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THE
EVALUATION AND APPRAISAL REPORT – AN OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE
FOR COMPLETION |
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As you are probably aware, the City’s comprehensive plan represents the major policy document used in evaluating new future growth and redevelopment proposals. It also guides the City Commission and City Administration in making public sector decisions concerning when and where to spend monies on such things as roads, parks, and utilities. The current comprehensive plan, which is entitled: The Sarasota City Plan (1998), was last updated in November 1998. It currently includes eight state mandated and two optional chapters which address the following topics: · Neighborhoods (optional) To remain relevant and to comply with the Florida Statutues, the Plan must be evaluated or assessed every seven years. The results of this assessment is a document entitled “The Evaluation and Appraisal Report” or EAR. The EAR is developed with extensive public involvement as noted below. When completed it represents the basis for updating the comprehensive plan. Its focus is upon major policy issues and not the typical day-to-day matters that normally come to City government for attention. The City staff, led by the Department of Planning and Redevelopment, has initiated the steps to undertake the assessment including the preparation of a general work program that will bring the EAR to the City Commission for adoption prior to November 1, 2005. Major components of the work program are as follows: Step #1: Initial Assessment and Preparation of Documents City staff members who have been charged with the day-to-day administration of the plan since 1998 have assessed the status of the Plan’s goals, objectives, and action strategies. City staff sought input from a number of City advisory boards, including the Historic Preservation Board and the Parks Recreation and Environmental Protection Board. As part of this assessment phase, staff evaluated whether or not activities in the Plan were completed. Staff also prepared “Draft Assessments” of each chapter in the Sarasota City Plan. These assessments include suggestions as to possible comprehensive plan changes and potential “major issues.” In July 2004, staff also held the state-required “scoping meeting” that included representatives from state and local governmental agencies (e.g., the Florida Department of Community Affairs, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council City, the Metropolitan Regional Planning Council, Sarasota County etc). Like the public (see Step #2), representatives from these groups also provided their input into the assessment of the Sarasota City Plan.
A draft of the staff assessments prepared in Step #1 above was made available through the City’s web page (www.planning.sarasota.com), the burning and distributing of CDs, and providing paper copies to all local libraries. Copies of the documentation were distributed during October to members of the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations and the Chamber of Commerce, Governmental Issues Council. (A special e-mail address was created for the public’s use in submitting comments via the web (EarFeedback@sarasotagov.com). City staff held five “open houses” during October and November 2004 in order to solicit input from the general public, business/neighborhood groups and other special interests. Over 140 persons attended and gave comments during the open house process. Comments received during the open houses will become part of the draft EAR document itself. Although the open houses were a formal opportunity for public comment, City staff will continue to receive and consider any and all comments received from the public throughout the entire EAR exercise (i.e., from January 2004 through adoption). Interested individuals can make comments via e-mail, telephone, in person or via facsimile. Staff is currently preparing a “first working draft” of the EAR based upon results of Steps #1 and #2 above. Accompanying this document will be a report reflecting all comments received from the public. These documents will then be discussed at a workshop between the staff and the Planning Board and, subsequently, between the staff and the City Commission. At the end of these workshops, staff will receive direction from the Commission concerning the preparation of the next version of the EAR (the transmittal public hearing version – see Step #4 below). The workshop dates are as follows:
Click for a Print Ready Schedule of Upcoming EAR-Related Meetings
“Transmittal” public hearings sponsored by the Planning
Board in June and then the City Commission in July will provide for
another opportunity for public input. Once the hearings are completed,
the draft will be modified as directed by the City Commission and
transmitted to the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA)
for review and comment relative to the document’s consistency
with relevant state mandates. DCA will require 30 days to review
the documents and prepare comments.
This hearing, sponsored by the City Commission, will provide another opportunity for public input. During this hearing, any state Department of Community Affairs comments will also be considered (see Step #4 above). Once the hearing is completed, the EAR will be adopted and forwarded to DCA for a second review and approval determination. The deadline for adoption is November 1, 2004.
The Florida DCA reviews the adopted EAR for consistency with Chapter 163.3191(2), F.S. If it is found sufficient, the EAR will become effective in February 2006. The preparation of the EAR is definitely a “work-in-progress” from its beginning until its final adoption. |
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| For more information about the City's E.A.R. process, please contact Douglas James, Chief Planner; David Smith, Senior Planner; or Susan Montgomery, Planning Technician; at (941) 954-4195 or use our e-mail address: EARFeedback@sarasotagov.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||