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destroy the compromise" achieved in its crafting. It was designed to ensure major new developments in those rural areas would be undertaken under "very specific guidelines." She added, "The intent was to preserve agri- culture and to preserve rural neighborhoods, to preserve environmentally important lands and open space." The 2050 Plan also required new developments outside the county's urban service boundary to pay for themselves, she pointed out. Although developers have complained that flaws in the plan have resulted in a lack of development outside that boundary over the past 10 years, Patterson continued, she could show them a map of the county and point out "large developments that were approved at the same time as the 2050 Plan" that also have not come to fruition. "I would suggest the 2050 Plan is not the impediment," she said. "The difficulty of getting financing and the crash in the real estate market have a lot more to do with it." She told the audience, "I do worry [about] the tenets of the plan, which are the preserva- tion of open space, the maintenance of rural areas and rural neighborhoods [along with] the ability to develop property in a walkable, enjoyable way that will not financially bur- den those of us that have lived here for years … The basic tenets of the plan do need to be preserved, in my opinion." Although her primary focus was on the 2050 Plan, Patterson touched on a number of other topics during her remarks. Among them: Sheriff Tom Knight admires the Siesta Key Association T-shirt he received from outgoing SKA President Catherine Luckner during the March 1 annual meeting. Photo by Rachel Hackney Sarasota News Leader March 7, 2014 Page 77