Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Thaxton snubbed for third time for Planning Commission

Courtesy of the Sarasota News Leader

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Thaxton once again loses out on bid for Planning Commission seat



Stultz wins reappointment to advisory board, with Peters to fill out Neunder’s unexpired term

Former County Commissioner Jon Thaxton. Photo courtesy of Sarasota County

This week, for the third time in almost six years, former County Commissioner Jon Thaxton lost out on a bid to join the advisory board considered the most prestigious in county government.
Although Commissioner Nancy Detert nominated Thaxton for a term on the Planning Commission on May 8, she was the sole commissioner to support him.
Instead, on a 4-1 vote, her colleagues reappointed T. Andrew Stultz to a seat on the Planning Commission. Stultz’s term was due to expire at the end of the month, according to a memo provided to the County Commission in advance of the May 8 meeting.
Each term is four years.
Stultz, a Venice resident, owns Atlas Building Co. of Florida LLC, a construction company, his application said. He has been a resident of the county for 13 years, the application noted, adding that his firm “pursues Sarasota County construction projects.”
Stultz also wrote that he is a member of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange “and various industry groups.”
Detert did support the naming of Andrew Peters of Sarasota, vice president of wealth management for LCM Capital Advisors, to fill out the unexpired term of Dr. Joseph Neunder, who had resigned from the Planning Commission.
In his application, Peters wrote, “The most pressing planning and land use issues in Sarasota County involve strategies to properly [cope] with the immense population growth in Sarasota in ways that can appease both current residents of Sarasota while continuing to encourage new residents to make Sarasota their home. In order to resolve this issue a very long term planning view must always be taken into account when making current planning decisions so that new projects and developments do not negatively impact future developments that have not yet begun the planning process.”
Maio nominated Neunder, a Nokomis chiropractor, to the Planning Commission in January 2017. Neunder was one of the contributors to Maio’s re-election campaign in 2018, campaign finance records showed.
The May 8 staff memo said Peters’ term would be in effect through January 2021.

Andrew Peters. Image from the LCM Capital Advisors website

When Chair Charles Hines introduced the agenda item on May 8, county Planner Todd Dary pointed out that eight applications had come in for the two positions. However, the staff memo to the board noted that two of those “were received after the April 19, 2019 deadline, as indicated on the Applicant Appointment Worksheet.”
One of those was from Douglas Christy of Sarasota, which came in on April 26, the worksheet said. The other was from Ellen Silkes, which came in on April 22.
Christy is an attorney with Becker & Poliakoff in Sarasota, he noted in his application. Silkes is a retired “physician/surgeon,” she wrote on her application. She lives in downtown Sarasota.
Thaxton was the earliest of the eight to submit his application, according to the worksheet: March 25.
Thaxton stepped down from the County Commission in 2012 after three terms. A lawsuit filed by a citizens group had led to the implementation of a two-term limit for the board.
An Osprey resident, Thaxton is senior vice president for community investment with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation in Venice. He won respect on the County Commission as an environmental advocate, including serving as a champion of the endangered Florida scrub jay. He also was one of the primary proponents of the county’s ban on nitrogen-based fertilizers during the rainy season each year, an effort to reduce the runoff of those nutrients. Researchers consider nitrogen the biggest source of fuel for red tide blooms. (See the related story in this issue.)
With the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Thaxton has been prominent in community discussions regarding measures to help reduce homelessness and to create more affordable housing stock.
He noted on his application that he had learned of the unexpired Planning Commission term from Neunder. Thaxton previously applied for a Planning Commission seat in 2013 and in 2015. In that first attempt, he won support only from then-Commissioner Nora Patterson. On Thaxton’s second attempt, no county commissioner voted for him. The unanimous decision went to Kevin Cooper of Sarasota, then vice president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. (Cooper went on to lead the Chamber for several years.)
The other applicants for the open seats this time were James DeNiro of Sarasota, a retired sergeant with the Sarasota Police Department and a licensed Realtor; Mark Hawkins of Sarasota, a general contractor who is a past candidate for the County Commission; and Bruce M. Iorie of Osprey, a retired electrician.

T. Andrew Stultz. Image from LinkedIn

After Chair Hines called for nominations for the two seats during the commission’s regular meeting on May 8, Commissioner Alan Maio put up the names of Stultz and Peters.
“I have a conflicting nomination,” Detert announced, noting that she wanted to nominate Peters and Thaxton.
After conferring with County Attorney Frederick “Rick” Elbrecht, Hines called first for a vote on Peters. Following the board’s unanimous approval of that appointment, Hines then called for the vote on Stultz. With Maio and Commissioners Michael Moran and Christian Ziegler voicing support for Stultz, Hines said, “I’ll vote ‘Aye’ on Andy Stultz,” which made that a 4-1 decision.
Then Maio told his colleagues, “I think we owe a thank you to Dr. Joe Neunder for his service for several years as he moves on to another thing in his life,” which necessitated his resignation.
Referring to the applicants, Hines said, “Great group.”


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Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Media Updates: Fresh Start and the Celery Fields, 2017-19

ABC7 WWSB: Sarasota County asking for public opinion on future of land . . .

SRQExperience Overview of Celery Fields and Quads - thanks to Len Besterman.

Herald Tribune May 13, 2019: Matrullo: A big idea near the Celery Fields

Sarasota News Leader: May 3, 2019: Permitting Process continues for Waste Transfer Facility near Celery Fields

Herald Tribune March 9, 2019: Waste transfer facility to be built near Celery Fields in Sarasota County

Sarasota News Leader, Oct. 12, 2018: Commission calls for analysis before rezoning Quad parcel #3

Herald Tribune Oct. 10, 2018: Sarasota County still contemplating uses for land near Celery Fields

Sarasota News Leader Fresh Start Initiative leaders plead for County Commission to undertake commonsense approach to future planning around Celery Fields, making use of connectivity and recreational opportunities  (For non subscribers: Link courtesy of publisher)

Herald Tribune  Matrullo: Protect sites near Celery Fields

Sarasota News Leader The goal is to maintain a welcoming place

WWSB ABC 7 MySuncoast: Community group leaves disappointed by Commissioners response to Celery Fields proposal  (Taylor Torregano reporting, 9.12.18

Herald Tribune: Plans for land around Sarasota County’s famed Celery Fields still up in the air

Local Group Turns In Celery Fields Proposals - (video) Taylor Torregano reporting, 7.13.18



WWSB ABC 7 Fresh Start Initiative Submits Proposals for Celery Fields (print)

WUSF Tampa: A Community Group Presents How Public Wants To Use Land At Celery Fields In Sarasota 7.12.18

"Cultivating Happy Accidents" - Urban Planner Daniel Herriges discusses the Celery Fields public lands and the Legacy Trail controversy in addressing land use practices in Sarasota County, in Strong Towns.
The root problem is that Sarasota County will have budget shortfalls for the foreseeable future because its development pattern is unproductive.





Herald Tribune
Sarasota County extends deadline for Celery Fields development plan April 25, 2018


Sarasota News Leader



The Observer

Commission eager to find profitable use for Celery Fields properties April 25, 2018

Group to give ideas for land by Celery Fields April 18, 2018

Residents to give commission ideas for future of county-owned land Dec. 7, 2017

Commission votes not to allow recycling facility outside of Celery Fields, Aug. 23, 2017


Herald Tribune
Celery Fields advocates propose uses for surrounding land

FPL weighs option on transmission line route east of Interstate 75

Lyons: Why so much county welcome for an unwanted neighbor?


WMNF Tampa: Sarasota environmentalists oppose waste facility near Celery Fields

WGCU (NPR Fort Myers-Naples-Sarasota) + WUSF (NPR Tampa)
Sarasota Planning Board Rejects Plant at Celery Fields, June 2, 2017
Celery Fields Birding Enthusiasts Hope Serenity Remains, June 14, 2017
National Audubon Society President Focuses on Florida


2.25.17 Bradenton Times: Sarasota Stalks Celery Fields for Recycling Plant

WWSB TV - ABC7
***Alan Cohen interviews Cathy Antunes, Audubon's Rob Wright, and former Sarasota Commissioner Jon Thaxton about the influence of money upon County Officials:***





WTSP 10 Tampa

WSLR Sarasota


WSLR Sarasota

Peace & Justice Weds Aug 16, 2017 – 9 a.m. – Sarasota Sustainability and Celery Fields


CeleryFields.org

Celery Fields in the News - 16 news stories about the Celery Fields


WSRQ - The Detail: Cathy Antunes Show
Jan 20, 2017 - Tom Matrullo
Feb. 10, 2017 - Adrien Lucas & Tom Matrullo
Feb. 24, 2017 - Rob Wright
March 3, 2017 - Wade Matthews
April 7, 2017 - Adrien Lucas & Tom Matrullo
May 26, 2017 - Glenna Blomquist, Brian Lichterman, Jono Miller, Tom Matrullo
June 9, 2017 - Carlos Correa & Luigi Verace
Aug. 18, 2017 - Adrien Lucas
Aug. 25, 2017 - Adrien Lucas & Tom Matrullo
Dec. 1, 2017 - Elizabeth Gomez-Mayo, Dan Kriwitzky & Tom Matrullo
April 20, 2018 - Carlos Correa & Gary Walsh 

Control Growth Now News

CONA Sarasota Meetings

Herald Tribune Letters to the Editor

County should postpone sale of lands next to Celery Fields

Debris Plant at Celery Fields - Jono Miller

NEXT . . .


Scope of Critical Area Plan is what's critical

published 5.13.19 in The Herald Tribune

Opinion

Matrullo: A big idea near the Celery Fields


On Tuesday, Sarasota County will conduct a public workshop, part of a detailed study of some 38 acres of public lands adjacent to the Celery Fields known as “the Quads.” These four parcels galvanized public attention in 2017 when it became known that one parcel might be sold to a developer for a 16-acre waste processing plant.
The Quads sit at the center of a landscape in radical transition, between an aging industrial sector with giant-truck traffic on thin roads to the west; and to the east, 360 acres of open space featuring wetlands attractive to more than 220 bird species, and the unique “Mount Celery” offering humans great recreation and startling views.
The County Commission’s commendable decision to formally analyze the area’s roads, drainage, mobility constraints and more came after realizing that nothing can be done here without upgrades to the infrastructure. When such changes are considered, public comment is required.
The public’s opportunity comes at 6 p.m. Tuesday, when planners will gather input from “stakeholders” — residents, visitors, warehouse landlords, bird lovers and more — at a workshop at the Church of Hope, 1560 Wendell Kent Road.
Last year, citizens fearful of industrial development spent 10 months working on alternative ideas for the Quads. A cornucopia of ideas poured from our communities. Among them: public gardens, urban forests, meeting and exhibition rooms, an ecolodge, visitors center, exercise areas and infrastructure improvements to better serve our residents, visitors and wildlife.
The commissioners went with a different initiative, hiring a Miami firm to assess one parcel for sale, with an eye toward price, without examining compatibility or feasibility. Industry was recommended for the northwest parcel. A final decision about rezoning the parcels is expected in August. Meanwhile, James Gabbert has begun building a waste-transfer facility adjacent to the southwest parcel.
Commissioners Al Maio and Mike Moran have favored selling our land to private developers. But a far more transformative prospect is staring us in the face: a highway flyover with bicycle, pedestrian and automobile lanes is planned to connect University Town Center/Benderson with the new Waterside development and the Celery Fields. We wouldn’t need the highway — or even a car — to go from one end of this tri-dimensional area to the other.
How does this relate to the Quads? They sit at a key intersection: No car or bicycle can go from Benderson or Waterside to the Celery Fields without going through our public parcels.
Industry would add trucks, deaden walkability, and degrade visitor experience. Configured for recreational community, and visitor uses through a modest investment of tourist tax dollars, the Quads add value to this larger economic catalyst in revitalizing highway neighborhoods and businesses.
At Tuesday’s workshop, planners will listen to the public’s ideas about the Quads. But will the County Commission? Can we turn the county’s thinking in a positive direction?
Our commissioners have the power to create new value: an inland environment engaging three large and diverse assets with manifold synergies would make for a superb large-scale destination. Will the board instead choose to sell our lands so private developers can profit? Their decision will be permanent, and deeply concerns us all.
So here’s a suggestion: We citizens can offer thoughts, but we’re not Frederick Law Olmsted.
The county needs to retain a visionary planner — today’s Olmsted or John Nolen — to ensure that these three fine areas connect in a diverse, balanced, and accessible way. Because this public opportunity is big — unless our officials choose to make it small.
Tom Matrullo, a Sarasota County resident, has been actively working on Celery Fields issues for several years.



Monday, May 13, 2019

Sarasota Audubon: Nurturing uses for our public lands at the Celery Fields


Public Planning Workshop: Tuesday May 14, 6 p.m.
Church of Hope: 1560 Wendell Kent Road, 34240

Jeanne Dubi's SRQBirdAlert:

On Tuesday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at the Church of Hope, Sarasota County staffers will hear plans proposed by various groups for the Quad parcels at the intersection of Apex/Palmer Blvd at the Celery Fields. Sarasota Audubon is submitting its Audubon Woods plan for the Quad parcels.


It would buffer the Celery Fields from further development while expanding and enhancing bird habitat and providing more opportunities for passive recreation; ADA  accessible paths through a woodland are included.


We’ve targeted 2 species that used to call the Celery Fields area home: Eastern Towhee and Northern Bobwhite. We also witnessed the dislocation of Bald Eagles’ nesting areas as development encroached upon them. Creating a buffer around the Celery Fields is crucial.


As part of a wider vision for the Celery Fields and the surrounding areas, the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is developing a Rural Conservation Area plan. Once put in place, this would protect the lands east of Center Road and west of Tatum School from intense housing development. Sarasota Audubon wholeheartedly endorses this plan.


Other plans range from intense use to sensible use. Please come out to “see and hear” on Tuesday. The more we know, the more we can plan our strategies to protect the Celery Fields. Not all plans have been uploaded to the SC.gov website, but here are some.
                                                                       Jeanne Dubi, Sarasota Audubon
                                                                     Audubon Woods imagery here

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Information page for Quads Critical Area Plan Workshop

The planning workshop that seeks public input on rezoning the public lands at the Celery Fields will be held at 6 pm, May 14, at the Church of Hope1560 Wendell Kent Rd, Sarasota, FL 34240. 

The Planning Department has posted community input and proposals here:

>>Index to county planning links <<
   
      Documents prepared by the Planning Department include:

1. Memorandum from Planning

2. Community proposals via the 2018 Fresh Start process:
3. Reports to the Board from Fresh Start: 7.11.17 and 9.12.17

     Proposals are still coming in, so more will probably be added to this page.

This is the one opportunity for all who love the Celery Fields to come, listen, and voice their thoughts and concerns. The workshop begins at 6 pm - 


at the Church of Hope, 1560 Wendell Kent Rd, Sarasota, FL 34240, where James Gabbert introduced his proposal for a waste processing facility in January 2017. 

The public record of this workshop goes to the Board, which will decide the future of these public lands. Here are some of our concerns:

Not everyone on the Board sees the point of using public lands for the public good. With thoughtful stewardship, public lands can provide needed public facilities and activities. Why sell them to enrich a couple of private developers?

Industrial uses will generate traffic, noise, dead space incompatible with the developing natural beauty of the Celery Fields area, and its recreational potential.

The scope of this process is narrow. When Gabbert proposed his waste processing facility, the county failed to acknowledge the existence of the Celery Fields. This plan should not exclude important considerations that PLANNING should be thinking about now:
1 - future protective measures for wildlife, residents and visitors;
2 - the impacts of coming growth in East County;
3 - quality of life benefits from safe roads and a tranquil environment.
With care and intelligent stewardship, this very special area will return investments a hundredfold -- more about this here.




Public Input on uses for public lands - workshop set for May 14

The planning workshop that seeks public input on rezoning the public lands at the Celery Fields will be held on May 14 at the Church of Hope, at 6 pm. 

Photo courtesy of Chuck Behrmann
That's the same hall where Mr. Gabbert presented his proposed waste processing facility in Jan. 2017. It is located at 1560 Wendell Kent Road Sarasota, Florida, 34240.

Fresh Start's proposals for the Quads -- public lands at Apex and Palmer -- will be among those presented at the workshop. To make sure all the essential materials, reports and proposals are open for consideration, we're sending the following documents to the Planning Dept.:


We'd welcome co-signers from the communities that care about this issue on the email that will accompany these documents. Please let us know quite soon if you'd like it to include your name.

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Leveraging a triptych of public lands for all to benefit

Florida’s ideal outdoor recreation system will be a diverse, connected, accessible and balanced system of resources, facilities and programs that provides the state’s residents and visitors with a wide range of local recreation opportunities. Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
A careful look at the public “Quad” parcels at the Celery Fields reveals a key area in radical transition. Sarasota County’s Critical Area Plan is now studying the parcels and surroundings for compatibilities and potential enhancements.

The Board’s commendable decision to do this study plays into a stunning new opportunity for residents and visitors. We must seize it now, because East County is about to change dramatically. 

In a few years, a highway flyover will connect UTC/Benderson west of I-75 with roads and trails to the East and South.

Planned Benderson/Waterside Flyover
From Benderson, Lakewood Ranch Boulevard will run east through SMR's Waterside, continuing south through the Quad parcels to the Celery Fields. This will form a "triptych" of three key areas, all linked without need of the highway.

Safe circulation through this large interconnected area will open new possibilities for bicyclists, pedestrians and runners. Marathons, triathlons, and cycling events can begin at Nathan Benderson Park, “fly over” the highway, and circulate on public trails through Waterside to Mt. Celery. Such iconic visibility will bring new visitors to the entire area.

At UTC/Benderson visitors will enjoy restaurants, shopping, the rowing park and eventually Mote Aquarium; in Waterside they’ll explore trails before reaching the tranquil environment of the Celery Fields for hiking, birding, kayaking and picnicking (as well as the lions, tigers of Big Cat Habitat) in one of the most beautiful spots in Sarasota.

Everyone going to Audubon or Big Cat at the Celery Fields has to pass through the Quads parcels on the way. These lands sit at a key intersection, where they can strategically serve to:
  • Buffer the Celery Fields with gardens and an urban forest on Parcel #1;
  • Provide parking, food, a bus loop and visitors center on parcels #2 and #3 to meet future needs; and,
  • Optimize the experience for residents, businesses, schools, and visitors. Tree canopied sidewalks and trails will integrate stranded assets like the Celery Fields' north waterway and Ackerman Park with Audubon's birdwalks and Big Cat Habitat.
Public land stewardship should leverage our properties to realize broad value and meaningful public benefit. The result of this new framework will be a powerful economic catalyst, revitalizing surrounding neighborhoods and business districts.

A modest investment of tourist tax dollars will optimize the Quads and the Celery Fields area to safely handle future visitors. So much is here to offer. Let’s create a superb inland environment -- an ecological and recreational Triptych we can all be proud of.


Note: The above is a summary. Read the full proposition at this link: "Diverse, connected, accessible and balanced:" a Community Proposition for the Quad Parcels

- Submitted to the Critical Area Plan Workshop May 14, 2019

-- Tom Matrullo

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Our chance to speak for public lands

Courtesy of the Sarasota News Leader

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May 14 workshop first step in analyzing potential future development around the Celery Fields

May 2, 2019 by Rachel Brown Hackney, Editor & Publisher

Sarasota County staff seeking public participation in session at Church of Hope on Wendell Kent Road

A graphic shows the three ‘Quads’ parcels (outlined in red) originally under consideration for sale as surplus land. The Northeast Quad is home to a stormwater pond. Image courtesy Sarasota County

On Tuesday, May 14, Sarasota County staff will hold a workshop to begin discussions that could lead to new policies regarding development in the vicinity of the Celery Fields.
Formally, the event will focus on an analysis of the Critical Area Plan (CAP) for the Interstate 75/Fruitville Road Major Employment Center area. The County Commission authorized the scope of work for the study after a staff presentation on Jan. 30.
In preparation for the May 14 session, supporters of the Celery Fields have been at work on new proposals for the adjacent, county-owned parcels called the “Quads.” Last year, the County Commission allowed a group called the Fresh Start Initiative to recommend potential uses on the Quads that its members felt would be compatible with the Celery Fields, which has grown into an internationally known bird-watching park.
Although the Celery Fields was created as a major stormwater project, it is home — especially during the annual migratory season — to a vast array of avian species, its advocates have stressed to the County Commission.
Commissioners heard the final Fresh Start presentation in September 2018. After months of meetings conducted to winnow ideas from representatives of about 50 homeowner associations in the vicinity of the Quads, Fresh Start leaders implored the board members to take a commonsense, holistic approach to future planning in the area.
Among the ideas the Fresh Start group suggested for specific parcels of the Quads were an outdoor sports complex, a multi-use pavilion and buffer/visitor center, and an ecotourist lodge with a restaurant.
The commissioners did not ask staff to pursue any of the ideas.


This graphic shows the area of the Fruitville Road/I-75 Major Employment Center CAP and surrounding areas. Image courtesy Sarasota County

Additionally, in late November 2017, the commissioners directed staff to hire a consultant to analyze the potential for the sale and development of the county-owned Northwest Quad. After listening to an October 2018 presentation on the resulting report, then-Commissioner Paul Caragiulo cited ongoing concerns about the insufficiency of the road infrastructure in the area of the Quads to support any development. He indicated that a new industrial use — as the consulting firm, Lambert Advisory LLC of Miami, had suggested — could lead to greater safety issues.
Caragiulo then won unanimous support from his colleagues for staff to reopen the CAP that governs development of the area near Fruitville Road and I-75, so the Quads could be included in that CAP. The May 14 workshop is one step on that path.
The workshop has been scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Church of Hope, located at 1560 Wendell Kent Road.


This is one vista from the Celery Fields in eastern Sarasota County. image courtesy Sarasota County

A county news release about the session explains, “The purpose of this workshop is to provide the public information on the nature of the CAP study, and for staff to hear public comment on the study and other issues of concern in the area.”
Those unable to attend the workshop who would like to offer comments or ideas may mail them to Planning Services, 1660 Ringling Blvd., 1st Floor, Sarasota, FL 34236; email them to Planner@scgov.net; or call the county Contact Center at 861-5000, the release points out.
“Background information and supporting documents for the workshop can be found on the Planning and Development Services Calendar online at https://www.scgov.net/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/10155/5467or www.scgov.net; keyword: PDS Calendar, the release adds.
Proposals aplenty
The Planning and Development Services webpage already lists a number of proposals people have submitted for consideration as part of the CAP analysis.


Last year, the YMCA proposed a sports complex on one of the county-owned parcels next to the Celery Fields. Image courtesy Fresh Start Initiative

Further, leaders of the Fresh Start Initiative have offered comments in advance of the workshop. “The public record of this workshop goes to the [County Commission], which will decide the future of these public lands,” they wrote. Among their concerns, they added, are the following, with their emphasis.
  • “Not everyone on the Board sees the point of using public lands for the public good. With thoughtful stewardship, public lands can provide needed public facilities and activities. Why sell them to enrich a couple of private developers?” (In late 2017, facing gaps in future budgets, the County Commission talked at length about selling surplus county property. The Quads were part of that discussion, though no effort is underway to market the parcels, pending the outcome of the new CAP analysis.)
  • Industrial uses will generate traffic, noise [and] dead space incompatible with the developing natural beauty of the Celery Fields area, and its recreational potential.
  • The scope of this process is narrow.… This plan should not exclude important considerations that PLANNING should be thinking about now, such as “future protective measures for wildlife, residents and visitors”; “the impacts of coming growth in East County”; and quality-of-life “benefits from safe roads and a tranquil environment.”
The following is a sampling of other comments county staff has received:
  • The Community Land Trust of Sarasota, which describes itself as a not-for-profit entity “chartered to hold land in stewardship for all mankind, present and future, while preserving and protecting the legitimate use-rights of its residents,” proposes the Celery Fields Community Estate (CFCE).


This graphic shows potential development of Quads 1 and 2, as proposed by the Community Land Trust of Sarasota. Image courtesy Sarasota County
This graphic from the Community Land Trust of Sarasota shows potential development on the Northwest and Northeast Quads. Image courtesy Sarasota County

Among the components of the CFCE, the organization says, would be additional public parkland, a multi-use conference center, a farm-to-table restaurant, a public pavilion and café, and tiny home developments.
  • Former Sarasota City Commissioner Susan Chapman suggests that the Quads be used as an auxiliary location for Selby Gardens’ greenhouses “and protected storage for priceless collections. A library could be built for the preservation of the rare horticultural books.”

  • Jono Miller, retired director of New College’s Environmental Studies Program, wrote that he would “love to come brainstorm” the following idea with knowledgeable birders: how to simultaneously increase stormwater capacity, diversify the habitat types at the Celery Fields, create two types of roosting/nesting areas over water, create a restaurant “with great two-story views of the roosting/nesting areas” and provide a place for birders to stay next to the Celery Fields.

  • A combination of a community co-op garden, a butterfly garden, a sculpture garden and an area with affordable housing for artists that would incorporate studios and teaching and production space.

  • Greg Para, who has operated his nonprofit Sarasota Parrot Conservatory out of his home office and a large sanctuary in Manatee County, wrote that he would like to relocate the nonprofit’s facilities to the Quads. From that location, he indicated, he could continue to provide avian therapy for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); undertake excursions with the birds to senior centers; and plan events for pediatric cancer patients.

  • Another person proposed a wildlife and bird rehab center, with, perhaps, a children’s educational center and art center/gallery promoting Florida artists.

  • Jono Miller and Rob Wright, conservation chair of the Sarasota Audubon Society, suggest that the county History Center could be relocated to the Southwest Quad, where it would have much more space to showcase its collection.