Statement to Board at discussion of Lambert industrial recommendation at Celery Fields

Quad parcel #3 is near the Celery Fields, not far from an elementary school, surrounded by thousands of new housing units you have recently approved. It’s owned by the public.

Last year, when two developers tried to buy and industrialize these public lands, you saw -- and heard -- heartfelt public opposition.

Now that the Board itself is playing the role of industrial developer, people will naturally ask why. They’ll want you to show that the proposed intensification will not endanger persons, property values, roads, or the community. None is in your paperwork for this discussion.

Does the lack of analysis mean that the public, who own this land, should not expect accountability, but instead just give you our trust?

Perhaps it’s difficult for you to offer a reason because this plan is not reasonable.

You have a letter from Fresh Start that summarizes numerous reasons why this plan and the study it’s based on are inadequate.

I have time for just one factor: You’ve approved six housing projects -- Worthington, Artistry, Sylvan Lea, Garden Village, Live Oak, and the Fruitville Initiative - a total of 3,470 new homes within a short walk or drive from parcel 3 and the Celery Fields.

At the same time, you’re seeking to allow an 80,000-square-foot industrial facility on parcel #3.

It’s as if you are seeing two completely incompatible versions of the same place at the same time. Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Waechter told you these fragile roads are already too full of dangerous large trucks to allow for a simple public park. Well how much more dangerous will they be after all the new homes are built, along with the 80,000-square-foot industrial facility?

What you in fact are planning is a slow motion car wreck -- a collision of industry and human lives that will imperil people, property, and community.

This can happen when you blind yourself to the larger picture.

At the same time, you’ve made no provision for the Celery Fields. It’s a pretty magnificent place, which many counties would consider themselves lucky to have. It needs some simple things -- parking, a shaded cafe, an exercise area.

Last month Fresh Start respectfully proposed that the Board dedicate the Celery Fields Quads to beneficial public uses in perpetuity

It’s a good plan. Stop this effort to put industry that no one wants in a place it no longer belongs. Stop it today, forever. Your communities, tourists, our children and 225 species of highly discriminating birds will thank you.

-- Tom Matrullo

After hearing from the consultant and considerable discussion, the Board of Sarasota County Commissioners agreed to direct staff to study reopening the Critical Area Plan for the Quad Parcels for possible modifications, and to come back after Jan. 1, 2019.

Letter to the Sarasota Board regarding proposed industrialization near Celery Fields

Celery Fields courtesy of Emanuel Guzman

To: The Board of Sarasota County Commissioners
Re: Fresh Start statement in response to Lambert assessment industrializing parcel #3
Date: October 8, 2018

On Wednesday morning, Oct. 10, 2018, you will discuss an outside consultant’s recommendation to rezone a public parcel at Apex Rd. and Palmer Blvd. to industrial use.

As many are aware, Fresh Start has engaged in a nine-month dialog with the Board and staff regarding the fate of public lands in the Celery Fields Area. Yet despite this effort at mutual understanding, key questions remain unanswered.

Some of these questions specifically concern the recently completed assessment by your consultant, Lambert Advisory LLC -- an assessment based on spreadsheet comparables to the exclusion of real world considerations, such as road conditions or community values.

Other questions concern larger issues of planning and policy which lie at the root of land stewardship at this critical moment in the development of Northeast Sarasota County.

Take Surplus Land Policy for example: Before all else, why sell public land? Once sold, it’s gone forever. Neither the Lambert assessment nor the staff briefing states any reason why it benefits the community to sell this land.

Piecemeal planning: You have plucked one parcel (#3) from a complex interconnected area in transition and are seeking to rezone it for industry -- a use appropriate to 1983 -- without a glance at the larger relevant context. Fresh Start spent 9 months attempting to paint this larger picture from the residents' perspective. As stewards of our public lands, what proactive vision is guiding you now and for the coming explosion of development in East Sarasota?

MEC and Industry: Lambert Advisory's blunt determination that "industry" -- with no qualification as to what sort of industry -- would bring the highest price for parcel #3 is at odds with market activity at the Fruitville Initiative. That nearby area has more than 200 acres, all of which, like parcel #3, are designated MEC, but there appears to be no demand for industry. Various plans submitted to the County for the Fruitville Initiative are all multi-family residential. Given that these property owners presumably are marketing their properties to the highest and best use, there seems to be a significant disconnect between the reality created by the Lambert report and what's actually occurring on the ground. The Lambert finding warrants rigorous review and reconciliation to assure that the return on the public’s investment is not being short-changed.

Scoping task #4: Fresh Start asked to communicate with Lambert while the Consultant was doing its research. County staff opposed any communication:

Out of an abundance of caution to the process, I would not be comfortable with a private group directly communicating with a consultant on an item that will culminate in a quasi-hearing on a Board directive that was decidedly different from your own. (Email from county planner to Fresh Start dated 7.2.18).

How did this sidelining of the community advance the consultant’s task, which was to base findings on "a general understanding of the community and its residents"? (Scope #4).

Actual Road Conditions: Road conditions were the largest factor in last year's hearings concerning proposed industrial uses on parcel 2. To an inquiry from Fresh Start as to what information the County provided to Lambert regarding roads and traffic, the Lambert researcher replied:

At the time of the study, we were not aware of any documented issues related to development constraints, including roadway capacity.

• Why was essential data about the fragile road situation on Palmer Blvd. and Apex Rd not provided to the consultant? 
• Developer James Gabbert estimates that his Waste Transfer Station planned for six acres along Porter Rd. and Palmer Boulevard will generate at least 100 trucks a day, entering and leaving his new facility at Palmer and Bell Rd. 
• The Board expressed concern about road conditions on Sept. 12 when Fresh Start discussed light recreational and civic uses on these parcels. Where’s that concern now?

Foregrounding Industry: Anyone driving along Palmer Blvd. and Apex Rd. would not know there are small industrial and office parks nearby -- they are hidden by landscaping, by Ackerman Park, and by office buildings. Rezoning parcel #3 for industry redefines the character of the area -- from open space rural to industrial -- the very thing residents area have strongly opposed since January 2017.

Domino Effect: If parcel #3 goes to industry, parcel #2 will be surrounded by industrial uses on three sides. Mr. Gabbert's waste transfer station is already in the works for the six acres along the west side of parcel #2; Robert Waechter owns warehouses screened by trees immediately south of it. How long will it take before someone proposes that it “makes sense” to rezone parcel #2 for industry?

Irreparable damage

For these good reasons and more, Fresh Start opposes Sarasota County's rezoning and sale of any of our public lands at Apex and Palmer to private industrial developers. Approving industry here will compromise everything that planning is supposed to be about: Optimizing road safety, environment, community resources, aesthetics and economic value.

Sarasota has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the rare counties that's met developers seeking uncontrolled growth with intelligent restraint, a sense of design, and an awareness of tradition.

As our nine-month effort has made clear, many commonsense, beneficial alternatives exist for these public parcels. We urge you to respect this place of birds, fresh air and open space -- respect this unique place and the people from near and far who love it.

While the Celery Fields area itself lacks sufficient parking and complementary amenities such as a place for a bite to eat, where are the County’s plans for those real needs? Instead you are spending tax dollars to rezone a public parcel without a buyer in sight, or any industrial proposal on the table.

On Sept. 12 Fresh Start respectfully asked that you adopt a basic resolution:

• To dedicate the Celery Fields Quads to beneficial public uses in perpetuity;
• To actively seek and formally approve uses for these lands only after completing careful study of trending markets and opportunities; and
• To invest in a plan that realizes the community’s vision.

We remain steadfast in supporting this course of action.

If you go forward with this rezoning, Sarasota will be known as the place where, over the unequivocal opposition of its citizens, the Board compromised the safety, the environmental health, and the future prospects of a pristine 360-acre birding sanctuary, recreation, tourism and residential area.

Sincerely,

Glenna Blomquist, Carlos Correa, Tom Matrullo, Gary Walsh

Executive Council for the Fresh Start Initiative

From November 2017 to September 2018, Fresh Start invested well over 1,000 volunteer hours gathering ideas, community support, and expert perspectives on the Celery Fields Area. Its July report is here. A "big picture" presentation is incorporated in this report, which was presented to the Board on Sept. 12. 2018 in video format. More about the Lambert Advisory report here and here.

Fresh Start Statement on Plan to Industrialize Quad Parcel #3

To:    The Board of Sarasota County Commissioners
Re:    Fresh Start statement in response to Lambert assessment industrializing parcel #3
Date: October 4, 2018

As many know, Fresh Start has engaged in a nine-month dialog with you and and staff regarding the fate of public lands in the Celery Fields Area. We've sought to understand why you would go against clear public opposition to industry at the Celery Fields. So far, answers have not been forthcoming.

Quad parcels near Celery Fields

A Consultant's recommendation to industrialize public Quad parcel #3 raises additional serious questions, both about how it was done, and more broadly why you would spend good money ($61,209) on a report that looks solely at monetary considerations to the exclusion of all else.

Some of our questions address larger issues of planning and policy. Others specifically concern the handling of the recently completed assessment by your consultant, Lambert Advisory LLC.

Surplus Land Policy: Why do you believe it's a good idea to sell public land? Why would you accept a "highest and best use" assessment that ignores traffic, environment, economic potential, quality of life, and basically everything that matters to residents? What benefit do you believe would accrue to anyone other than the private industrial purchaser of this parcel?

Planning: We have long sought to discuss a certain piecemeal approach to planning. Here, for example, you plucked one parcel (#3) from a complex interconnected area in transition and seek to rezone it -- to something appropriate in 1983 -- without a glance at the larger picture. Fresh Start spent 9 months attempting to paint this larger picture of an area undergoing major changes from the residents' perspective. As stewards of our public lands, surely you see the virtue of proactive integrated planning?

MEC and Industry: Lambert Advisory's blunt determination that "industry" -- with no qualification as to what sort of industry -- would bring the highest price for parcel #3 is at odds with market activity at the Fruitville Initiative. That nearby area has more than 200 acres, which, like parcel #3, are all designated MEC. 

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In reviewing various plans submitted to the County within the Fruitville Initiative's MEC area, it appears that proposed land uses are all multi-family residential. Further, it is our understanding that while office and retail uses are also being considered, there appears to be little interest in industry. Given that these property owners presumably are marketing their properties to the highest and best use, there seems to be a significant disconnect between the reality created by the Lambert report and what's actually occurring on the ground. Therefore, the Lambert finding warrants rigorous review and reconciliation to assure that the return on the public’s investment is not being short-changed.

Scoping task #4: Fresh Start asked to communicate with Lambert while the Consultant was doing its research. County staff opposed any communication:

Out of an abundance of caution to the process, I would not be comfortable with a private group directly communicating with a consultant on an item that will culminate in a quasi-hearing on a Board directive that was decidedly different from your own. (Email from county planner Michele Norton to Fresh Start dated 7.2.18).

How did this obstruction advance the intent of the county's contractually tasking the consultant (in Scope #4) to base his findings on "a general understanding of the community and its residents"?

Roads and Traffic: Road conditions were the largest factor in last year's hearings concerning industry on parcel 2. To an inquiry from Fresh Start as to what information the County provided to Lambert regarding roads and traffic, Eric Liff, the Lambert employee who did the main research for the report, replied:

At the time of the study, we were not aware of any documented issues related to development constraints, including roadway capacity.  

• Why was the Consultant tasked with assessing highest and best use not provided with essential data about the fragile road situation on Palmer Blvd. and Apex Rd? 

• Was Lambert informed of Mr. Gabbert's Waste Transfer Station planned at Porter Rd. and Palmer Boulevard? Mr. Gabbert has said his industrial waste operation will generate at least 100 trucks a day entering and leaving his facility at Palmer and Bell Rd.  

• If Lambert was not provided with all pertinent road and traffic study data for this "assessment," what possible relation to reality is the Consultant's conclusion?

Waechter warehouse ILW

Domino Effect: If parcel #3 goes to industry, parcel #2 will be surrounded by industrial uses on three sides. Mr. Gabbert's waste transfer station is already in the works for the six acres along Porter Rd. adjacent to the west side of parcel #2; Robert Waechter owns warehousing immediately south of it.

How long before someone comes to you proposing that parcel #2 should be rezoned for industry?


Avoid irreparable damage

For these good reasons and more, Fresh Start opposes Sarasota County's rezoning and sale of our public lands at Apex and Palmer to private industrial developers. Approving industry here will compromise everything planning is supposed to be about: Optimizing road safety, environment, community resources, aesthetics and economic value.

Sarasota has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the rare counties that's met developers seeking uncontrolled growth with intelligent restraint, a sense of design, and an awareness of tradition.

Should you go forward with this recommendation, you'll re-brand this county. Sarasota will be known as the place where, over the unequivocal opposition of its citizens, the Board compromised a 360-acre sanctuary, recreation and residential area.

As our nine-month effort has made clear, many commonsense, beneficial alternatives exist for these public parcels. Instead of selling our land for industrial use, we respectfully ask that you adopt this proposed resolution:

Sincerely,

Glenna Blomquist, Carlos Correa, Tom Matrullo, Gary Walsh
Executive Council for the Fresh Start Initiative

Fresh Start has spent well over 1,000 volunteer hours gathering ideas, community support, and expert perspectives on the Celery Fields Area. Its July report is here. A "big picture" presentation is incorporated in this report, which was presented to the Board on Sept. 12. 2018 in video format. More about the Lambert Advisory report here and here.

Group to present "common sense perspective" on public lands at the Celery Fields

Media Advisory

Contacts: 

Glenna Blomquist 941-556-9526 || Tom Matrullo  941-321-7663 || 

Gary Walsh  941-377-9077 || Carlos Correa 941-735-8385

A common sense approach to planning for our common good

A citizens group will present the findings of a nine-month community process focused on public lands adjacent to the Celery Fields on Wednesday, September 12, to the Board of Sarasota County Commissioners. 

The presentation will begin around 9:30 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 1660 Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota. As it is not a hearing, public input will be limited to 3 minutes before or after the agenda.

"We'll offer the perspective and vision of residents and visitors as to what these public parcels can do for our communities," said Glenna Blomquist, a member of Fresh Start. Since last December, the group has been working with HOAs in the area to identify viable and beneficial uses for the "Quad parcels" at the intersection of Palmer Boulevard and Apex Road, just west of the Celery Fields birding and recreation area and the Sarasota Audubon Nature Center.

The Celery Fields began as a stormwater management project, but has grown into a treasured spot for residents and visitors -- many drawn to its extraordinary bird population. Over 224 species, both native and migrating, have been sighted and photographed by bird lovers.

Last year two developers sought to purchase public parcels #2 and #3 in the quads, a distance of .8 mile from the birding area: one for a giant Restaurant Depot warehouse, the other for an even larger waste processing facility. The community outcry was substantial, including rallies and hours of public testimony. Both proposals ultimately failed, but the County never took the parcels off of the surplus lands list, or revised the land use designations that were set in 1981. That keeps the door open for industrial development.

"This is a highly popular Florida destination on the verge of an explosion of new development east of the highway" (I-75), said Tom Matrullo, another member of Fresh Start. "Our first thought was, why haven't these old designations been updated to reflect the tremendous changes that have come, with so much more transformation on the way?"

"The Quads"

On Wednesday the group will offer what it describes as a "carefully reasoned, but passionate analysis" of the Celery Fields context. It will examine current approved new housing development east of the highway, and zoom in on new developments immediate to the Quad parcels.

In addition to the four proposed uses determined to be most favored by representatives of 50 HOAs in the area:

• multi-use community center
• themed birding lodge and restaurant
• shops, cafes and affordable housing
• outdoor sports courts and fields 

the group will ask the Board to adopt a resolution dedicating these public lands, a total of some 30 acres, for the benefit of the public. It will also present a petition (still open) that quickly gathered more than 1,000 signatures in support of the effort.

"When you look at everything that's changed here -- from the amazing Celery Fields to the neighborhoods and Tatum Ridge School -- and then look at the big picture of where this is all going, it becomes clear that the county should invest in creating a place that both buffers the Celery Fields and supports it with complementary uses," said Gary Walsh, president of the Meadow Walk HOA.

Those uses could include any of the four already proposed, or some new combination the community prefers -- just not industry, says Carlos Correa, president of The Enclave. "We've spoken with many, many people -- not only in our communities, but planners, architects, environmentalists and visitors drawn to the area by the beauty and birding of the Celery Fields."

Looking west from "Mt. Celery"

"Gentle cultivation, not harsh industrialization," is the message on the group's blog called Fresh Start for the Celery Fields.

A Miami firm's recent analysis commissioned by the County came back with the finding that industry would be the "highest and best use" of one of the quad parcels -- parcel #3. Fresh Start notes that "highest and best use" is a term of art that looks only at potential monetization of a property, divorced from all else -- its local context (traffic, etc), community values, market trends, future economic viability and more. (More response to Lambert here.)

"The 49-page report (by Lambert Advisory LLC ) mentioned the Celery Fields twice in passing, but offered no analysis of potential impacts. It even failed to address issues from large industrial trucks," said Matrullo.

The Lambert report did not say what kind of industry might be suitable for this location. It made no distinction between a giant warehouse, a waste processing plant, or a clean, high-paying high-tech firm, said Walsh.

"When you look at all the factors -- not just dollars -- the choice seems pretty clear," says Correa. "Either you make a place that disrupts the natural beauty, flow, and preferred community uses, or you look to what the community wants and needs."

"The educational, social, and economic possibilities of the county's investing in a multi-faceted community center hold enormous value for the people," says Matrullo. "Private industry will benefit the industrial developer alone."

Fresh Start hopes to persuade the County Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 12 to look more holistically at a plan that would catalyze the unusual set of assets that includes the Celery Fields, Ackerman Park, Big Cat Habitat, and the Palmer Boulevard underpass to the Packinghouse district.

"If we don't form a common sense plan, we'll end up with fragments that add up to less than the sum of their parts," said Blomquist.