Planning not to plan

Wall at James Gabbert's WTF at Porter and Palmer

Above is a photo taken yesterday (9.8.19) of the wall which James Gabbert is building to "hide" his waste transfer facility (WTF) at Porter and Palmer. It will hide his waste piles from passing motorists - millions of them on the highway annually - about as well as it will keep traffic flowing while his trucks enter and leave at Palmer Blvd. opposite Bell Rd.

Sarasota County does not plan; it prefers to offer concierge services to its friends.

On Wednesday, citizens of Miakka in East County will attempt to get the Board to allow their proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment to proceed. I.e., they are not asking the Board to approve changes, but merely to allow the Planning Dept. to consider a rural heritage vision of East County.

The "Planning Commission" -- an appointed board stuffed with realtors, insurance people and development interests -- already said "NO" to the Miakka Community of East Sarasota. They expressed dismay that citizens would dare propose a Comp Plan amendment to protect their way of life from leapfrog intensification - which developers are now proposing.

Keep an eye on the Board action on Wednesday afternoon, when Becky Ayech and the Miakka community ask our elected officials to allow the planning department to consider an actual plan.

Because in November, the Board will once again take up our public lands at the Quads. And they will discuss a plan - not a plan made by citizens, but directed by the Board.

The time to plan for the Quads was August 2017, when the people told the Board to not even consider industry on public land on Palmer Blvd. Early evidence is that they are still considering industry at the Quads, for the parcels west of Apex Rd.

They can say, "well, Parcel #2 (SW corner) is already bordered by Mr. Gabbert's WTF" - yes, now it is - because they didn't ever have a plan, a vision for the area, which fundamentally changed thanks to the Celery Fields, to Audubon, to the Fruitville Initiative, and to new residents who do not care to live next to industry.

Let's see what happens on 9.11, 1:30 pm, when Rural Heritage values come before the Board.

Rural Miakka