Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/104211
Sarasota News Leader January 18, 2013 'ADMIN' APPROVAL, AGAIN In considering another overlay district — this one for the borders of Laurel Park — three Sarasota city commissioners last week suggested the process of "administrative review" might be applied across the entire city. "We've been grappling with expanding administrative review for the past 10 years, and I think we've found it," said City Commissioner Shannon Snyder on Jan. 7. "Have a couple of community meetings and a site plan review [by staff], but no Planning Board review." Page 36 to be met to provide greater neighborhood protection and compatibility." Instead of a public hearing or two, the North Trail Overlay District would require a single "community meeting" before a developer applied for staff approval. If staff approved a plan after that meeting, the neighborhood's only option would be an appeal to the Planning Board if it disagreed with the action. To appeal, the neighborhood would have to pay nearly $1,800 in fees to cover staff time and advertising. This is similar to — although not exactly the The proposed overlay guidelines would ex- same as — the procedure followed by the Alta pand the staff-only review of site plans from those just for downtown and along the Laurel Park borders to projects for the North Trail from 10th Street to University Parkway. By cutting the Planning Board and City Commission out of the approval process, supporters of administrative review say it de-politicizes the decision-making. Supporters believe a room full of angry neighbors can cause board members and city commissioners to stray from tight interpretations of the zoning regulations. The NTOD document itself notes, "Development standards may not provide sufficient protection to adjacent residential [areas]. Should a standard be established to require certain 'edge' buildings to go through a public hearing rather than administrative review?" In response, staff noted, "Administrative Site Plan Review is one of the major incentives available to commercial property owners within the NTOD. The trade-off for this incentive is that certain development standards, such as building setbacks, daylight plane standards and urban frontage requirements, have The City of Sarasota's draft plan for the North Trail Overlay District shows the area that would be encompassed. Image courtesy City of Sarasota