The villages are coming — at last.
Delayed by nearly 15 years of political and legal battles, efforts to get the design and building regulations in working order and an economic recession, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch — developers of the 48-square-mile Lakewood Ranch — broke ground Tuesday on its long-anticipated villages development.
Waterside, formerly called the Villages of Lakewood Ranch South, becomes SMR's first residential development in Sarasota County. Tucked on 5,490 acres southeast of the University Parkway and Interstate 75 interchange . . . MORE
In the context of today's tale of the first sighting of the Villages of Lakewood Ranch, one might do well to remember this exchange from 5 years ago:
Dan Lobeck's email and Rex Jensen's response
Published: Friday, November 4, 2011 at 8:23 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 4, 2011 at 8:23 p.m.
From: Dan Lobeck [mailto:dlobeck@lobeckhanson.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 12:11 PM
Subject: [SarasotaVoices] Selling Out Cheap To Developers and Shorting the Environment
There is a second issue to come to the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners this afternoon which is of enormous importance.
Again, there is no public hearing but comments may be made under Open To The Public.
The BCC is being asked by staff to sell “development rights” on County land to developers at rock-bottom prices, significantly below their actual value. They would then be used by developers to build intense urban developments east of I-75 under the Sarasota County 2050 Plan.
The worst thing about this is if developers can buy those rights cheaply from the County they will have no incentive to transfer them from Greenways, which is the other way they can develop under the Sarasota 2050 Plan. This preservation of Greenways was one of the big selling points when the County sought public support for the Sarasota 2050 Plan.
The staff proposal is to set the price of a development right per unit to 2.5% of the price of an affordable housing unit, that is one which is very cheaply priced.
The County’s consultant admitted in his report that this came from the recommendation of “one particularly successful Sarasota and Manatee County developer,” which is likely to be Rex Jensen of Schroder-Manatee or Pat Neal.
Once again, we have a case of the developers determining development policy, shorting the taxpayer and the environment in the process.
The consultant’s report at one point discusses charging 5% of the actual sales price of each unit but then cuts that in half as a “discount” to make it cheaper for developers. The report also discusses basing the charge on actual market prices but staff has cut the price further by basing it on affordable housing.
The consultant also provided the option of basing the price on the County’s cost of acquiring the land, which for the Walton Tract would be a higher price of $6,615 per unit. That could be even more, the consultant reported if ten years of maintenance cost was added.
The County Commission should not adopt staff’s recommendation but should either set the higher price based on the County’s acquisition cost or send the matter back for further study.
-- Dan Lobeck
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From: Rex Jensen [mailto:rex.jensen@smrranch.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 12:36 PM
The next time you take my name in vain and in error, be prepared for a series of very bad days you walking manure pile.
Sent from my Blackberry. Please excuse brevity, abbreviations & misspellings.
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| Lakewood Ranch's Rex Jensen |
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