Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/144898
BANKING ON A REAL ESTATE RECOVERY Agricultural land and three existing buildings sit on the land currently zoned Open Use Estate (OUE-1) at 5005 McIntosh Road. Photo by Roger Drouin TWO DEVELOPERS SEEK TO MOVE AHEAD WITH RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS: U.S. ASSETS GROUP III LLC WANTS TO BUILD 20 HOMES ON MCINTOSH ROAD; STALLED HUNTER CREEK ESTATES COMES BACK TO LIFE By Roger Drouin County Editor As a sign of a strengthening real estate market, Sarasota-based development firm U.S. Assets Group III LLC is seeking to rezone 9.6 acres on McIntosh Road to clear the way for 20 single-family homes. Steve Brown, a partner at U.S. Assets Group, is proposing two units per acre for a "cluster housing" development at 5005 McIntosh Road. The developer said he was unable to comment on the specifics of the project at this point in the approval process. Cluster housing developments typically set aside smaller residential lots, usually allowing a portion of the land to be preserved as open space or a common area, according to the University of Minnesota. The idea was conceived by renowned New Urbanist ar hitect Peter c Calthrope of Sausalito, CA. Plans for U.S. Assets Group's proposal submitted to the county show 80-foot by 120-foot typical lots with a required retention pond and open space on the northwest corner of the community. A gated private roadway is also evident in the plans. According a preliminary application filed with Sarasota County July 3, three existing buildings will be demolished to clear the way for 20 residential lots. The petition for the rezoning the developer is seeking will appear before the Planning Commission; the County Commission will have a final vote on the change.