UPCOMING MEETINGS, NOTICES & HAPPENINGS

Oct 7 City Commission Meeting, 9am, City Hall:  Players Theater the Stage at Payne Park
Agenda Item IX.1 Lease Agreement between the City of Sarasota and The Player's Inc. for the Payne Park Auditorium Building.  To read lease, click on link to agenda backup document at LEASE AGREEMENT (legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com)   Plan is to utilize the auditorium initially as theater space, without new building, while keeping options open for developing a new theater on nearby Washington Blvd lot.

Oct 7 is deadline to make changes to your voter registration for the upcoming Nov 5th general election.

Hurricane Helene Sep 26-27 2024! The Alta Vista neighborhood got thru this pretty well, but coastal and island areas of Sarasota have been devastated. See Sarasotafl.gov/Alerts for updates and links to City, County, State and Federal emergency services.

TRASH CHANGE: ALERT No more yard waste in Plastic Bags. (both City and County residents)  If you put out yard waste in plastic bags, they won't pick it up, except as a special pickup, for which you PAY EXTRA.  So for your yard waste, please bin or bundle, or put in paper yard waste bags.

Speaking of responsibilities of residents, did you know that residents are required to maintain the public right-of-way between their front yard and the street, including sidewalk:  keeping abutting sidewalk (if there is one) clear of debris, weeds, sand, and overgrown/overhanging vegetation.  Also, you cannot park your car so that it obstructs a public sidewalk!  (Does this really need to be pointed out?)

NOVEMBER 5th General Election:  Vote!  
Oct 7 deadline to make changes to your voter registration
Oct 24 last day to request mail-in ballot
Oct 21 - Nov 3 Early Voting (avoid lines on Nov 5) (locally, Terrace Building at 301 & Ringling is the place to go!)
For lots more info, & to check your registration details, see Sarasota County Elections website.

Exhibit Jul 28-Oct 2024 "Modern Masterpiece Uncovered": Victor Lundy's Galloway's Furniture Building,
at Ringling College's Sarasota Art Museum. No longer recognizable after decades of reconstructions & deconstructions, the building, on Tamiami Trail at Browning St, later became local artist Ben Stahl's studio (of Museum of the Cross local fame), and later VisionWorks; now a part of Ringling College's Museum Campus.

Cafe in Payne Park closed, and the City is preparing an RFP (request for proposal) for interested vendors for a replacement cafe. Meanwhile, Court Thirteen bar & cafe & pro shop, over at the nearby Tennis Center, IS open to the public and I hear they also serve iced coffee!  They also host live music Fridays and lots of other activities.  Speculation is that the new On The Park apartment development, just east of School Ave, may feature a ground-floor cafe,  but this is still in early planning stages.  Meanwhile, also check out Monika's or Five-O Donuts, just north of the Health Center, on Ringling Blvd.

THREE SCHOOLS issues (ongoing)

Parent Pick-up Issues SHS has two main parent pick-up lines, one in the front parking lot off Bahia Vista, and another that renders Hatton Street and School Ave impassable on school days, generally starting around 1.45pm til 2.15pm or so.  This is a universal problem, not just for Alta Vista neighborhood, and I don't see where else these cars can wait.  One issue is that this many cars, idling with engines on (for A/C, since it's so hot&sunny) -- some for up to 40 minutes each day! -- spew intense air pollution across the abutting residential area.  The other issue is that some parents park on neighboring streets (with idling engines) to AVOID the official pickup lines. Over around Riverview High, there are "no pick-up parking" signs on all neighboring streets, but we don't have those over here...   Any good solutions??? 

Public Sidewalks & roadsides maintenance on borders of local schools (Alta Vista Elementary, Sarasota High, SSIS charter)   As of August 2024, AVNA is "in negotiations" with the City and the School Department (County) regarding who maintains (i.e. clearing abutting sidewalks of debris, cutting vegetation, etc.) around the perimeters of the schools.    More info to follow, once we have answers...

SHS Noise Issue:  There have been continuing issues with sometimes-excessive noise levels from Sarasota High PA systems (baseball stadium& batting cage, & football stadium) disturbing neighboring residents.  Schools staff are working on mitigating this problem.  Meanwhile, RESIDENTS:  if excessive noise (not the usual, to-be-expected sounds) is bothering you, call 941-966-7233 (Sarasota County Schools security)  and/or email Principal Ryan Chase and Jody Dumas (  ryan.chase@sarasotacountyschools.net   [email protected] ).

2024-2026  SHS construction alert:  Hatton Street
Notice all the orange Gilbane fencing along Hatton Street; that shell lot west of Shade (across from the batting cage), plus the grass field east of Shade. Using it for staging materials & equipment, worker parking, and other construction needs, for the major renovation of buildings at Sarasota High, East Campus: new HVAC (air conditioning) system. Expected to take 2+? years. No, nothing's being "built" there, just construction staging.

 

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Sarasota Grows:   new nearby developments

Yes, many MANY new developments in and around the neighborhood, much increased density,  Here is a very rough graphic (8/2024) of higher density projects done plus in planning, in and right near the Alta Vista neighborhood. In 2000, Alta Vista neighborhood (just within the green border) had under 700 residential units; between 2000 and 2024, constructed plus in-planning adds another 500 units (just within green Alta Vista border, not including "nearby" projects. 

For most new developments, you'll want to be fully informed before you form an opinion, right?  So do your research; it's easy.  Here's how to review all the "backup" documentation for yourself, including architectural view pictures, and landscaping graphics, for every project in development stages with the City.

Open webpage edocs.sarasotagov.com/publicaccess/edocs/search/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery (just click on this link), then do a search:  Search Type = Land Development Applications - Keyword, and try entering the  Application Number (or, Name of development).   

Bowling Alley Townhomes

​Don't know official development NAME yet.  Just north of Alta Vista neighborhood.  In initial plan stage, pre-application for zoning change to develop purple bowling alley Sarasota Lanes property, over on Fruitville, into 52-unit townhome development (with 1 home priced "attainably"). Entrance off East Main St just west of Lime Av (kinda behind Shamrock Pub).  Aug 13 was community workshop; Sept 4 was DRC meeting; next step TBA Planning Board meeting.   24-PRE-18

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Apartments at Temple Beth Sholom:next big new development. 

​In very preliminary stages, plans were discussed at Aug 14 Community Workshop:  subdivide the 10-acre property, with the north 4 acres retaining the synagogue; other buildings removed; relocated parking lots; on the south 6 acres, Gilbane to develop a 4-story, 270-unit apartment building (10 units "attainable") plus parking lot plus 433-car garage.

​Major community concern is traffic: this 270-unit apartment building, right across from the Bahia Vista Apartments, a 250-unit apartment building now in construction, at the corner of Tuttle & Bahia Vista, an already "failed" street that backs up horribly, and often; all car access for the entire project is Briggs off Bahia Vista (opposite Bahia Vista St access on Briggs for  Bahia Vista Apartments).  

Again, very preliminary stage.  Zoning change and development plan applications expected to be submitted to the City later this year, with their hoped-for opening date in 2026.  This project will go through the full "regular" development application process, with Planning Board, Development Review Committee, then City Commission meetings.  Application 24-CW-21.

  

 
ON THE PARK

In early planning stages (May 2024), 49-unit apartment complex. Land donated by Michael Saunders to One Stop Housing, who plan to develop project with all units restricted to residents with income up to 80%AMI, with half set aside solely for employees of Sarasota County Sheriff's Department.  Retail on first floor, apartments (studios, 1 & 2br) above.

Next steps:  the usual City application planning process (DTE zone = Downtown Edge), so it's administrative approval, not public input).

Payne Park Townhomes

A new 50-unit rental development next to Payne Park. See PPT page for details.

BAHIA VISTA APARTMENTS

Summer 2024 under construction, large new apartment complex at Tuttle & Bahia Vista intersection. See Bahia Vista Apartments for more info.

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ARTIST'S COURT

Artist Court 2 (24-ASP-05, 24-ADS-03) 200 South Washington Blvd. (nearby Alta Vista, just across Washington Blvd from the Terrace Building)

A 10-story, 242-unit rental apartment building, zone Downtown Core (DTC). including attainable housing.  

The latest step in the approval process was DRC (Development Review Committee) review March 20, 2024.  

More details, see Artist's Court page.

PARK DISTRICT    A major mixed-use development nearby Alta Vista, north of Payne Park, off Fruitville.  The property of 8.5 acres, to be developed in phases, covers land between Main St & Fruitville, from Washington Blvd all the way to Audubon Place (just west of School Ave).

Phase I has been approved:  a mixed-use project with 331 multifamily apartments, both market-rate and affordable, and 7,772 square feet of retail, between Fletcher and East Avenue.  Park District could include more than 1,700 units.  With the quadruple downtown density bonus allowing 50 units per acre, Park District is eligible for 1,728 units of residential and commercial space if 15% of its units are priced more affordably than market rates for at least 30 years.

Park District (22-ASP-13) ...Downtown Core (DTC) zone. The applicant will be required to provide 10% of the total units to be attainable. See also DRC 11/16/22 and 8/2/23. Staff contact: Alison Christie, [email protected]. 941-263-6516

About AFFORDABLE housing?  Some projects include some affordable housing, often as a density bonus that allows them to build more units, larger and higher buildings.  What does this actually mean?  AMI (area median income) in 2024 for Sarasota area, for a family of 4, is $98,700 income per year.   (This is calculated each year and does change...)

So "X" number of apartments committed to at 80% AMI doesn't mean the apartment will be inexpensive; rather, it will be considered affordable for tenants who make about $80,000 a year, which is calculated at about 30% of annual income.  Number of affordable units and level of affordability is a commitment specified in each development application. It's a 30-year rent control commitment, not "forever"; but hey, who knows what will be, that far ahead!   Rough calculations below:

So for 2024, units offered at 80% AMI: income for family of 4 up to about $80k (~$2,880/mo), couple up to about $64k (~$2,330/mo), single up to about $56k (~$2,016/mo)
Apartments offered at 50% AMI = ​considered affordable for family of 4 with income of $50k (~$1,800/mo), couple $40k (~$1,440/mo), single $35k (~$1,260/mo); 
​Apartments offered at 30% AMI = considered affordable for family of 4 with income of $31k, couple $27k, single $21k.
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Housing affordability as of 2024 is at crisis level in Sarasota; see more at City website about affordable housing initiatives.

Citizen Participation in local government.  Do you know about CityPAC Sarasota: a local nonpartisan civic political organization that holds City Commissioners (and candidates) accountable based on "resident-friendly positions on issues relevant to a liveable city", including discussions and votes on all things pertaining to responsible and balanced development -- always an issue here in Sarasota, as well as ordinance enforcement on residents' quality-of-living-here.  On their website they monitor current issues and commissioner votes. You can also subscribe to their free e-news City Hall Monitor, which gives good summaries of things discussed at each City Commission meeting, plus useful links and upcoming things to watch.

New City webpage (April 2024) where you can easily find info on all active City capital projects!  See City Public Works Capital Improvements Program Viewer .

Click-2-Fix: the City's mobile app. Free; search for “CoS Click-to-Fix” on your Apple or Android app store. 
311Connect: the County's mobile app (new March 2022). Free; search for “311Connect” on your Apple or Android app store. 
See also Useful Links for descriptions. 

GET YOURSELF IN THE CITY NEWS PIPELINE!

In case you ever wondered how to keep up with City news, a few good sources for City news are:

- City webpage news tab: features the list of recent news item announcements.

- City list of upcoming public meetings.  Includes agenda items and links to backup documents. Scroll down for archives of past public meetings, including always-essential detailed backup documents.

- City News: comprehensive weekly email from mayor's office, which also includes upcoming City meetings with links to agendas. Sign up to receive this and/or other communications from City. at  https://www.sarasotafl.gov/services/email-subscriptions​