Workshop planned on Comprehensive Plan amendment on retail use

Sarasota County Planning Services will hold a workshop to get public input on the possibility of allowing free-standing commercial uses – up to 15,000 square feet – before requiring Special Exception approval, within Major Employment Center areas containing Industrial Light Manufacturing and Warehousing (ILW) zoning.

The workshop will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Colonial Oaks Park, Room A, 5300 Colonial Oaks Blvd., Sarasota.

 The proposed Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan amendment would allow the redevelopment of existing ILW-zoned properties within Major Employment Centers with more retail opportunities, without turning the centers into Commercial Centers. The February workshop will focus on understanding where the potential additional retail uses in these Major Employment Center areas could be located. Public input from the workshop will help refine options for the Sarasota County Planning Commission’s review and recommendation at a meeting tentatively scheduled April 5.

The Comprehensive Plan amendment is being developed at the direction of the Sarasota County Commission, which approved the expansion of accessory commercial uses within ILW zone districts at a public hearing on Nov. 9.  

 Additional information is available online at the Sarasota County website at www.scgov.net, keyword search Planning Services, including:

•       a link to the results of the Nov. 9, public hearing and direction to staff
•        maps of where ILW-zoned properties are located within Major Employment Center areas
•       results of a previous public workshop held on Sept. 27.

Following the Feb. 21 workshop, comments and findings will be added to the Planning Services Web pages on www.scgov.net.

For additional information about the workshop or the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment, contact Planning Services at 941-861-5140.