Click here to visit the Official Website of the City of Sarasota's Community Redevelopment Agency 

Click here to visit the Website of the City of Sarasota's Community Redevelopment Agency ADVISORY BOARD

Click here to view the 2020 Newtown Redevelopment Plan 

Click here to view the 2023 Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board Report

2020 NEWTOWN CRA PLAN UPDATE
In 2002 the City adopted the Newtown Comprehensive Redevelopment Plan, written by City Staff and A.A. Baker, Associates, and was based on community input on preferences and desires of what they wanted to see in their community. The City Commission expanded the existing Downtown CRA to include the Newtown Community in 2006 and adopted the Newtown Community Redevelopment Plan in 2008. The plan evolved from the 2002 plan and provided broad direction for revitalization, including the reinforce business corridors, increase business development, expand community festivals and events and to develop arts and entertainment clusters. Although adopted in 2008, the plan contained the priorities needed to take place over a 14 year period (2006-2020).

The Redevelopment Plan update is intended to provide direction for activities which need to take place in order to revitalize the CRA are and includes detailed recommendations for the expenditure of the CRA's Tax-Increment Funding (TIF) revenues. In order for TIF to be spent on a project it must be included in the plan. Staff was given direction in the Commission's Strategic Plan FY 2019-2020 to update the Newtown CRA Plan. 

Staff hired the consultant firm, Redevelopment Management Associates (RMA), to create the updated Newtown Redevelopment Plan. The updated plan's main objective is to improve the quality of live for the residents of Newtown and provide the community the tools needed to revitalize the area, while recognizing and preserving  the history of Newtown. RMA created the plan based on the input of major stakeholders in the area, members of the community and from an online survey. The plan takes into account that the Newtown CRA was created with a 2008 base year and generated no TIF revenues until the base year was reset by the Commission to to 2016. The Newtown CRA Plan Update provides direction for new program ideas and implementation strategies for the next 20 years. A copy of the updated plan can be downloaded here.

For questions about the CRA Redevelopment Plan update or to obtain a copy, please contact (941) 263-6378.