Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/190797
Sarasota News Leader October 11, 2013 by ordinance that sets forth enumerated powers and no others," said Deputy City Attorney Michael Connolly. "Each can contract for planning services and assistance." One power neither board has is the ability to dictate land use. "Only the City Commission has the power and authority to regulate that, and it would require a zoning text amendment, probably with an overlay district," added Connolly. Page 16 the boards are proposing. "They had a restaurant moratorium in 1998. Then 'Economics 101' kicked in, and restaurant space rents went up. They raised money with drink specials. The original purpose of returning to retail was defeated by a race to the bottom for bigger and bigger drink specials," he pointed out. "Eventually they came up with 'good neighbor agreements' that allowed more restaurants with additional conditions, and incentives for retail." If either or both boards want to explore "If you want to pursue this," said Connolly, "I how to limit the "proliferation" of bars and suggest you do a planning study with a rational restaurants, he said, they need to start with a basis for the regulations you want to imple"professional opinion." ment." Those regulations, he added, would Assistant City Attorney Joe Mladinich offered have to withstand public and City Commission a case study about a city that tried to do what scrutiny or they would be doomed. Among the restaurants on lower Main Street are First Watch, Mozaic and Café Amici. Photo by Norman Schimmel