FRUITVILLE 210
COMMUNITY ALLIANCE
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F210 NEWS & Articles
Benderson housing project coming
- By DOUG SWORD
There is little doubt about the demand for high-end retail stores in this increasingly rich region. But Benderson Development's plan to build 1,750 new homes next to a new mall seems a bit riskier. A glut of housing has other builders scaling back,
and the number of building permits has plummet
-ed across Southwest Florida.
...Benderson's University Town Center won county approval Tuesday. Plans call for 1.7 million square feet of retail space, creating a mall about 70 percent bigger than Sarasota Square Mall. There will be office buildings, parks, an internal trolley system, hotels, a movie theater, outdoor dining until 3 a.m. and the 1,750 homes, all in one place. Read more . . .
University Town Center, others seek Lakewood Ranch's wealthy shoppers
- By FRANK GLUCK Read more . . .
Sarasota County OKs mega-mall
- By DOUG SWORD
High-end stores in region's biggest mall should open in 2009. Read more . . .
CONA - The Sarasota County
Council of Neighborhood Associations
CONA
'05 Traffic Accident Report:
Fruitville Rd, N. Cattlemen & Honore Intersections Read the 9 Page Report above
Thanks to Phuoc M. Hoang, P.E. Engineering Section
Supervisor Traffic Engineering/Operations
CURRENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:
All Herald-Tribune Articles on this web site are Copyrighted to: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
All Bradenton Hearld articles are copyrighted to their newspaper: HeraldToday.com
All Tampa Tribune articles on this web site are Copyrighted to: TampaTrib.com
All Sun Media Group articles on this web site are Copyrighted to: Sun-Herald.com
All Pelican Press articles on this web site are Copyrighted to: Pelican Press
www.Fruitville210.org
Please tell your Neighbor - take a
moment & Email
it to them here . . .
University Parkway to expand - Read more . . .
Project near Lakewood Ranch will cause lane closures
By LISA MILLER lisa.miller@heraldtribune.com
EAST MANATEE -- University Parkway's importance to the East Manatee region seems to grow daily.
It's the southern entry into Lakewood Ranch, a burgeoning shopping corridor with a new Super Target, and a key connector to Interstate 75.
All that has led to frequent congestion. But a widening project that kicked off this week will provide more capacity and relief for motorists.
The project will expand University from four to six
lanes, which will take about 18 months and lead
to lane closures along the way.
Here's a primer on the project, and a commuter
cutoff that will serve as a short cut. > > > > > > >
Project particulars:
WHERE: From roughly I-75 to Lakewood Ranch Blvd
WHEN: Now under way, through summer 2008.
UNTIL THEN: At times, University will be down to
one lane in each direction; SMR says all four lanes
will be open at least 90 percent of the time.
Regulators could crack down on watering scofflaws if rain doesn't come
By DOUG SWORD & TONI WHITE
WATER RESTRICTIONS from Jan. 16 – July 31, 2007 Read more . . .
Sarasota County residents must follow Swiftmud irrigation hours:
Properties under two acres in size may water only before 8am or after 6pm
Properties two acres or larger may water only before 10am or after 4pm
For more information on these restrictions, contact the Sarasota County
Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for Utilities customer service.
SWIFT MUD - Southwest Florida Water Management Read more . . .
PEACE RIVER water supply - dry months - Sun-Herald.com Read more . . .
EXIT 210
2. Measure ensures Sarasota county control if joint pact is voided
* Slow-growth advocate solicits downtown homeowners' support for March 13
referendum, two other petition drives. By JOHN HAUGHEY Staff Writer
ENGLEWOOD --
Considering the cautionary tale of two cities -- North Port and Venice -- it is a far, far better thing to rely on a Sarasota County charter amendment than to trust solely in the recently adopted tri-lateral planning pact.
After all, says Bill Zoller of Sarasota Citizens for Sensible Growth, agreements can be broken -- and frequently are.
"The fact is, a joint planning agreement is just like any other agreement: It is open to (court) challenges," he said.
Zoller said the agreements by Sarasota County, North Port and Venice could also be diluted by a state Legislature that "has a tendency to meddle in county things."
However, he said, if voters approve a March 13 referendum proposing a charter amendment that gives planning authority to the county on recently annexed lands, changes or challenges to the agreement are moot.
"Because Sarasota County is a charter county, if we amend our own charter, the Legislature cannot mess with that," Zoller said, noting if the pact is "voided," the county is automatically "in total control."
The Referendum PASSED on March 13, 2007 and here is why it did . . .
1. Let's cool the overheated growth in South County - read Pelican Press
Sarasota County impact fees rise
Sarasota Herald-Tribune By PATRICK WHITTLE
County commissioners approve a 72 percent hike over 12 months.
SARASOTA COUNTY -- The cost of building a 2,000-square-foot home in Sarasota County will increase by almost $5,000 in June.
The fees, which are one-time taxes designed to help pay for growth, will grow to $15,586 on June 18 and again to $18,324 in June 2008.
Builders and developers have for months criticized the county's Read more HERE . . .
Did this Road Sign have Gang graffiti?
Look at the back of the signs on Richardson
report graffiti . . . Read more HERE
Honore residents can't stop the traffic
Experts: Summer rains won't cure shortage. By TONI WHITT toni.whitt@heraldtribune.com
Out at the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, 17 feet
of sandy reservoir banks rise above the small pool of drinking water meant to
supply a four-county region. Read more . . .
Recources / Newsletter
Sarasota County will use "Eminent Domain"
to claim SOTC property for Benderson
project . . . Read WWSB 7 Article
See their MAP for their property location
faster to type in!
Helping traffic get AROUND . . .
Roundabouts have skeptics, but planners
say: Give them a chance (photos)
Make sure you get a
Window Decal Oval
$1.00 donation
Stop by John's shop:
5373 Fruitville Road
Sarasota Crossings Shopping Center
Back lettering:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that
ever has. - Margaret Mead
F210 T-Shirt
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$12 XXL
VENICE 11/07/07 Wal-Mart site plan denied
by Greg Giles - News Editor venicegondolier.com
The Renaissance project on 75 acres off Laurel Road
received good news and bad news Tuesday.
The Venice Planning Commission OK'd phase 1A of
the four-phase project. Phase 1A calls for a four-story
hotel and retail space on the western 15 acres along
Knights Trail Road.
Technically the commission decision allows develop
-ment to proceed. Whether that happens, however,
could depend on approval of the Super Wal-Mart
planned for phase 1B of the project.
The planning commission sent the Wal-Mart site
plan back to the drawing board, denying the plan
unanimously.
Sarasota County turns up the tap on water use violations
In response to worsening drought conditions, Sarasota County is enacting new measures it hopes will close the flood gates on the county's heaviest water users. Beginning immediately, citizens have three new ways to report water violations. In addition, the county will begin posting the names of the top water users on its Web site.
Consider it "tough love," said Sarasota County Utilities Manager Tony Gipe, who acknowledges that as funds for traditional enforcement dry up, local governments are adopting more fluid methods to encourage water conservation.
Currently, citizens can report water violations by phone to the Sarasota County Call Center at 861-5000. Now, they can also contact Sarasota County Utilities Customer Service at 941-861-6790 and press 3 to immediately report a watering violation.
They can also e-mail violations to utilitybill@scgov.net.
Charter majority rule passes its first test
For all the controversy Sarasota County's supermajority charter amendment aroused during the election, its first application on
Dec. 19 came and went with barely a ripple.
The county commissioners did not realize until after their vote that they
invoked the new rule, which requires a 4-1 majority when a change to the comprehensive growth plan would increase intensity or density. A small comp plan amendment would have shifted 1.66 acres north of Palmer Boulevard and east of Honore Avenue from medium density residential to neighborhood commercial center.
A market study indicated the neighborhood needs more businesses.
The property fronts two busy streets with another business district
within sight. No neighbors objected. And the commissioners have encouraged the applicants, four families in the area, as they slugged their way through a nearly three-year process. Read article HERE
-by Eric Ernst Columnist for the Sarasota Herald Tribune
New Proposal is the best medicine - Opion Page 3-23-08
CSG (Cistizens for Sensible Growth) believes the best overall solution is
to let the people decide by adding language to the consensus amendment stating that, should it pass, it will supersede subsequent amendments which do not expressly repeal it. If the consensus amendment is not approved by the voters in May, CSG's USB amendment would be placed
on a later scheduled election ballot.
Should the County Commission fail to place the consensus amendment on the May ballot, a host of cooperative efforts agreed to in principle between CSG and responsible business groups will not go forward. Our community needs such efforts to continue. Civic, environmental, and business groups must work together to resolve future shared concerns.
3-12-08 -
BCC Hearing
on Honore Ave
& Palmer Blvd
intersection
Get involved with
this issue. That
corner is dangerous
NOW.
The County should
buy that land &
correct that entire
intersection. Pay
the owners fair
market value - it's
what you would
want for your land!
Then FIX that inter-
section so children
can be safe on their
bikes and neighbors
can walk across the
street!
read this article > >
Unanimous-vote choice compromise has more flexibility, negotiators say by Doug Sword Page 11A Sunday 3-23-08
...One of the negotiators, developer Henry Rodriguez admits that many in the business community are "baffled" about what they will get out of this agreement, which on the surface appears to be a surrender to the slow-growth camp.
..."At the end of the day what we ended up getting was the knowledge that in the event some very important situation comes up...we will be able as a community to be competitive" he said.
Also important to business leaders is that Citizens for Sensible Growth, which had planned more initiatives to further curtail development, has agreed to halt its petition drives for the next six years. Both sides agree that the
kind of divisive campaign seen last fall over the supermajority amendment can cause hard feelings and rifts among citizens.
That part of the agreement is there "to give the community time to heal," Rodriguez said.
Slow-growth movement in Sarasota by Doug Sword Page 11A 3-23-08
Sarasota County residents have become increasingly intolerant to what many see as runaway growth -- so much so that the county is now considered one of the toughest places to build in the state. Here is a look at some key moments in the slow-growth movement here.
Sept. 5, 2006 -- Candidate Joe Barbetta, a proponent of slow growth, is narrowly elected to the Sarasota County Commission.
March 13, 2007 -- About 70 percent of voters approve a measure giving final say to the County Commission on development of land annexed by North Port and Venice.
March 13, 2007 and April 10, 2007 -- In an election and a runoff that turned on the growth issue, Sarasota voters replaced two city commissioners criticized as being pro-growth.
Nov. 6, 2007 -- More than 60 percent of voters approve a measure requiring that four out of five county commissioners approve bigger projects than allowed in the county's land use plan. The same day Venice voters oust three incumbents tagged as being pro-growth.
May 6, 2008 -- County schedules this date for a measure requiring a unanimous vote by commissioners to allow more growth out east.
Sarasota County's populace to double
Projection of substantial growth by the year 2040
by Doug Sword Sarasota Herald Tribune
Published Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
SARASOTA — Forget the housing crunch; Sarasota County's population will still double by 2040, according to a national growth expert.
The county's population will grow to 664,000 by that year, said Arthur Nelson, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. That is double what it was in 2000.
Nelson dismissed arguments that Florida has become unattractive to retirees and that its taxes are too high.
Similar arguments were made in the 1980s and the early 1990s about Florida, preceding housing booms in the state, he said.
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This page was last updated: June 11, 2008
Scaled-back Palmer Place gets OK Sarasota Herald-Tribune
STAFF REPORT Published Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 6:36 a.m. Last updated Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 9:33 a.m.
SARASOTA COUNTY — The 600-home Palmer Place development east of Interstate 75 narrowly won approval Wednesday following a nearly yearlong fight between neighborhood groups and the builder over the project's size.
Once thought to be the biggest affordable housing project in Florida, Palmer Place originally was proposed as a 1,488-home development with half of the homes, or 744, priced to be affordable to families who made no more than
20 percent above the typical income in Sarasota County.
Neighborhood groups along Bee Ridge Road complained about traffic impact to the area that would be caused by the town-sized development at the end
of Palmer Boulevard, about two miles east of the interstate.
In previous meetings, commissioners asked the developer to address traffic concerns by making road improvements in the semi-rural area, extending
Iona Road around the north end of the property so it could possibly be extended to Fruitville Road, and adding bike lanes and sidewalks.
The scaled-back version of the project won approval on a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Paul Mercier, Nora Patterson and Shannon Staub voting
in favor, and Commissioners Joe Barbetta and Jon Thaxton voting against.
Last modified: May 29, 2008 9:33am
SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSION contact info HERE
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Announcing the 2nd ANNUAL F210 PICNIC
November 8th 11am - 2pm
on the grounds of the
~ KIDS Games
~ Live Music
~ Oak Trees for Shade
5614 Richardson Road
~ Hamburgers & Hot Dogs
~ Cake Walk - win a cake
~ Meet your Neighbors
. . . more to come
