Sarasota County Commission OKs amendment to allow UTC growth plan
UNIVERSITY PARK -- The Sarasota County Commission gave the green light Tuesday to an expanded and reconfigured University Town Center growth plan.
Despite a significant number of questions from the commissioners during a public hearing about the plan, they unanimously OK'd the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the 281-acre property located to the southwest of the Mall at University Town Center.
The amendment will now be transmitted to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for review and comment before returning to the commission in an adoption public hearing scheduled for May 6.
University Park's Benderson Development wants to build an additional 600,000 square feet of retail space and 100,000 square feet of office space. Up to 1,750 homes could also be built on the land.
Todd Mathes, Benderson Development director of development, said the plan provides "a mix of uses which creates jobs and new opportunities" and delivers on the county's expectation.
"The final phase of UTC is true to the vision in our mind," Mathes said during the public hearing. "We have the commitment and resources to deliver this to Sarasota County. ... We started this project a long time ago and it has continuously evolved. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity."
Environmental impacts of the plan were discussed Tuesday, since Benderson is proposing to build on about 20 acres of conservation lands on the northeast and southwest sections of the property. To mitigate the impacted wetlands, Benderson Development wants to turn land it owns in Manatee County near Cooper Creek Boulevard and I-75 into a conservation easement.
Methods to relieve traffic congestion were presented to the commissioners, including the addition of two roundabouts on Cooper Creek Boulevard, a trolley expected to begin operation in 2015 and new signal timing that will recognize changes in traffic congestion.
"We are bringing trolleys to University Town Center," Mathes said, adding that the trolleys will link up with Sarasota County Area Transit and Manatee County Area Transit. "We are doing this. ... We haven't set some lofty, unattainable goal. We think we will be successful."
Commissioner Charles Hines said he is in favor of the trolley, but expressed his concern that people are naturally lazy and may opt for a car to drive to the other shopping strips along University Parkway.
"I like the idea of this trolley," Hines said. "I like the idea of incentives to employees who work there."
Also during Tuesday's meeting, the commission approved and authorized an execution of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for Insync Traffic Management System on University Parkway to help with the road's traffic.
Claire Aronson, University Parkway/Sarasota reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024 or at caronson@bradenton.com. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.
This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Sarasota County Commission OKs amendment to allow UTC growth plan ."