Sarasota Livin'

[TALK] Sarasota Takes One Giant Leap Toward Attainable Downtown Living

One large monolith impeding the creation affordable housing in the City of Sarasota was moved this week when tremendous force was exerted by the Downtown Partnership of Sarasota, Mayor Mary Anne Servian and City Manager Mike McNees. For many months, leaders with the Downtown Partnership had complained that opportunities to build affordable housing in key areas downtown were slipping away as land costs escalated. Without some flexibility to build more units per acre, raising new, affordable or attainable living spaces in the city would not be economically feasible. However, the densities that would work in neighborhoods such as Rosemary are currently not allowed under the city’s comprehensive plan. Amending the comprehensive plan is a time-consuming and laborious process that can span years.

In a recent meeting with city staff, Mayor Servian reported that the overworked staff members raised a number of objections to tackling a comp plan amendment this year until finally a visibly frustrated McNees said, “stop saying ‘no.’ How are we getting to ‘yes?’” The result was a Monday night’s proposal that Economics Research Associates, the city’s attainable housing consultant, be directed to study and prepare a comprehensive plan amendment allowing higher densities to be used as a tool to create affordable housing within the Rosemary, Gillespie and Payne Park areas. ERA Associates will have about six weeks to present its study and amendment draft, which must be approved first by the city commission and then the Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee. ERA will be paid up to $125,000 for its work, money that was already remaining within the city’s contract with ERA.

“This is the biggest step forward in getting workforce housing in Sarasota--ever,” says Servian. “By this time next year, we will have available to us areas to increase density. We won’t know until the study is complete, but we expect it could give us as many as 1,000 units of affordable housing. The only way they’ll be able to get a density bonus is if they give back a certain percentage in affordable housing.”

“We are delighted,” says Tony Souza, executive director of the Downtown Partnership. “There’s a lot of opportunity out there that the sooner we do it, the better off we’ll be.”

“We found a way and that’s the good thing,” says McNees. Once the state approval process is complete, the city will draft an ordinance containing more specific program details. ERA will also look at broader issues relating to housing affordability, such as transportation proximity and cost.