Recreational Availability East of I-75: A Survey

The Fresh Start Initiative has received several informed and detailed responses to our mini-survey about recreational facilities for our HOA base -- thank you!

We have set a deadline of June 5, and we'd like to gather as many as possible. 

Update: It's been noted that while Tatum Ridge Elementary School has soccer fields, these are run by parks and serve programmed leagues, but otherwise are closed to the public. Therefore we've added "publicly accessible" to our survey questions - as in, accessible to the public.

Some influential industrial owners say the County should rezone the Quad parcels to ILW - Industrial, Light Manufacturing, and Warehousing. 

In response, Fresh Start has sent a letter to the County opposing that argument. The more data supporting the need and wish for community-friendly uses we have, the better. 

So here's the survey again - thanks for your help -- respond to FreshStartSarasota@gmail.com

Name of your HOA _________________

Does your community contain sports facilities within its boundaries?

If yes,

• indoor - sq. feet
• outdoor - fields? playgrounds?

If no,

• What is the distance to the nearest publicly accessible recreational facility for indoor sports?
• What's the distance to the nearest publicly accessible outdoor area for ball fields, football, track, etc.?

Community Vision for the Quads - Fresh Start

Update: a specific proposal for the Quad Parcels is in the works and will be presented to the Board in July. We hope the Community will come to the hearing (date TBA) and show support. There is resistance to our community-friendly proposals that only our communities can overcome.

Fresh Start, a community coalition for rational planning and land use on public lands at the Celery Fields, presented the results of its community outreach and roundtable process for parcels 1 and 2 between I-75 and the Celery Fields at its April 25th Presentation to the Commission.

All proposals had come to the Fresh Start Initiative through our community, although some were submitted by nonprofit organizations. Each proposal was examined and evaluated by a volunteer panel of advisers. Part of the vetting process was to gauge how proposals stood up to four community-based criteria:

• Feasibility
• Compatibility with the Area
• Utility to Neighbors
• Economic Viability

 Slides from the full presentation to the Board are here.

Note: Parcel #2, near the highway, is adjacent to a planned waste transfer station to the West.

Parcel #1 has the Celery Fields wetlands to the East, separated by a canal with 150' borders (Main C).

Of 41 submitted ideas and proposals, the final four are below -- the delegates from our HOAs selected two options for each parcel, and voted on them -- voting results are in parentheses. 

But the process has not stood still. Additional ideas from our community for connective elements like a roundabout, a footbridge, a bus loop and an observation tower have been coming in. 

rookery

bus loop

whimsical observation tower

Footbridge from Parcel 1 to Celery Fields

Some of these connective elements are shown in the composite images below.

Proposals for Parcel #1 12.7 acres

Community Multi-Use Area: Pavilion, adult playground, wedding spot, buffer for Celery Fields (supported by 63%):

Ecolodge with outlook on roosting areas for birds (37% support)

Below, the figure shows a combination of Nature Lodge and buffer, pavilion, trails on eastern portion on parcel #1. Additional suggestions from community shown include a roundabout at Apex/Palmer, a footbridge across the canal to the Celery Fields wetlands, and automobile ingress to parking area from Apex Road, not Palmer Boulevard:

Proposals for Parcel #2 10.7 acres

YMCA playfields, sports complex (84% support): Fully funded, $1 million investment by the YMCA in structures, commitment to fully maintain at no cost to County, leased.

Shops, Fooderies, Apartments (16% support)

Below: The two parcels, with YMCA facility on #2, and Ecolodge with trails, pavilion and buffer on #1: