West
Villages Improvement District Neighborhood Meeting, January 26, 2016
I know I promised a part 2
of the WVID Supervisory Board meeting, and I will post that, but I think that
the pressing thing on the minds of most reading this will be what was said at
the neighborhood meeting. So, I will say for now that the meeting on Tuesday
morning was only rather routine updates. I will write up a summary later, but
for now I'll move on to the Tuesday night neighborhood meeting.
I have not yet received a
summary or minutes in my email. This is all from my personal notes, so if I
missed anything or got confused on any item, I apologize...it moved rather
swiftly to cover a lot of ground and questions from those in attendance. And, I don't know shorthand for quick notes.
:/
Anyways, here's what I
got...
Mr. Marty Black gave the
presentation and answered questions, he is with Mattamy Homes / The Ranch Land
Partners and current Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for the West Villages
Improvement District. He introduced himself and the project, and described his extensive
and impressive background and experience. He ascribes to a John Nolen concept
of community planning, original designer for the City of Venice, where sense of
community and walkability are foundational.
West Villages Improvement
District, for a district that was nearly crushed by the economic downturn and
facing overwhelming cash shortfalls not that long ago, now has a healthy $2.8-3.5
million cash balance. It is made up of about 1/3 unincorporated Sarasota County
and 2/3 North Port. And good news, as some have questioned, they ARE intending
to keep the Venice address. That is not planned to change in the future.
There are 3 current
applications in for the updating of district planning: a comprehensive plan
amendment, an application for rezoning, and the Village District Pattern Plan.
There are 3 additional neighborhoods in the works now, as well as the
commercial center called Coastamar. One
of the neighborhoods will be a an age-restricted 55+ community, and all of them
are to have a different style than the existing two in place. The three communities are: The Preserve
(100-200 attached villas), The Renaissance (600 unit 55+), and The Oasis
(150-180 single-family). Permits are in hand for at least two, some clearing in
preparation began Monday, and they are expected to begin sales next season.
Low-income housing is not a part of planned development.
A land swap and purchase
occurred with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. SMHCS intends to open
urgent care and medical offices in the district, likely in 3 to 5 years time,
due to the process of approvals necessary as it is a public entity. This land swap
will allow for SMHCS to co-locate and coordinate with the SCF nursing school.
The transaction left a section of property owned by the district not included
as part of the district boundaries. For consistency and other reasons, the
application has been made to make an update to include it. Also, for
consistency and such reasons, application for rezoning has been made to bring
the entire district under the North Port "Village" designation. This
zoning has heightened requirements over the current County zoning and will
ensure that there are not different sets of rules, or more lax criteria, for
one neighbor versus another.
A school for either k-8 or
k-12 is being planned to go forward, as is a 32-acre public park. One of the
first installations of the public park facility will be designated as a paw
park. This is an item that I know many will be very pleased to learn. The paw
park is expected to open in the next 9-12 months.
The primary purpose of the
meeting was in regard to the Coastamar commercial development project. The meeting is to be one of three
meetings for public information and comment at the different stages in the
process. The site analysis for the Coastamar project was shared. Public notice
was made regarding the meeting in the local newspaper and mailed to residences
within 1300 feet of the proposed project. It was asked if the back of
commercial business buildings would be seen over the wall or visible from that
part of the IslandWalk community, and the answer was 'no.'
The multi-activity pool
that was part of the original concept has been removed from the Coastamar plans
going forward, but a grocery store, restaurants, and a hotel remain in the
works. Drafts of design proposal, though, are slated for the next meeting in
the series about this. The focus of this meeting was set for preliminary
information sharing and gave an opportunity for community members to ask
questions.
As mentioned, the John
Nolen notion of community planning is a basis for much of the concept being
utilized. Mattamy sees the West Villages Improvement District projects as being
for the benefit of "grandchildren and great-grandchildren," a
long-term development over the course of decades, with electric cart paths and
walking trails, etc. Also of note, as far as they style and quality of livability
for the area, it was pointed out that inquiries by several fast food suppliers hoping
to establish locations in Coastamar have already been declined. Sembler, the
commercial development company selected for the joint venture, was chosen for
their quality and vision after interviewing 15 potential companies.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the year from now to have the first
tenants in 20-24 months.
Road planning was also
discussed. Traffic lights are anticipated to be at intervals along 41. The
community planning and commercial center was proactively designed, so that key
components are placed along Tamiami Trail where lights would be anticipated and
allowed. Manasota Beach Road is planned to be extended into the community for a
more direct route to the shore. However, this is probably 10 years or more from
completion. River Road widening has stalled due to inability for the County to
get State funding. The right of way has already been given to the County, but
funding to complete the work has not been obtained. Mattamy is currently in
talks to possibly begin this work and "jumpstart the process" that
way. It was suggested to contact State legislators to put the issue more
directly on their radar for funding.
Current source of water
for is North Port, and it travels around 7 miles before reaching us. Part of
the developer's obligation is to build a water and sewer plant to supply this
area. That will be located behind the cell tower off 41 and River Road and is
about 5 to 7 years out.
Several of the questions
asked were by current residents of the Lake Geraldine community and how this
development impacts them and some other nearby neighborhoods. As this blog is
intended to West Villages residents, I won't expand on those except to say that
anticipated impact is minimal. Also, it was asked if additional costs and
assessment would be levied on WVID community members as a result of all of this
new development. The answer was that issuing additional bonds to fund any
projects is not currently planned and has not been the topic of any WVID
supervisory board discussion.
I hope I covered
everything. Let me know if there are ever any specific questions I may answer
or get answered for you!
Thanks for reading,
Ali
If
you are considering purchasing a home, I can assist you. My services and
extensive resources are of no cost to you. I am even able to save home buyers
money...including additional cash incentives to new construction buyers which
even the builders' sales reps do not have access. I do not work for any of the wonderful
builders/developers in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others
for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided
on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these
developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this
community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction also serves to fund
these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Look
forward to hearing from you!
Ali
Ali
H. Johnston, MHA, MBA in Real Estate
Realtor®,
Lic. Broker #BK3284964
West
Villages Realty LLC
Mobile:
941-539-5771
If
you are considering purchasing a home in this community, I can assist you. My
services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances,
I am even able to save home buyers money. I do not work for any of the wonderful
builders/developers in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others
for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided
on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these
developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this
community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction can provide you
with a wealth of information as well as saving you money.
Look
forward to hearing from you!
Ali
Ali
H. Johnston, MHA, MBA in Real Estate
Realtor®,
Lic. Broker #BK3284964
West
Villages Realty LLC
Mobile:
941-539-5771
