Intent and Purpose

The City of Sarasota Zoning Code states "The purpose of the community workshop shall be to inform the neighboring property owners, residents, and business owners of the nature of the proposed development or land use request, explain the site plan, if any, and solicit comments." Section IV-201.

Application Form

Please follow the link below to download and complete a community workshop application form and submit it via the new Development Services Online Application Forms (Click here to view Application Portal User Guide): 

Community Workshop Application

The following must be submitted with a community workshop application:

1. Narrative including why the applicant is holding the community workshop, proposed height, density, intensity, parking, vehicular access, landscaping, and/or any other applicable information related to the project
2. Proposed site plan or concept plan
3. Other materials may include a sketch or concept plan, architectural renderings, special studies, etc.
4. Community workshop application fee of payable to the City of Sarasota
5. Draft notice for the Community Workshop including a map of the subject area (please refer to the Notice Template below)

Templates

Templates available to download for a Community Workshop can be found below: 

• Notice Template
• Sign-In Sheet Template
• Summary Minutes Template

Applicability

A community workshop application must be submitted to the City of Sarasota Online Application Form for any of the following:

• Amendments to the Future Land Use Map Illustration LU-6 of the Sarasota City Plan
• Rezone (with or without site plans)
• Major and minor conditional uses
• Street and right-of-way vacations
• Amendments to the text of the Sarasota City Plan that affect a specific and limited area of the City
• Government (G) zone waivers
• Day care facility with more than ten children in the DTN, HAOD, OCD, OND, ORD, and RMF zone districts
• Utilization of North Trail Overlay District (NTOD) standards
• Utilization of Golden Gate alternative standards

• Building permit or administrative site plan which meets or exceeds the thresholds of Zoning Code IV-501(c) located on a parcel of land that is located entirely or partially within the Laurel Park Overlay District (LPOD) in accordance with the procedures located within Zoning Code VI-911

An additional community workshop is required if:

• Any increase to the height, density, or intensity of a development application occurs following the community workshop

• An amendment to the items listed is requested that requires action by the Planning Board or City Commission

• A development application is not filed within 12 months following the previous community workshop

  
  

Process

A community workshop is the first step when filing a development application and should be completed prior to submitting a development application. The steps for completing a community workshop are outlined below: 

1. The Applicant must complete and submit the community workshop application and all other materials to the Online Application Form.

 

2. A specific community workshop date is not guaranteed. A staff member will contact the Applicant once the community workshop application has been received to coordinate a date and time. Please allow up to seven business days for processing. All workshops are conducted Monday through Thursday evenings only with a starting time of 5:30 pm. 

 

3. The Applicant should request an official mailing list from the City Auditor and Clerk for all properties within 500 feet of the subject property and adjacent neighborhood associations on record with the City. The Applicant must provide staff a copy of the notice for final approval and notices must be mailed at least 14 days prior to the date of the workshop.

 

At a minimum, the notification must include the following information: 

• The Applicant's name and phone number
• The street address of the subject property with an identification on the map
• The name by which the site is commonly known (if applicable)
• A clear, factual explanation of the Applicant's proposal, similar to the community workshop application narrative
• The time, day, date, and location of the community workshop

 

4. The City Auditor and Clerk will provide the Applicant with sign(s) to be posted on the subject property. The sign(s) must be posted at least 10 days prior to the date of the workshop. A photo of the sign must be emailed to communityworkshops@sarasotafl.gov at least 10 days prior to the date of the workshop. 

 

5. It is the responsibility of the Applicant to facilitate the workshop and provide all visual aids. The duration of the workshop should not exceed 90 minutes. 

 

6. The Applicant must provide an attendance roster and take summary minutes of the workshop.

 

7. Within 30 working days of the workshop, the Applicant must e-mail summary meeting minutes to individuals who provided a name and e-mail address on the attendance roster. A copy of the summary meeting minutes and attendance roster must also be provided to the City Auditor and Clerk. 

 

It is important to note that all property owners who receive notice of a community workshop will also receive notice when the item is placed on Planning Board or City Commission agendas. 

Accessing Community Workshop Records

All records for community workshops are stored in the City's online public records portal, eDocs. To access eDocs, click here.

1. Under "Search type" click "Development Applications - Keyword"
2. Type the Community Workshop file number under "Application Number" including an asterisk before and after. (Example: *23-CW-01*)
3. Click "Search" at the bottom of the page and all documents associated with the workshop will appear to the right.

Accessing Community Workshop Archives

Archives of community workshop meetings can be found on the City's website under the "Meetings Agendas Videos" webpage or by following the link here.

Community workshop archives are located under the first "Boards and Committees Archives" section. Click the blue plus sign by the "Community Workshops" lettering and the workshops will be listed in chronological order starting with the most recent meetings.