A plea for community engagement: Sarasota's attainable housing plan

Courtesy photo

Before the Sarasota City Commission for adoption next week are zoning changes designed to incentivize developers to construct much needed and desired affordably priced apartments and condos in downtown building zones. 

The central element of these zoning amendments is to allow developers the flexibility to right-size units within their project, making them smaller and, therefore, less expensive by providing a quadrupling of density. For example, on a parcel where 50 units are currently allowed, up to 200 could be built under the new zoning. In return, the project would need to include a minimum of approximately 11% of total units that are priced affordably.

The city of Sarasota planning staff spent nearly a year working on these detailed zoning text amendments, and many community input sessions were held. One component requested by residents — community workshops — should be held in advance of projects being approved by the city administration without any other public input. City staff agreed in early zoning text amendment outreach sessions, and the Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend these community workshops for projects taking advantage of up to four times the increase in density. This significant intensity of use was surely not contemplated by property owners who are the “affected parties” of nearby parcels.

The logic behind this is that intensifying the use of a project, i.e., adding 400% more people to a given site near an existing building, should warrant some involvement of the affected parties who live nearby. Additionally, initial staging plans, sidewalk closure elements, and construction-noise mitigation plans need to be shared with those affected, and input sought prior to final planning for a project being approved. The enormous four-fold increase in density and intensity was almost certainly not anticipated when the original administrative approval process was developed that did not include required community workshops.

Community workshops are meetings where developers present plans for new residential construction, and they typically last about 1.5 hours. This forum enables interested residents and stakeholders to directly interact with developer representatives concerning a proposed project. Residents, often for the first time, have an opportunity to understand and see what is being developed. Community workshops are required in other areas of the city and, surprisingly to most residents, are not normally mandated downtown, even though they have long been requested by residents and the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association.

Importantly, the zoning text amendments recommended by city staff at the Aug. 7 city commission meeting, to the surprise of all, were made optional by an action of the city commission (by a 3-2 vote) at the first reading of the amendments. The key argument  made by three commissioners being if community workshops are not required for normal downtown projects, why should they be required for bonus density benefit projects?

Commission members didn't acknowledge or remember that residents have requested community workshops for larger downtown residential projects for decades, and a requirement to begin holding these for normal new construction isn't currently on the table.

What we do know is that what we are doing now isn't working well. The current approach — administrative approval with no public input — almost all would agree, has not worked. Think of the Obsidian project, which has created chaotic events and frustrated staff, developers and residents alike.

In the case of attainable housing zoning, the needed action is clear. Whether the attainable units are to be generated by the city’s bonus density zoning text amendments or the State Live Local Act, an approach is needed to require community workshops for these projects should be taken as a first step to gauge downtown community workshops' benefits. Since attainable housing will be a limited set of projects, this requirement won't affect other large developments. Also, the costs are modest and timing can be accommodated in a multi-year planning horizon. Community workshops are hosted by developers who can recommend scheduling with both their needs and the communities in mind.

This approach would show a willingness to engage with residents while considering practical implications. It's a sensible step to reflecting a balance between community involvement and efficient development.

The important goal of incentivizing more attainable housing is something to which there is overwhelming agreement. To have these new bonus density or Live Local related projects, many of them likely to be 18-stories, planned, staged, and constructed in very close proximity to neighboring buildings with no resident input would be a serious mistake. In a thoughtful, forward-thinking city such as Sarasota, we should expect more. Constituents of the city commission are telling their elected representatives they want to have community workshops to learn about significant, high density projects being brought through the administrative approval process. It's my hope the commission members are listening.

David Lough is president of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association.