Many Proposals, One Proposition

To all who care about our public lands and Celery Fields:

Recently people from the community met with the lead planner for the Quad Parcel study now being conducted by the County. This "Critical Area Plan" will open the area to new possibilities. Below are two ways you can influence the outcome.

1. Proposals -- Many who were involved with Fresh Start either developed proposals or grew attached to one or more of those that were presented to the Board. As you know, the Board chose not to direct staff to work on any of our ideas.

What's next? The planning department is now conducting its study of the area. It will look at land uses, at the roads, and at surrounding areas. It will speak with "stakeholders," including the public - that workshop is being planned for mid-May, but the exact date is not yet set.

The results of Planning's research will be presented to the Board a few months from now - possibly in August or September - and at that time, the Board might direct staff to prepare a rezoning of one or more of the Quad parcels.

It would be great if the Board directs staff to prepare a land use rezoning that would allow one or more of the great ideas the community has birthed - and more ideas are on the way. Some truly remarkable and imaginative new proposals are in the works which you'll be hearing more about soon.

Bear in mind, Fresh Start was a limited Board/community process that is no longer active. People like you who remain committed to a bright future for the Celery Fields area must now remember that the Board can do one of three things with the Planning Dept.'s study:

It can direct staff to

a. rezone for compatible uses beneficial to the community.
b. rezone for industrial, commercial or other uses preparatory to a sale to a private developer.
c. do nothing at all (unlikely after this staff initiative).

How can we influence the decision makers to go with A rather than B or C? This is where #2 comes in:

2. Community Proposition: Residents and folks with businesses near the Quad parcels have begun working on a "Community Proposition" for the Quads. The basic idea is, prefer public uses to private development. Encourage beneficial community uses within an enabling positive framework. Note that this initiative doesn't propose specific uses for the parcels. Rather it's about preferring public A to private B - and is offering a way to benefit the entire area.

More about the Community Proposition soon. Meanwhile, if you have a proposal for one or more of the quad parcels, this is the time to send it to lead planner Steve Kirk at SKirk@scgov.net.

Mr. Kirk has indicated that part of the May workshop will involve the planning department's review of proposals that have been submitted up to that time. NOTE: this is likely to include only the 4 final proposals submitted by Fresh Start. If you developed an idea that was not one of the final 4 and still like it, please share it with Mr. Kirk.

All the information we've gathered about the proposals, the workshop, and the critical area plan process are now at this link.

Quads Workshop Info so far

When the date of the workshop is announced, it will be added, and we'll let you know.


Thank you for caring about our public spaces.

Tom Matrullo
Glenna Blomquist

Fresh Start Update: Proposals are In

Fresh Start is happy to report more than three dozen ideas, suggestions, and proposals came in for its community-based public land initiative ahead of a March 1 deadline.

The citizen initiative invited people to send workable, area-enhancing concepts for two parcels - #1 and #2 of "the Quads" - totaling about 23 acres of public lands near the Celery Fields. The coalition, which has the backing of more than 50 HOAs circling the nature preserve, advertised for ideas after getting county agreement on a process to explore workable prospects for the public lands.

The Quad Parcels

The proposals from neighborhoods, non-profit groups and organizations provide a varied spectrum of uses for the lands. The enthusiasm, creativity and plain good will this process has aroused in our community has been gratifying. At a recent community meeting, people shared exciting ideas that

• relate to the needs of nearby residents and offices, 
• complement and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, and tranquility of the Celery Fields,
• meaningfully connect with the larger surrounding area. 

Next Step

Once the proposals are collected and edited - the names of those making the proposals will be removed -- they will be reviewed by a select group of Sarasota residents with professional backgrounds in planning, land use, environmental science, architecture and more. We are happy to have these distinguished volunteers for the advisory panel.

Ideas will be evaluated for feasibility, value and compatibility to the area, economic potential, and environmental enhancement. Those felt to best meet these criteria feel will then be presented to the community at large at a public round table workshop on April 10, at the Fruitville Library, beginning at 3 pm.

Fresh Start aims to make this a small first step and a worthwhile catalyst for building more trust and shared vision. The goal is to restore a legacy of creativity and character in commonsense planning for the common good.

Fresh Start is a grassroots experiment in community-based dialog about proactive land use vision. Read more about Fresh Start here.

Red Shouldered Hawk - Chuck Behrmann

Proposals for the Quad Parcels at the Celery Fields: How-To Guide

If you’re considering a use or activity that would genuinely enhance public parcels that lie between the Celery Fields and the Packinghouse district, the Fresh Start Initiative wants to hear from you before March 1.

The Fresh Start Initiative is a community-based effort that began after Aug. 28, 2017. That day, thanks to a huge turnout of concerned, articulate advocates, the Sarasota County Commission voted 3-2 against a proposed Waste Facility on Parcel #2 of “The Quads,” the parcels at Apex Rd. and Palmer Blvd.

Thanks to you, visitors to the Celery Fields today do NOT see a 16-acre, open-air waste processing facility under construction. Better ideas are out there, and we know where. They're in the minds and hearts of Sarasotans who know the Celery Fields, and what is necessary to make this area a vibrant and diverse gateway to East County.

The County says it needs to sell or use these parcels to help close a budget gap. Fresh Start has a goal to facilitate a few really good conceptual proposals that meet four criteria:

1 - enhance the beauty of the surrounding area

2 - provide practical benefit for residents and businesses who live and work nearby

3 - serve as a catalyst for a new and diverse destination that includes a fabulous natural landscape within walking distance of urban life.
4 - provide economic benefit to the county.

What to do?

• Submit your proposal FreshStartSarasota@gmail.com by March 1st.
• Attend the initial Proposal Review set for March 15th (details to come)
• Come to the April 10th public workshop where the community will choose proposals.

What should the proposal contain?

-- Fresh Start has compiled relevant info about each of the two parcels (SE and SW) which the County has given us a limited time to consider -- dimensions of the parcels, images of the area, underlying land use designations, and other conditions (see “Tools” below).

-- A proposal should present a vision of the use(s) it describes, and provide estimates of structures, sizes, costs. Would the parcel be purchased in whole or part by whoever is doing the proposed use, or leased? Or given to the entity that would make the necessary improvements?

-- A proposal need not have highly detailed plans, but should contain clear conceptual descriptions, accompanied if possible by visual aids, and a statement as to why the concept would be a good fit for the parcel and the area.

Some Tools for Proposals for Quad Parcels #1 and #2

Basic factsheet on the parcels

Specific Dimensions

Duany Study of Celery Fields Area 2006

County Land Use Data for Quads

Background & Context

That’s it. Please share this information with your neighbors, and bear in mind the March 1st deadline. Feel free to direct any questions to FreshStartSarasota@gmail.com

Thank you.

The Executive Council for the Fresh Start Initiative

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