Fresh Start Update -- and, the interface between urban and rural

To all who have been following and participating in our Fresh Start Initiative, this article might be of interest. While it addresses considerations of the complex forces pressuring rural areas across the US, it happens to have been written by Randy Reid, a former Sarasota County Administrator, and by an urban planning educator at USF, Van Linkous. 

You might also be interested in a brief account of a long meeting between spokespeople for FPL and the communities of East Bee Ridge Road that took place yesterday. One option for a new power line would run down Palmer Boulevard from Porter to Apex, then turn north on Apex to Fruitville Road. From there it would go east toward Hi Hat Ranch.

Last week, our Fresh Start Advisory Board examined over 4o proposals and ideas shared by our communities for Parcels 1 and 2 of public lands near the Celery Fields. Another meeting  is set for later today. The goal is to soon have a list of proposals for each parcel that meet the criteria outlined in our vision statement:

• feasibility
• utility to neighbors (rather than large truck industrial uses that Palmer Blvd. and Apex Rd. cannot handle)
• compatibility with surroundings
• viability - economic and environmental enhancement

The selected proposals will go forward to a community roundtable workshop on April 10, at the Fruitville Library, beginning at 3 p.m. 

We hope to see you there on 4.10!

Best,

Tom Matrullo

For the Fresh Start Initiative Advisory Council

Glenna Blomquist, Carlos Correa, Marguerite Malone, Tom Matrullo, Gary Walsh