Thursday, February 5, 2015

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 

1 comment:

  1. County Admin Harmer's editorial on this - http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150204/COLUMNIST/302049996/2080/OPINION

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