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Sarasota News Leader March 1, 2013 Page 83 PUBLIC MEETINGS TO BE HELD ON 2050 POLICY AND REGULATIONS Sarasota County will hold two initial public meetings for public comments on Sarasota 2050, a policy component of the county���s comprehensive plan. The meetings will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, and Wednesday, March 20, in the Green Building Conference Room at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, the county has announced. Staff of the county Planning and Development Services Department will notify people who would like to be contacted about meetings on Sarasota 2050, a news release notes. Contact information should be emailed to planner@ scgov.net. The County Commission included a review of Sarasota 2050 as part of a comprehensive plan evaluation and appraisal report (EAR) process, the release points out. The commission initially requested discussions with private sector development representatives to identify issues related to the process of approval and construction of 2050 development projects, the release adds. The issues identified in those discussions include the following: fiscal neutrality, housing type requirements, open space/buffer requirements, commercial location requirements, walkability requirements, density limitations and flexibility limitations. ���The comprehensive plan provides the principles, guidelines, standards and strategies for orderly and balanced future economic, social, physical, environmental and fiscal development of the county,��� the release says. The principles and strategies consistently guide future decisions, it points out. ���The county���s programs and services are aligned with the plan to ensure implementation,��� it continues. The Sarasota 2050 component of the comprehensive plan was adopted in 2002, covering a 50-year time frame. It was intended to allow additional development outside the county���s Urban Service Boundary, generally east of Interstate 75, based on a framework that applied substantial environmental and open space conservation strategies, the release notes. ���The Sarasota 2050 policy and implementation regulations created an optional overlay to manage growth with an incentive-based land use plan involving Resource Management Areas (RMAs). The goal is to preserve the county���s natural, cultural and physical resources and to make all neighborhoods more livable,��� the release adds. The incentives are density bonuses ��� a larger number of allowed dwelling units ��� that are granted to landowners who agree to preserve open space; preserve agricultural and environmentally sensitive land; and build new, compact, mixed-use, walkable developments Following those discussions, the commission in appropriate areas asked for public comments on these issues For more information on Sarasota 2050 or the and the development of a broader public out- public meetings, contact Bill Spaeth of Planning reach plan for commission consideration, the and Development Services by calling 861-5140 release notes. or by sending an email to wspaeth@scgov.net.