Planning Commission Meeting Summary: June 17, 2025

The Venice Planning Commission met on June 17, 2025, at 1:30 PM to consider seven petitions including site and development plans, text and comprehensive plan amendments, zoning map amendments, and a design alternative. All items were approved unanimously (7-0). The meeting highlighted concerns about stormwater management, architectural compatibility, and the transition of a multifamily project to commercial development.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the June 3, 2025 regular meeting as presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Generations at Venice (25-03SP): Paula Steiner and Dennis Carroll, residents of Tuscana Isles, expressed concerns about stormwater drainage. They noted that water ponded on the property after recent storms and requested that the development clear and maintain the drainage ditch along the northern boundary to prevent backflow flooding.
• Venice Crossing (25-16PP & 25-17DA): Siegfried Fick raised safety concerns about children walking to Laurel Nokomis School, noting lack of sidewalks and dangerous crossings. He also mentioned a turtle being relocated from the site. David Elward and Steve Carr questioned the elimination of the multifamily project and the potential for increased commercial development, with Carr arguing the changes were more than minor.
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital items: No public speakers signed up.

Discussion Items

• Hyatt Studios Venice (24-38SP): Staff and applicant presented a 122-room four-story hotel on 2.34 acres in Plaza Venezia. Commissioner Hale expressed disappointment with the architecture not matching Venice historical precedent, but acknowledged the code allowed it. The project was approved.
• Generations at Venice (25-03SP): Proposed 348 multifamily units as attached villas (build-to-rent) instead of previously approved garden-style apartments. Commissioner Hale questioned stormwater discharge responsibility. The applicant explained the system flows west to a ditch under I-75. Approved.
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital Text Amendment (25-11AM): Established a new Planned Public Hospital (PPH) zoning district to allow building height up to 150 feet and FAR up to 3.0, consistent with other SMH campuses. Commissioners expressed strong support for the hospital’s expansion to meet growing demand.
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital Comp Plan Amendment (25-27CP): Amended comprehensive plan to recognize the PPH district and increase maximum FAR to 3.0 for the hospital campus. Approved.
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital Zoning Map Amendment (25-28RZ): Rezoned the 65-acre campus from Laurel West to PPH, incorporating a binding master plan with modified height and FAR. Approved.
• Venice Crossing Design Alternative (25-17DA): Request to modify the northern buffer from a standard type 1 (with wall) to a 25-foot-wide landscape buffer with oversized trees, eliminating the wall and shrubs. Applicant argued the existing Cassada Lakes wall rendered a second wall illogical. Approved.
• Venice Crossing Preliminary Plat Amendment (25-16PP): Minor modifications to lot configurations, stormwater ponds, access points, and buffers due to elimination of the multifamily project. Approved.

Key Outcomes

• 24-38SP Hyatt Studios Venice: Approved 7-0.
• 25-03SP Generations at Venice: Approved 7-0.
• 25-11AM SMH LDR Text Amendment: Recommended approval to City Council 7-0.
• 25-27CP SMH Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Recommended approval to City Council 7-0.
• 25-28RZ SMH Zoning Map Amendment: Recommended approval to City Council 7-0.
• 25-17DA Venice Crossing Design Alternative: Approved 7-0.
• 25-16PP Venice Crossing Preliminary Plat Amendment: Approved 7-0.

The meeting adjourned after approximately three hours. The next regular meeting is scheduled for July 1, 2025.