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Residents push back on Sarasota redevelopment
Sarasota residents are pushing back on a development plan for 14 acres near DeSoto Lakes in Sarasota County.
SARASOTA, Fla. - Missy Bekemeyer finds peace at her home off Sacramento Street in Sarasota.
"Just take a listen, you have nothing. You have birds chirping, fresh air. It is your reprieve. My front yard is my reprieve," said Bekemeyer.
Bekemeyer worries that her peace and quiet will soon be shattered.
A developer is trying to rezone 14 acres of land off Sacramento Street. Plans show 65 homes on land that is made up of partial wetlands, some of which sit on a flood zone.
"It’s designed for 1 home for 2 acres. That’s what we are plotted for. That’s our acre here," Bekemeyer said. "Take your 10 acres, put 20 homes here. Go right ahead. Ensure first the infrastructure is in place first."
Bekemeyer and other neighbors have concerns.
The surrounding streets only provide one lane of traffic off Harold Avenue and Sacramento. They see backups during rush hour with cars cutting through to get to University Parkway.
"You’ve got a roadway that doesn’t even meet the current roadway standards for Sarasota County," she said. "I don’t have a five-foot sidewalk on my road for my high schooler that has to dodge cars in the ditch at 6:30 in the morning."
With a higher density build, and sitting on a flood zone, Bekemeyer believes she and others will be impacted.
"On a normal September summer day, 5 inches of rain, I’ve got a flooded street, I’ve got a flooded driveway, it’s that impact of building on a flood zone that will impact everyone to the West," she said.
The land provides refuge for gopher tortoises, wood storks and cranes. An eagle's nest sits just a few hundred feet away.
Neighbors like Bekemeyer said they are okay with development that fits the area, but not one that changes it.
"The only thing that I can ask the planning commission is to take pause; this is cowboy country," she said. "That’s Sarasota."