A controversial proposal to add 1,000 homes and a mixed-use town center to Palmer Ranch East received preliminary approval from the Sarasota County Commission on Sept. 8, with a second vote expected after a state review.
As part of the 2050 plan, the land, which is controlled by Palmer Ranch developer Hugh Culverhouse Jr. through McCann East Limited Partnership, was already approved for as many as 4,702 homes.
While the 1,000 additional homes, including as many as 500 attainable homes built for those earning 80% of the area median income, will create critical mass for the town center, representatives of Palmer Ranch East LLC stressed that acreage set aside for light industrial development is the most transformational aspect of the proposal.
Attorney
Charlie Bailey noted that those 500 homes would be within walking distance of jobs created within the town center.
When the 2050 plan was first crafted, a town center was envisioned as part of Palmer Ranch East, but it was removed after an Interstate 75 interchange at Central Sarasota Parkway failed to materialize.
“This was the economic driver for all of 2050,” Jim Paulmann, the project manager for Stantec, told the county commission. “This is the only place where we can get a corporate relocation.”
Paulmann, Bailey and Stantec transportation engineer Frank Domingo all pointed out that the proposed town center is tied to the completion of the I-75 interchange at State Road 681.
What is the plan for Palmer Ranch East in Sarasota County?
The master development concept plan for the 2,351-acre property includes a 200.7-acre conservation easement, 651 acres of alternative greenway buffers and development of as many as 5,702 homes.
Only about 1,075 acres are targeted for development, including homes and up to 1.48 million square feet of nonresidential uses. The latter could give the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County a site to showcase for potential corporate headquarters relocations.
“One of the most exciting things for me is this town center,” said Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger, who has served on the EDC board.
“One of the commitments that came out of this discussion with this plan here is they’re going to keep their commitment that this area provides some of the landing zones that we really need,” he added, referencing the larger light industrial parcels.
The EDC determined that the town center could create as many as 1,766 jobs and pump as much as $130 million of income into the local economy.
A minimum of 75,000 square feet of the commercial construction would be for light industrial use, while 10% of the acreage in the town center would be for public civic use and 5% would be dedicated for public space.Justin Powell, president of Palmer Ranch LLC, called the proposed greenway, which will feature a multiuse recreational trail that may someday link up with the Florida Gulf Coast Trail, “kind of our spine.”
“I want kids fishing; I want kayaking,” Powell later added. “A lot of our vision for the community out here is to make this one large Palmer Ranch East community.”
Domingo later added that the trail could become a way for people to get to work at the town center, too.
“That's the dream, isn’t it?” Domingo said. “Biking or walking in shade to work or home.”
What did the public say?
Many of the concerns raised during public comment mirrored those voiced during a neighborhood workshop and during the Sarasota County Planning Commission meeting.
Residents worried about where water would come from for additional homes and the impact of traffic on existing roads.
Glenn Compton, speaking both for himself and the local environmental advocacy group Manasota 88, wanted to see the vote delayed partly because District 4 Commissioner Joe Neunder did not attend the meeting.
He also questioned the lack of a traffic impact analysis for the proposed town center as well as the lack of a proposed hurricane shelter in the development — though the plan does call for a conceptual school site.
“We don’t know where the bottleneck will be because it’s not part of the study,” Compton said.
Toscana Isles residents Paula Steinert and Sue Perry both wanted assurances that construction of the town center would not begin until after the I-75 exit at State Road 681 is completed.
Several speakers also voiced approval of the proposed town center.
Tim Hensey, a vice president of Gilbane Construction, suggested the center would be a perfect location for a new hospital.
Hensey claimed that 40 acres of the development had been set aside for a hospital.
A Palmer Ranch spokeswoman said the company could not comment on Hensey’s assertion.
A spokeswoman for the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System said she was unaware of any plans to build a facility in Palmer Ranch East.
The Rev. Charleston Wilson, rector at Church of the Redeemer, spoke in support of Culverhouse, his friend and parishioner.
Wilson called Palmer Ranch East a positive and necessary development.
“I urge you to see Palmer East for what it is,” he said.
Culverhouse, who attended the meeting, did not speak.
Retired Sarasota County planner Crystal Allred, whose job as a long-range planner included supervision and maintenance of the county’s comprehensive plan, praised Culverhouse’s development acumen.
“I think his vision is spot on,” she said.
How did the commission vote?
The commission unanimously approved three land-use changes needed to establish the framework for the town center: a comprehensive plan text and map amendment, a unified development code text amendment, and a Development of Critical Concern/Master Development Plan/Master Development Order application.
The 4-0 vote on all three means that the plan will be forwarded to the state for comment, with a second vote slated to occur once it is returned with comments.
Neunder, who lost his reelection bid in the Aug. 18 Republican primary to retired Sarasota Police Sgt. Jim DeNiro, did attend the Aug. 25 commission meeting at the Sarasota County Administration Building.
Neunder did not return a Sept. 8 call from a Herald-Tribune reporter asking why he missed the commission meeting earlier that day.
His absence is reminiscent of his decision to recuse himself from a Dec. 16, 2025, vote on approval of land use changes to create a mixed-use center adjacent to the proposed State Road 681 interchange with I-75.
Neunder recused himself from the hearing because his parents, Palmer Ranch residents Elizabeth and Joseph Neunder, both opposed the development.
What other votes will impact Palmer Ranch East?
Immediately before the Palmer Ranch East public hearing, the county commission unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the Three Rivers Stewardship District to build a four-lane version of the second of three road segments that will ultimately extend Lorraine Road eight miles south from Clark Road to Knights Trail Road. Commissioners also approved using $21.55 million in Surtax IV revenue to fund the project.
The initial 1.95-mile segment is complete. That funding package will pay for the next 2.42-mile segment, which will take the roadway to the northern section of Palmer Ranch East.
Design is almost complete on the 3.57-mile third segment that would connect with Knights Trail Road.
District 1 Commissioner Teresa Mast said that completion of a major four-lane alternative to I-75 for both traffic relief and an alternative for hurricane evacuation is exactly what the Florida Department of Transportation is seeking.
“This is what we need to do to catch up on our antiquated infrastructure,” she added.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County backs controversial plan for 5,702-home development
