One commissioner says he ‘doesn’t have the ability’ to vote against Lakewood Ranch expansion. He didn’t have any questions either.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: Jan. 3, 2024
Host: Pretty much everybody these days professes to be concerned about the disappearance of farming, and about flooding. So how is it that one large-scale suburban-sprawl project after another still gets approved? Here’s Exhibit 1: Two years ago, the Sarasota County Commission granted the developer of Lakewood Ranch a change to the comprehensive plan, allowing it to build thousands of homes on pastureland, at higher density than the plan permits. Now, like a tsunami in slow motion, the Southeast expansion of Lakewood Ranch is winding its way through the Sarasota County approval process, subdivision by subdivision, ready to gobble up 5,000 acres of agricultural land in the floodplain, and surrounding an area where the City of Sarasota draws much of its drinking water. The latest stop was the Sarasota County Planning Commission, which met Thursday in Venice, some 20 miles away.
Johannes Werner: The planning commission is a board appointed by the Sarasota County Commission. It reviews proposed projects to determine whether they comply with the county’s comprehensive plan, and make a recommendation to the county commission.
Lakewood Ranch Southeast: 5,000 homes on 5,000 acres of pasture land.
During most of their hour-long meeting on Thursday evening, the board listened to a presentation by the developer about area 2 of the Lakewood Ranch Southeast proposal and their request for a rezone. That segment consists of 550 acres of pastureland that — according to the developer, is not natural anymore because it has already been spoiled by agriculture. Therefore, more than 1,400 homes should be built there, some of them what’s called “attainable” — at prices within reach of families making more than $100,000 a year.
With three minor changes they requested, Sarasota County planning staffers said the project complied with rules and regulations. Without any in-depth questioning, the commission unanimously recommended the county commission approve the project.
One of the board members expressed concern over coloring in the plans.
Board Member: On the DCP, I think the intent is understood, but — and I believe they’re storm water facilities — but there may be several storm water facilities that aren’t colored blue. So I think the intent is clear, but just future misunderstanding once you get into site development.
JW: Two affected neighbors, who are part of the Keep the Country Country group, traveled all the way to Venice, to get their concerns on the record.
Susan Schoettle expressed her opposition to the disappearance of rural Sarasota, and outrage about unsafe traffic on an already jammed Fruitville Road. She is also anxious about flooding — in light of the two hundred-year rain events we had in 2024, a concern shared by many.
Susan Schoettle
Susan Schoettle: We’re also very concerned about storm water. It’s all very nice to say the model shows it won’t have any impact. That takes up to the impact of the design storm level. What’s happening though is they’re actually creating so much more impervious surface that the minute it exceeds the design storm level, the water runoff created is going to be hugely more than it was before these developments went in.
We’re an older subdivision in Burn Creek. We don’t have formal drainage ways. We built around existing natural drainage ways. We accommodate much of the sheet flow from Lakewood Ranch Southeast. That whole area flows across Burn Creek. We accommodate that as sheet flow. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us when it hits us as point-source discharges, and anytime it exceeds a design storm, I really fear for myself and my neighbors.
JW: The concerns seemed to prompt planning board members at least to justify why they voted unanimously to recommend approval of the project.
Board member Justin Taylor interprets his role on the planning commission narrowly. He calls it “checking boxes”.
Justin Taylor: I voted ‘no’ originally on the comprehensive plan amendment, but as the rezones presented, it checks all the boxes as county staff’s identified. And when using our planning commission findings as fact, I don’t have the ability to make a vote against it at this point. I prefer to not be the one to make the motion, based off my feelings, but I’ll be voting yes for whatever motion comes.
JW: He had no questions to the developer or staffers.
According to its website, the planning commission must “promote positive growth, recognizing multiple needs in terms of land development, conservation, recreation, transportation and protecting the environment.”
Mike Hutchinson
Two neighbors sued the county and developer LWR Communities over the Lakewood Ranch Southeast expansion. They lost the first round before an administrative judge, but they appealed, and a hearing before a judge in Tampa is scheduled. That’s why
Mike Hutchinson, one of the plaintiffs, told the planning commissioners that they may be wasting time and money.
Mike Hutchinson: For the people that don’t know, my wife and I are appealing the comprehensive plan change that created the VTZ. Our hearing in Tampa of that appeal is January 21st, and I’m a little surprised that Lakewood Ranch wants to go through all of this, spend taxpayer money, your time, staff’s time, when we’re going to win that appeal. So they would have waited till after January 21st, could have saved the county and your time and our money.
JW: The project will next go before the county commission. No date has been set, but it will probably be after a much-anticipated workshop about lessons learned from recent flooding.
For WSLR News, this has been Johannes Werner.
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