Development Review
What is the Staff Development Review?
City Staff reviews development proposals and gives consideration to the technical merits of the project with regard to:
- Land development regulations governing parking, landscaping and buffering
- Provision of infrastructure such as roads and utilities
- Tree preservation
- Life safety issues
- Drainage
- Maintenance
- Waste handling procedures
There may be others things considered during review that are particular to each development. The staff development application review process relies on the expertise of staff members in several city departments, including Public Works, Planning and Zoning, Fire/Rescue, Police, Engineering and Utilities.
In addition to City Staff, a representative of the Sarasota County School Board also participates in the review process. The School Board must monitor all proposals for development around existing school sites, as well as future planned developments and their potential effect on essential school board projects and/or schools.
How to Start
Each project application received by the City is assigned a Project Planner. The Planner will provide general project information and assist with the petition review. If assistance is needed for specific areas, the Project Planner will provide names of staff reviewers to contact.
Each project will complete a Pre-Application form and meeting with the Staff Development Review (SDR) team before proceeding with formal submittals for development. Once this meeting is complete and feedback is received by the applicant, the project can move forward with a Formal submittal for the specific project type.
If a petition is required to re-submit based on Staff's review of the Formal submittal, the applicant submits a Re-submittal form with fees to resolve outstanding issues. Once all issues are resolved, the petition proceeds to the Final Plans stage.
Final Plans will be signed off by the Project Planner and a Development Order or Order of Approval will be issued, if necessary. All infrastructures required for a project are required to secure a bond or letter of credit. The bond or letter of credit will need to be executed before Final Plans approval. A release of the bond or letter of credit is only permitted after inspection and sign-off by the City Engineer verifying completion of the infrastructure.
In addition to Staff review, some projects will require public hearings. This will be specified at the beginning stages of the project. Some projects will also require legal advertisements in the local paper. Fees for the advertisements may vary.