Fantasy Island – our Sarasota 2050 wish list

The developers in Sarasota have had their say; now it’s our turn.

On May 8, the Sarasota County Commission will consider changing the county’s long-range land use plans called Sarasota 2050. These changes are controversial because a hard-fought, expensive planning process is being cracked open as the result of not-so-open meetings with landowners and developers.

We here at This Week In Sarasota support rigorous, broad-based, aspirational, data-driven planning. For the same reasons families revisit their own financial portfolios, counties and cities need to do the same. We also believe that long-range planning is a special kind of public process, so this small effort to “fix” something absent rigorous process and data has made us less than happy.

We kind of think we know where this is going. But that should not stop a lazy afternoon of pondering the "what-ifs:"

Fantasy #1 -- The commissioners give a lecture to the landowners on property rights and how zoning works. This lecture would go like this: “You want to build lots of houses---don’t buy a cow pasture.” The thing is, 2050 allows these cow pasture owners to get way more than the regular zoning. In return, the public gets lots of benefits such as large areas of filtering open space for clean water.

Fantasy #2 -- The commissioners give impassioned speeches on redevelopment. Here’s the thing: Sarasota has an urban service boundary along I-75 (more or less). This is a big (and smart) deal. However, the only thing anybody pays attention to is development outside the urban service boundary. The difficult conversation is redevelopment within the boundary and what 2050 should be about---not more sprawl. Opening up more land rights outside the boundary dilutes the attention needed in town to make redevelopment work. People who live in the city and want to see activity downtown should be all over this.

Fantasy #3 -- The commission points out the “market” arguments are a bunch of hooey. The landowners state that 2050’s new urbanism has to go because it hasn't worked. The big problem for these folks is they only know how to build one thing: quick turnaround sprawl housing and strip malls. Fact is, Sarasota is desirable and they could sell the rural ranchettes that their zoning dictates, they could sell new urbanist communities and they could sell sprawl. 2050 is not about them---it’s about us, since taxpayers eventually foot the bill on services, repairs and secondary impacts that never make the impact fee list.

Fantasy #4 -- The commissioners FINALLY break out the fiscal models that show the landowners are asking for the worst of all land development. The owners want to basically build lots of separate pods because that is what they know how to build. But there is a ton of great work going on by Strong Town’s Charles Marohn showing this type development is a Ponzi scheme. 2050 actually clusters development to shrink a good chunk of taxpayers’ long-term burden.

Fantasy #5 -- The commissioners don’t approve any changes at all, but instead ask staff to come back with an outline of what a great planning update would look like within 90 days.

Fantasy #6 -- The commissioners ask that the City be included in this new planning process.

Fantasy #7 -- The commissioners ask for the type of public outreach that makes headlines. Portland, Oregon did something remarkable. Instead of sending staff to obscure meeting places around the city, Portland basically set up a grant system to have non-profits do the outreach work and funnel back feedback. It was cheaper, it got more people involved, it helped the non-profits and gave people something to get excited about: the future.

Fantasy #8 -- Somebody finally says it: “What don’t we get about LONG term planning?” In Florida the words “planning” and “deal-making” get confused. Making deals is about getting to a quick yes, but long-range planning is about a lot of “no.” Because in the near-term “no” to lackluster proposals, you let the world know you are in the market for an awesome “yes.”

Here is the email for the Sarasota County Commission to let them know what you're fantasizing about---in the subject line, put "2050:" [email protected]