Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/264109
I f t h e a g r e e m e n t expires, the "entitle- ments" vanish. But in 2012, the Florida Legislature allowed development agree- ment holders to ask for extensions. The p r o p e r t y o w n e r 's representative requested and received an extension in Sarasota, to Jan. 30, 2017. Bailey argued Tuesday that the remaining 34 months on the development agreement were insufficient for his client to obtain a building permit. And he was not looking for the one-year extension already allowed. Instead, he wanted the city to initiate a change in the city's zoning text (a so-called ZTA, or zoning text amendment) that would allow the extension of a development agreement for up to 30 years. He said his client did not necessarily want a 30-year extension, but the period was allowed under Florida law, and he suggested the city's zoning text should mirror that, period. "We're not here to dis- cuss the bayside project. GreenPointe has a contract to purchase the Quay property," said Bailey. "It is a distressed parcel, probably the most distressed property on the west coast of Florida." The land is now an open field with a modest historic apartment building sited there. "Before GreenPointe closes, there are certain issues that must be pinned down, that any purchaser would want to pin down," added Bailey. "We need to seek an extension of the City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo listens to a discussion at a meeting last fall. Photo by Norman Schimmel I'd rather wait another six months than grab the first thing that comes along. Shannon Snyder Mayor City of Sarasota Sarasota News Leader February 21, 2014 Page 13