CRICKETS FROM
THE PUBLIC
A Sarasota County map shows details of how the 2050 plan would be applied to future development.
Image courtesy Sarasota County
IN DEBATE OVER SARASOTA 2050, COUNTY RESIDENTS WILL HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THEIR OWN VIEWS ABOUT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
By Cooper Levey-Baker
Associate Editor
Now it is your turn.
than traditional suburbs — regulations that
come in exchange for the ability to increase
density. The creation of the plan was an attempt to strike a bargain between developers
hoping to construct housing in new areas, primarily east of I-75, and communities that were
concerned about unchecked urban sprawl.
Starting next Wednesday evening, March
13, Sarasota County residents will have the
chance to sound off about the fate of Sarasota
2050, the detailed land-use plan approved 11
years ago to preserve open space and to encourage the construction of walkable, mixeduse communities.
But now that bargain might be headed for
The plan requires builders to follow a set of the scrap heap. Last September, the Sarasota
specific rules crafted to encourage the con- County Commission voted to have Planning
struction of village-style neighborhoods rather and Development Services staffers begin re-
