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Commission approves Lakewood Ranch Southeast Project Area 2 rezoning over objections from nearby residents
Summary
After a lengthy, quasi-judicial hearing the board voted 4–1 to rezone Project Area 2 in the Lakewood Ranch Southeast Village Transition Zone to RSF‑2/PUD, following staff findings the request met the Master Development Order and village-transition standards; nearby residents urged denial and asked for new impact studies.
The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners on May 5 approved a rezoning request for Lakewood Ranch Southeast Project Area 2, rezoning roughly 548 acres to RSF‑2/PUD under the site‑specific Village Transition Zone (VTZ) and Master Development Order that govern Lakewood Ranch Southeast. The motion passed 4–1.
The hearing reviewed a lengthy background of earlier comprehensive-plan amendments and a Master Development Order (MDO) that applicants and county staff said establish the range of permissible development and require each project area to implement the VTZ as RSF‑2/PUD. The applicant and master developer explained the project had been designed to comply with the MDO and that infrastructure obligations — including offsite water/sewer trunk improvements, fruitville‑road right‑of‑way coordination and wetland/open‑space protections — were governed by the MDO and related agreements.
Residents from adjacent Old Myakka and the Burn Creek area urged denial, arguing the project’s proposed lot sizes and internal densities were incompatible with existing rural lot patterns, that lake and pond acreage cited as “open space” overly inflated the open‑space totals, and that wetland and stormwater designs would not protect the neighboring community. Several speakers asked the board to preserve hamlet‑scale buffers and expressed concern about traffic and project scale.
Applicant representatives and county staff responded with a detailed summary of the MDO process, prior legal challenges (administrative and judicial reviews that the applicant cited as having affirmed the VTZ), and technical letters about stormwater design and environmental review. The developer noted significant open-space preservation across the approved project areas and offered stipulations added to the binding development concept plan, including limiting street lighting within the project and requiring advanced wastewater treatment for reclaimed-water ponds with signage.
The board’s decision required the usual quasi‑judicial findings on consistency with the MDO and comprehensive plan. Commissioner Smith voted no; Commissioners Kutzinger, Mast, Knight and the Chair voted yes, producing a 4–1 approval.
Why it matters: the vote advances a major master‑planned expansion with implications for future county transportation and stormwater projects, and residents argued the change would materially alter rural character and present environmental and quality-of-life impacts.
What’s next: the rezoning approval enables the developer to proceed to site‑development permitting and implementation of MDO obligations and infrastructure commitments; staff and the applicant said they will continue design work for roads, utilities and stormwater and coordinate with the county on right‑of‑way and funding issues.
