Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/329100
explained the action to the board as part of his report during the board's regular meeting on June 10. The May 21 Request for Relief says the com- mission's denial of the variance petition leaves the Allens not only unable to construct a house on the site but also unable to "make any other beneficial use of the Property." The Allens and the Office of the County Attorney already have agreed to a Special Magistrate to conduct the process, according to a June 4 memo provided to the commis- sioners. Among the possible outcomes could be the county's purchase of the property, an adjustment of the county's variance standards or suggestions of conditions that would allow development, the memo from the Office of the County Attorney explains. The Allens bought the 162 Beach Road prop- erty as part of a two-lot package in 2009, paying $5.4 million for both. In 2013, the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's Office put a value of $1,047,500 on the land. A year earlier, the value was $1,161,200. The process should be concluded within 165 days, DeMarsh told the board. "We will report to you on any developments in that process." THE BACKGROUND In a unanimous vote on May 20, as part of its consent agenda, the County Commission approved a resolution memorializing its April 23 denial of the Allens' latest variance for the 162 Beach Road parcel. The resolution explained that the Allens' request was the third for that lot since 1992. (The first petition was made by a previous owner.) The County Commission denied that first request as well as a 2013 petition the Allens submitted to the county, seeking a variance for a larger house than the one the board considered in April. A historic photo shows the lot at 162 Beach Road in 1948. Image courtesy Sarasota County Sarasota News Leader June 13, 2014 Page 64