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commissioners felt they could make the deci- sion that day. That motion passed unanimously, too, though Commissioner Carolyn Mason was out of the room. AT THE NORTH PORT COMMISSION DAIS During a special meeting on March 20, the North Port City Commission voted 4-1 to approve the long-term solicitation package. Last year, Commissioners Linda Yates, Rhonda DiFranco and Cheryl Cook were united in opposing any prospect of development at the resort. However, this year, they have joined Mayor James Blucher and Commissioner Tom Jones in cooperating with the County Commission to get the Springs reopened. Still, Cook voted against the long-term solic- itation. She pointed to language it contains regarding the zoning of the property, which would allow up to 62,000 square feet of "com- mercial/tourist/spa uses," up to 45,000 square feet of "institutional/conference center uses, and 270 residential units." "My huge concern at this time … is the res- idential units," Cook explained. "I want to remind the commission that we just passed an impact fee moratorium in order to help our local independent homebuilders gain ground again [during the economic recovery] … [but] we are turning around and potentially giving these housing units to a builder on the peo- ple's property." Another concern, she continued, is the fact that a hotel with nighttime activities, includ- ing live music, could pose noise problems for residents near the Springs. However, DiFranco, vice chairwoman of the city board, pointed out that the public has demanded to see the Springs reopened. She agreed with Cook's concern about the resi- dential units, she added, as she had noted from her first day on the commission. (She was elected in November 2012.) "I'm still not in favor of that," DiFranco said. Nonetheless, the city and county need to pro- ceed with the long-term solicitation process, she pointed out, because that would get the resort in operation once more. "I will continue to move forward with the minimum amount of development that we can," DiFranco added. "We will take into con- sideration everything that comes through and do the best we can for our citizens here in North Port." % Don't have your own subscription to The Sarasota News Leader? Subscribe for FREE and receive a weekly notification when the latest issue is available online. FREE SUBSCRIPTION Sarasota News Leader March 28, 2014 Page 53