with their constituents.
• Provide technical experts to educate participants.
• Distribute literature about upcoming issues before meetings


Informing the Community

When initiating a siting process, education must be extended beyond the siting committee and include a community-wide outreach initiative.

Components of this type of public outreach typically include:

• Special public meetings.
• Interviews with local newspapers for feature stories.
• Interviews with media editorial boards.
• Interviews with broadcast media.
• News conferences, press releases, and press kits.
• Paid advertising.
• Internet sites.
• Informational literature.
• Direct mail with project updates.
• City council/county commission presentations.
• Presentations to civic, environmental, religious, and professional groups.
• Presentations to neighborhood groups.
• Community education programs and workshops.
• Reading files located in public libraries or community centers that document the process.

Beyond community-wide outreach, initiate specific and targeted contact with key members of potential host communities, and identify community specific conditions that need to be considered. Individuals might become proponents of the proposed facility if contacted directly for input, rather than opposing it based on misleading secondhand information.

========

It seems fair that if the siting of waste transfer stations would benefit from public education and some in-depth understanding by those making decisions, even more so it would seem mere good sense to do some diligent homework, and public outreach, when it comes to thinking about where to put waste processing facilities.

Planning Commission to hear Waste Plant near Celery Fields June 1

A Planning Commission Public Hearing on the proposal to build a 15-acre construction/demolition waste processing plant at the SW corner of Apex Rd. and East Palmer Blvd., right by the Celery Fields, and just south of the Fruitville Initiative, is set for 5 pm Thursday, June 1, at the County Administration Building, first floor Commission Meeting Room, 1616 Ringling Blvd. 

Bo Medred, left and James Gabbert 

The land is Public Land, and has never been zoned or used for heavy industry. That hasn't stopped Bo Medred from claiming that his proposal is consistent with historic industrial use in the area. This is pure fiction. Fake news. Fake planning. Fake Commission? 

A letter regarding the upcoming hearing is below. It refers to this hearing, Oct. 20, at which Mr. Medred claimed that unenclosed waste processing is now so clean and tidy you can have it right in your own back yard. 

Bo Medred got his wish -- he persuaded both the Planning Commission and the elected Board who run this county to change the law to allow unenclosed waste processing plants near residences.

~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

To: Planning Commission 

Laura.Benson@sarasotaadvisory.net,

Jack.Bispham@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Kevin.Cooper@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Ron.Cutsinger@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Kathie.Ebaugh@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Mark.Hawkins@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Robert.Morris@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Joseph.Neunder@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Colin.Pember@sarasotaadvisory.net,
Andrew.Stultz@sarasotaadvisory.net

Bcc: Press Outlets 

From: Adrien Lucas

Re: Citizens were hoping the Gabbert Dump proposal / sale pending would have been rescinded.  I am hopeful, with the exception of Mr. Bispham, since he will need to recuse himself from voting on this subject, that you will all take the time to seriously consider the gravity of what Mr. Gabbert's proposed facility will do to our beautiful Sarasota in relation to the Celery Field and the poor people who live in that area.

We are all stakeholders in this mess, we look to you to find another suitable location for Mr. Gabbert and his plans for expanding his recycling empire.

I keep watching the video clip from the October 20, 2016 Planning Commission meeting (Video Link).  

I cut and pasted the minutes from the P.C. meeting and added it to the bottom of this email in the event none of you took the time to read the minutes I referenced from the "Bo-Code" show.  

Bo Medred refers to a recycling dump in Buffalo, NY 

I cannot help but think that perhaps it was Randy Benderson who showed this dump (see pic below) to Mr. Medred.  It reminded me of former County Commissioner, Christine Robinson, who was thrilled to have Mr. Benderson's trucking distribution center next to the Celery Field and had referred to trucking centers she had visited in Buffalo, NY.  Who knew Buffalo was such a mecca for industrial progress such as dumps and trucking centers?  Go figure!?  What a wonderful aspiration for Sarasota, aiming to be the next Buffalo!  

Mr. Medred showed the picture as an example from Buffalo, NY. He shows the houses in the background behind the piles of dirt and claims that this co-existence of homes and industry works!  He also said that the people who live in the Celery Field area should know that they live in an industrial area.  And I quote Bo, "The MEC's primary implementing zoning district has historically been industrially based and we cannot lost the integrity of that and let it get overtaken.  It's just a balancing act."

A dump in Buffalo displayed to the Planning Commission as part of Bo Medred's
presentation of Oct. 20, 2016 where he persuaded the Commission to change County Law
to allow unenclosed waste dumps on 15 acres. Prior to that, such facilities had to
be enclosed and on 35 acres.

We cannot let this area be overtaken?  What in the world is Mr. Medred referring to?  The people who live out there have overtaken the area?  The Celery Field birds have overtaken the area? The locals and tourists who visit the Celery Field have overtaken the area? The Celery Field Stormwater Retention Facility has overtaken the area?  

Please look at the picture Mr. Medred has provided.  Any reasonable person can see that dusty debris from a facility like this is going to JAM UP the integrity of filtrating sediments; filtration of sediment is a very important function of the Celery Field Stormwater Facility.  A facility that the county has spent at least $30 million on.  Why would the county throw an investment that is earning its keep, more so than Benderson's slush fund water park, more so than baseball parks, more so than Tube Dube or Sandborn, shall I go on?  This is crazy.

Mr. Medred also states that by building Mr. Gabbert's dump in the Celery Field area that "it will reduce trips" for people who want to drop off construction debris.  

This dump will reduce trips?

This dump will reduce trips by people who live off or near Palmer Boulevard because they won't want to get stuck in the truck traffic produced by this dump.

This dump will reduce trips by people like me who go to the Celery Field to work out or to go birding because I do not want to get stuck in the truck traffic produced by this dump.

This dump will reduce trips by people like me who shop at Detwiler's Market because I do not want to get stuck in the truck traffic produced by this dump.

This dump will reduce trips by eco-tourists who do not want to get stuck in the truck traffic produced by this dump.

OR, this dump will reduce trips for Mr. Gabbert's planned housing development in the future?  What a financial coup, perhaps, for Mr. Gabbert.  Set up a dump, he gets to unload his construction debris, tree stumps, etc., for free, use the dump for a while and then sell it at a massive profit. I wish I were as ambitious and smart as Mr. Gabbert, he picked a great biz to be in.  And we can all agree, these facilities need to exist. But not next to the Celery Field.  And not 

I visited the National Glacier Park in November. I remember feeling so excited just by the old time park sign and the beauty of the area, and that was before I even got into the park.  What a visual splendor Gabbert's dump with equipment or piles of crap peeking over his concrete fence will be for all to see as they try to navigate their way home or to the Celery Field.  What a visual splendor Gabbert's Dump will be when tourists view it from Celery Mountain, never to return again because of the horrific view from that beautiful vista.  What a significant loss of repeat tourism due to the jammed up traffic, nothing like sitting behind a diesel truck in your rented convertible on vacation.  

Minutes below:

October 20, 2016 MINUTES Page 4 SARASOTA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

4. ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT (ZOA) Public hearing to consider proposed ZOA No. 119, a publicly-initiated Amendment, amending Ordinance No. 2003-052, as amended and codified in Appendix A of the County Code, to amend Section 5.3.5 to allow recycling facilities for Types B, C, and D fill in the IR (Industrial and Research) and the ILW (Industrial, Light Manufacturing, and Warehousing) zone districts. Mr. Bispham noted a conflict of interest and filed the appropriate documentation. Staff Presenters: Planning and Development Services Zoning Administrator Donna Thompson and Deputy County Attorney Alan Roddy Public Presenters: Robert Medred, James Gabbert, and Brian Lichterman Item submitted: Form 8B - Memorandum of Voting Conflict for County, Municipal, and Other Local Public Officers filed by Mr. Bispham Discussions were held on the following topics/issues: - 1,000 foot setback/residentially zoned properties versus residences in the ILW zoning/setbacks - recycling facilities/zoning classification/zoning language revisions/stipulations - previous two recycling facilities - Open Use, Estate (OUE) and Open Use, Agricultural (OUA) zone districts/Major Employment Centers (MEC)/Urban Service Boundary - the previously approved Recycling Facility on Palmer Boulevard. 

 4. ZOA - (Continued) Discussions continued on the following topics/issues: - operational/machinery noise concerns at the proposed property - size/space/setbacks from residential areas - setbacks/possible elimination from residential properties - possibly adding language regarding the setbacks in the Urban Service Boundary. 9:21 p.m.Commission Action: Closed the public hearing. Closed by Ask, without objection. 9:23 p.m. Commission Action: Recommended approval to modify language in proposed ZOA No. 119 under Section 2, subsection 5.3.5.b. 2. iii, as follows (additions shown as underlined text): "Recycling of Type B, C and Recyclable D fill is not allowed, unless the parcel is (1) larger than 15 acres, excluding wetlands, watercourses, and waterbodies, (2) zoned IR or ILW, (3) within a designated Major Employment center (MEC), within the Urban Service Boundary and (4) at least 1,000 feet from any residentially zoned properties." Moved by Stultz, seconded by Cutsinger, carried by a 6-0 vote; Bispham abstained. 9:23 p.m. Commission Action: Authorized transmittal of proposed ZOA No. 119, as amended, to the Board of County Commissioners with a recommendation for approval. Moved by Stultz, seconded by Cutsinger, carried by a 6-0 vote; Bispham abstained. Note: Oath/Signature Cards Filed for Record. Note: Chair Ask passed the gavel to Vice Chair Bispham and left the dais at 9:24 p.m

Yep, it's "Bo-Code" all the way.  Please do not do this, please do not grant Gabbert his dump.  This story line really has all the trappings of a "done deal" from the first four acres.  The County needs to recognize that yes, we need facilities such as the one Mr. Gabbert is trying to develop but please don't shove ten pounds of crap into a one pound sack. The ZOA Mr. Medred shoved through in making "mini-dump acreage" available for this site is wrong, any research on your parts, as true Planning Commissioners, will demonstrate that smaller is not better for facilities like this and this sentiment is recognized across the nation as a standard.

We expect you all to adhere to Sarasota's Zoning Mission Statement: Zoning's fundamental purpose is to protect a community's health, safety and welfare.  

Respectfully,

Adrien Lucas

  ~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way . . . 

Which side of this Rezoning and Special Exception is Bo Medred on? We have seen him always as the agent of James Gabbert. So what is Bo doing here, on the very same Rezoning and Special Exception in which Gabbert seeks approval from the Planning Commission for his waste processing facility?

Is Bo so fluid, so versatile, so quantum that he can serve as the agent and representative both for James Gabbert and Sarasota County at the very same hearing?

Sea Level Rise: Four perspectives at CONA Sarasota

Video of Tim Rumage speaking about sea level and global climate change at CONA:

The entire program can be found here.

Participants at CONA Sarasota's Sea Level Rise meeting of May 8, 2017 included:

Jack Merriam, a natural scientist with extensive governmental experience in water management, currently a director on the boards of the Sarasota Bay Foundation and the Suncoast Waterkeeper, will discuss effects on our community. 

Tim Rumage, co-founder of This Spaceship Earth, co-author of the recent book bearing the same title, and the coordinator and professor of environmental studies at Ringling College of Art and Design, will round out our discussion of local efforts. 

David Shafer, executive director of the Science and Environmental Council, will discuss the recently launched Sarasota-Manatee Climate Council, an independent regional work group that aims to advance understandings of climate change, translate them into projects, planning, and policies that will connect agencies, organizations, and community groups in information sharing, collaboration, and action. 

Lorrie Muldowney, a historic preservation consultant practicing out of Sarasota and a director of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

Lorrie Muldowney at CONA Sarasota

Tim Rumage

Accidents of Influence: How didn't Sarasota County see this coming?

Planning a Trainwreck

Quite the Neighborhood Renaissance JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe, Big Top Brewery, Fly Fitness, Detwiler’s, The Glass Slipper, Buttermilk Handcrafted Food, Celery Fields Audubon Nature Center, Tatum Ridge Elementary, CSI Printers, A Slice of Life Custom Cakes, Stomping Grounds Fitness, Numerous Neighborhood Associations	GJames Gabbert built this construction waste facility at 8001 Fruitville Road, then sold it in 2005 along with others for $35 million.  WCA continues to operate the faciity Gabbert created. More photos taken by folks who have visited the WCA facility can be seen here.

It ain't over till it's over.

Restaurant Depot was a close call -- the developer backed off thanks to a technicality in our County Charter. Up next could be Bo Medred and James Gabbert, who seek approval to build a “construction waste processing facility” next to a Park, a major planned community, and a key stormwater management facility.

With the possible exception of Messers Medred and Gabbert, no one sees how this makes sense.

If their proposal to grind waste at the intersection of Apex Rd. and Palmer Blvd. -- the area known as The Quad -- goes forward, the County Commission will be contemplating a “plan” that will degrade many good things around it. Audubon, nearby business owners and residents are deeply concerned, as are those who love our Celery Fields.

The Quad at Apex and Palmer links the Celery Fields,

Packinghouse District, and Fruitville Initiative

Gabbert’s idea may be wrong-headed, but as one Commissioner recently pointed out, you can’t prohibit someone from asking.

How did we get here?

One must ask why these public lands have been posted for rezoning and sale in the first place. What's to be gained by turning a promising neighborhood intersection into industrial lots that will only burden roads, provide environmental damage, and uglify the area?

The County proposes to rezone three public parcels, including the one sought by Mr. Gabbert, for industrial use. The enabling basis for this is a breathtakingly expansive Surplus Lands Ordinance coupled with an antediluvian “MEC” (Major Employment Center) land use designation dating back to ‘83, when Reagan was in office, and one of the Top 10 Cars was the Renault Alliance.

1983 Renault car of the year

Mr. Gabbert’s project requires a special exception for heavy industry. He’s asking for that too. The potential impact on neighborhoods, businesses, an elementary school, a valued - and delicate - Park and Nature Preserve, and the Fruitville Initiative -- an upscale mixed-use vision that could do more for economic development than a thousand “construction waste facilities” --  is immeasurable.

-- The Celery Fields Conundrum --

How did we get here? More to the point: How do we get out of here? On April 10, CONA examined how a County that pays millions for plans, planners, and consultants is blinded by its own “cadence” of codes.

A panel intimately involved with the area and neighborhood looked at the synergy latent in connecting the Celery Fields, the Fruitville Initiative, and the Packinghouse District -- a connection happens to exist at The Quad. All three sectors harbor big potential -- for our quality of life, and for economic development.

The Fruitville Initiative: An approved plan for a smart, sustainable community mixing rural and walkable urban elements -- shady neighborhoods, cafes, shops, a Riverwalk and Sarasota history museum -- an attractive Gateway to Sarasota County, planned by County/Community collaboration. It's not been marketed - where was the EDC?

The Celery Fields Park, Preserve, Bird Sanctuary: This increasingly popular international Eco-Tourism destination, with wetlands, a large observation mound, and kayakable lakes is perhaps the most beautiful open space in Sarasota County -- a perfect complement to the Fruitville Gateway and a welcoming "front end" to East County.

The Packinghouse District: A burgeoning commercial area a short distance from The Quad via the Palmer Blvd. underpass, home of the Packinghouse Cafe, the Cock & Bull, Detwiler’s market, A Slice of Life Custom Cakes, and several workout joints, including Stomping Ground Fitness.

Sarasota County says it wants to conserve and even restore the natural environment:

Sec. 90-60. - Findings of fact:

(a)

The history of Sarasota County is marked by efforts to preserve the County's important natural and cultural places, and to provide parklands and recreational opportunities.

(b)

It will remain the goal of Sarasota County to conserve, maintain, and where necessary, restore the natural and cultural environment of Sarasota County.

The county has spent millions on its Comprehensive Plan, and pays millions more to consultants, lawyers, and a staff of planners who are supposed to look out for problems -- environmental hazards, overburdened roads, sprawl, incompatibility, economic impacts.

With all these planning tools, and Sarasota County's laudable Zoning Mission Statement:

"ZONING’S FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE IS TO PROTECT A

COMMUNITY’S HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE."

How do the stewards of our lands manage to avoid seeing that industrializing The Quad:

Photo of WCA Waste processing, 8001 Fruitville Rd. Sarasota - built by James Gabbert,
who wants to replicate it at the Celery Fields, only bigger.

Is unlikely to enhance the value, quality and potential of what’s already there:

We used to have a broader vision for Sarasota -
A legacy of basic, thoughtful quality.

This legacy is rapidly becoming "Browardized"
Some are working to bring it back.

Presentations at CONA Sarasota

(Tentative, pending confirmation of date:
A hearing on this application is coming before the Sarasota County Planning Commission on June 1. A gathering of concerned citizens will take place around 4:15 pm at the County Administration Building, 1616 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. The hearing begins at 5 p.m.)

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