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Sarasota County commissioners hope a discussion about mixed-use regulations using New Urbanist tools will create opportunities to keep the county's urban area vital and dynamic. The workshop will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 in the third floor Think Tank at the County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.

“The intended outcome of the mixed-use regulations workshop is to provide the board with options through which we can achieve the community goal of creating dynamic mixed-use centers with quality urban design, a more engaged public process and effective implementing regulations,” said Anne McClung, director of Planning Services for the county. “It's an opportunity to build on the New Urbanist principles embodied in the Sarasota 2050 Plan and apply them in strategic locations within the urban area.”

The discussion will center specifically on the use of charettes and form-based codes as New Urbanist tools that achieve dynamic mixed-use development. Charettes are a form of intense public participation in the early stages of a development proposal, resulting in an agreed-upon regulating plan that takes into consideration the concerns and desires of the parties immediately concerned with the development as well as the community at large. Form-based codes concentrate on the final form of the built environment, allowing compatibility issues to be addressed at a site specific level. Sarasota County's Planned Economic Development district, adopted in 2004, contains elements of a form-based code.

Two renowned leaders of New Urbanism, Peter Katz and Bill Spikowski, will assist county staff in the presentation. Katz, a founding executive director of the Congress of New Urbanism, will lead the overview of mixed-use principles for long term planning purposes. Spikowski, a member of the board of the Form Based Codes Institute, will discuss how to implement such principles through changes to local codes.

Staff will seek direction from the Board of County Commissioners regarding changes to the county's existing Planned Economic Development District to allow or require a charette, regulating plan and form-based code for targeted redevelopment sites. Staff will also explore key locations in the county to partner with the development community to create a system of dynamic mixed-use centers throughout the county.

Topics
State Legislative Issues
	Red Light Cameras Sarasota County’s Board of County Commissioners issued a resolution urging other Florida counties and municipalities to join them “in creating a Green Light for Red Light Camera Enforcement Coalition to demonstrate local governments’ strong support for the enactment of legislation authorizing the use of red-light cameras at signalized intersections.’’ >>MORE

	Impact Fees Counties in Florida, including Sarasota County, charge an impact fee on new homes to recoup the impact of development on things like roads, schools, libraries and parks. Charging that fee is allowed by state law, but the amount of the fee is left to the discretion of local jurisdictions. Now, there is an effort under way in the state legislature to standardize impact fees with the amount being set in statute rather giving counties and municipalities the ability to determine the fee. >> MORE

	Growth Management Last year, the Florida Legislature passed legislation that substantially revised Florida’s growth management law. Two bills have already been filed in the state Senate expressing an intent to seek further revisions, but details of the legislation is lacking at this point.’ >>MORE

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