Sarasota Commission OKs broad zoning-text changes but removes long-building limit for more study

The Sarasota City Commission on Oct. 20 approved a broad set of zoning-text amendments (ordinance 25‑5583) that revise the city’s zoning code definitions, tree and landscape rules, development and downtown design standards and several procedural points — but the commission removed a single, controversial item increasing the maximum building length in urban mixed‑use districts and sent that issue back to staff for further study.

Planning Department General Manager Ryan Chaplain and Chief Planner Brianna Dobbs described the package as the city’s 2025 annual zoning‑text amendment batch. Chaplain said the planning board had recommended approval for nearly all items the board reviewed on Sept. 10, 2025, and Chaplain and Dobbs walked commissioners through about 22 separate changes ranging from clarifying rooftop mechanical screening and bicycle‑parking rules to tree species lists and how waterfront setbacks are measured.

The amendments include: (1) clarifying screening materials for rooftop mechanical equipment; (2) amending the “dwelling unit” definition to allow attached accessory rooms (for example, a pool bath) that lack an internal connection to the primary residence; (3) reconciling two commercial‑parking…