A Vision for Sarasota

The conference center proposal and a recent Letter to the Editor in the Sarasota Herald Tribune indicate a gulf between the business community and the residents in Sarasota.

The business community believes that continued development, more visitors and growth are the best of all possible worlds. A conference center, a redeveloped Quay with 3 high rise condos and a large retail complex, another condo just south of the Ritz, a new condo next to the Renaissance, and a boutique hotel near the Renaissance would all add up to a wonderful Sarasota - teeming with money spending visitors.

Many of us question this vision. Is this amount of growth on this short section of US 41 really going to be the answer to our problems? Or will it create a huge new problem that will never be resolved without further bridges and roads?

Save Our Saraosta believes that we need to take a step back and look at the ramifications of the projects already in the pipeline as well as the new changes that will result from the downtown code change.

Do we really understand the seasonality implications of the new condo construction? When will traffic be so bad that our base economic strength, the retirement community, will decide Sarasota is no longer worth the hassle? Can we continue to expect service workers to drive 50+ miles each way to work in face of rapidly rising gasoline costs, because we have not found solutions to the housing cost problems faced by residents and would be residents? Have we invested enough in our infrastructure to handle drinking and waste water problems? Will the water quality of Sarasota Bay decline with the added population and cars?

The answer is not "market forces will take care of it". Many residents subscribe to a vision that would keep Sarasota's small town atmosphere. This is what brought all of us here in the first place. Seemingly uncontrolled growth is not acceptable to many of us. We need to take a step back, address all the issues we face now, then determine how we can manage growth at a level we can all live with.