Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/360116
THE PROPOSED CHANGES According to the draft ordinance prepared for the Planning Commission, a business owner would have to pay a $25 fee for a Temporary Use Permit before he or she could provide any type of outdoor display on prop- erties zoned Commercial General/Siesta Key Overlay District. The application would include a "Sidewalk Layout Plan." That layout would have to show that all the display area would be on the business' property and not in the public right of way; that it would allow a 5-foot clearance so pedestrians easily could stay on the sidewalks, as well as a 2-foot set- back from parking areas and streets; that the linear length of the display would not exceed 33 percent of the linear storefront dimen- sion; and that the maximum height of the display would be 7 feet above the sidewalk. No merchandise could hang from any portion of the building exterior, including windows and doors. Further, the display area would be limited to two of the following: • A table with a maximum measurement of 72 inches in length, 36 inches in width and 30 inches in height. • A mannequin no larger than 24 inches in diameter and 72 inches in height. • A clothing rack no longer than 72 inches, no wider than 24 inches and no taller than 72 inches. • A mobile cart no larger than 60 inches in length by 30 inches in width by 36 inches in height. For firms that rent items such as bicycles and scooters, the display area could not encom- pass more than 240 square feet of space or be taller than 12 feet. The Temporary Use Permit would be valid for no longer than a year. Two violations of the conditions set out in the SKOD would necessitate revocation of the permit. If that happened, the business would be unable to apply for another permit for a year. County staff has found that the proposed revi- sion "does not inhibit or obstruct any goals, objectives, or policies of the Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan," according to a memo prepared for the Planning Commission by the Planning and Development Services staff. HELPING NEW BUSINESSES While the SKVA and the Chamber await the outcome of the SKOD discussion at the county level, Jacobsen and Lynn-Schmitz are putting together a committee whose members will work to educate new business owners about the island's zoning regulations, Jacobsen said on Aug. 5. A packet of the same material will be available to any person considering open- ing an establishment on the island, he added. "The important part of that," Lynn-Schmitz pointed out, is learning about "a business that may not be highly visible to us, so we can get to them and give them this educa- tional packet." She stressed, "If you know of a business … even before somebody signs on the dotted line … let us know." % Sarasota News Leader August 8 & 15, 2014 Page 55