COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE
Adding Value Through Entitlement of Property and Rezoning By: Brian Lichterman P.A., Vision Planning & Design
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magine a property owner who has 5 acres of land with no idea of how the property can be used. Through the expertise and advice of a skilled Land Use Planner, the owner can be guided by learning about how the existing comprehensive Future Land Use plan map designates the land. The map is a representation of what the local government has determined the longterm vision for the property.
PROPERTY DESIGNATIONS In Sarasota County, the Unified Development Code (UDC) is the tool to implement the Land Use Plan with zoning and technical regulations of how the property must be developed. For example, if the property was designated Commercial Corridor but was zoned OUE-1 (Open Use Estate - 1 Dwelling Unit Per 5 Acres), this Future Land Use designation would make this property eligible for a variety of different zoning districts more intensive than OUE would allow.
THE NEED FOR REZONING This could include multi-family, office, and even commercial zoning. The property could be rezoned to a higher intensity zoning in a process taking
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approximately 6-8 months to complete, at a cost ranging between $40,000-$60,000. Included in this cost would be preparing a property survey (if necessary), hiring an architect, or civil engineer to prepare a preliminary Development Concept Plan (DCP), and conducting an environmental analysis of the property looking for endangered or protected plant and animal species, and grand trees. Other costs would include hiring the professional land use planner and county fees. However, these costs can easily be recouped by the value added by going through the entitlement process of rezoning from OUE-1 to any number of implementing zoning districts allowing significantly greater density and intensity, and thus greater value. The above process can be challenging, as it requires a significant amount of effort including the need for meeting with the neighborhood and completing extensive applications. This is then followed by public hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners. However, the results can be very lucrative for the property owner, or a contract purchaser.
CRITICAL FIRST STEPS One of the earliest first steps in the process is to meet with the Sarasota County Development Review Committee (DRC). This is not only a required step but is a highly recommended first step in determining from a technical perspective what a parcel of land can be used for based upon the Future Land Use Plan Map and the UDC. For a fee of $350, a wealth of information can be obtained in writing from the DRC, which can be invaluable to a property owner or Realtor® to help potential purchasers know what the municipality would require for the development of a particular parcel of land. In the scenario cited above, the DRC would help guide the applicant in determining where driveway access points might be allowed, where the setbacks and landscape buffers would be required, the height of buildings allowed, and the F.A.R. (Floor Area Ratio), to determine the intensity of development allowed on the site. •
