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Long Range Planning

The Long-Range Planning Division is responsible for developing, evaluating, and maintaining the City's comprehensive plan, known as the Sarasota City Plan. The Sarasota City Plan is a broad policy document that prescribes how the City will develop in future years.

The City of Sarasota has a long history of planning. The first comprehensive plan was developed in 1925 by John Nolen, a well-known urban planner of his day. Updates to the comprehensive plan were produced in 1960, 1972, 1979, 1986, 1989, and most recently in 1998.

Beginning in 1979, plans were prepared under the guidelines of the State of Florida's Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act of 1975. This Act was amended in 1985 by the Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act , commonly referred to as the "Growth Management Act."

The Sarasota City Plan consists of ten chapters and an Introduction. The chapters are the Neighborhood, Housing, Environmental Protection, Recreation and Open Space, Utilities, Transportation, Future Land Use including a Future Land Use Map, Governmental Coordination, Capital Improvements and Historic Preservation Chapters. Each chapter includes a Plan and Support Document. A Plan is adopted by ordinance and, in effect, is a law. A Support Document provides data and analyses which support a Plan, but is not adopted by the City. The City Commission has also adopted a version of the Sarasota County Manatee Protection Plan that is applicable within the City municipal limits.

Update of the Sarasota City Plan The Evaluation and Appraisal Report (E.A.R.) is a required update of the City Plan conducted every seven years.

Amendments to the Sarasota City Plan

The City accepts private petitions to change the Sarasota City Plan
and its future land use designations on an annual basis.