New commission strikes distinct tone

The latest configuration of the City Commission has rendered decisive verdicts on proposals that have been in development for years, approving redevelopment plans for The Bay Sarasota, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Bath and Racquet Club.

Some commissioners see November’s election, in which Liz Alpert won a second term, and newcomers Erik Arroyo and Kyle Battie joined the board, as the beginning of a shift at City Hall. In addition to the commission’s legislative actions, the city has hired a new city manager, deputy city manager and police chief.

“The dynamics have certainly changed,” Arroyo said. “It almost feels like a whole new city.”

Mayor Hagen Brody, elected in 2017, said he thinks the board should take pride in what it has accomplished.

“One of the biggest challenges this commission has overcome, I think, is our paralysis to make bold decisions and move forward on issues that would have perplexed prior commissions for months, if not years,” Brody said.

The commission’s approach has drawn a mixed reaction from those who do business with the city. Although Brody said he has received positive feedback from constituents, several projects the commission has approved received vocal opposition from residents near the site in question.

During a March 1 meeting, the commission took steps toward reversing previous decisions on two other high-profile issues: considering construction of a music hall at Payne Park and pursuing renovation of Bobby Jones Golf Club in partnership with a private management company. The next day, Arlington Park resident and former City Commission candidate Rob Grant was critical of the board for moving ahead in a fashion he believed ran contrary to previous community input.

“Despite all the hours of meetings and public input— not to mention staff resources and speaker after speaker last night begging that you maintain previous decisions — you simply ignored all of it and barreled forward,” Grant said.

Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch has cast a series of dissenting votes since November. She was the lone vote against approving the site plans for the Selby Gardens redevelopment and phase one of The Bay park project. She also voted against seeking a private partner for the Bobby Jones renovations and against considering the use of land in Payne Park for a Sarasota Orchestra venue.

Ahearn-Koch said she’s spoken to people in the community who are worried the new commission isn’t listening to the public as closely as previous boards.

“That’s the beauty of our system,” Ahearn-Koch said. “Everybody has a voice — you have a voice, you have a vote. I think when people don’t get to express that voice is when you have the frustration that is destructive.”

Arroyo was dismissive of the notion the new commission is overly favorable to development interests. Discussing the Selby Gardens project, he said approving a plan that would allow the nonprofit to remain at its bayfront home was in the community’s best interest — and that despite some neighborhood opposition, rejecting the plan could have led to a more intense private development in the future.

He said he valued the input and perspective of neighborhood groups but also said they are one voice among many the commission must consider.

“Their voice is not being shut down,” Arroyo said. “They’re equal to everyone else’s voice. We have, I think, a balanced commission now that sees things for what they are.”

Although she’s been a vocal advocate for moving forward with projects including The Bay and the Bath and Racquet Club redevelopment, Alpert said she still doesn’t have a good read on the dynamics of the new commission. Still, she rejected the idea the commission wasn’t deliberating enough before taking action.

“I think the whole premise that we’re doing things really quickly is totally wrong,” Alpert said. “These things that we have voted on are things that have been in the works for years. I don’t know how much more thorough we can get.”

A pair of March 10 advisory board meetings highlighted the divisive reactions the new commission has inspired. During a Planning Board meeting, board members expressed concerns about the actions of Arroyo and Battie, who they alleged were being overly supportive of representatives for The Bay ahead of a public hearing on the group’s site plan application at an earlier meeting.  

“If commissioners are coming in here and high-fiving before we even have discussions, what's the point?” Planning Board member Kathy Kelley Ohlrich said.

Earlier that day, members of the St. Armands Business Improvement District expressed optimism about opportunities for collaborating with the city on a streetscape improvement initiative — which board members indicated might have posed a bigger challenge in the past.

Despite any concerns, a majority of the commission is happy with the tone the board has set early on. 

“We have a very representative commission, and I think a thoughtful commission, and I think we’re getting things done,” Brody said. “And I think that’s what people in the community want to see from their local government.”