Lakewood Ranch’s eastward expansion in Sarasota County took another step forward recently after the Sarasota County Planning Commission recommended approval for the first 550 acres in the 4,100-acre development about 10 miles east of Interstate 75.
Lakewood Ranch Southeast will be north of Fruitville Road and west of Verna Road near the Manatee-Sarasota County line and will now be headed for approval for a rezoning of one of the first phases of the large project.
This phase of Lakewood Ranch Southeast Project calls for 910 single-family homes and 490 multifamily units on 546 acres in the first of seven planned areas. The project has a total of 5,000 dwelling units across the 4,100 acres of developable property.
The project would be a continuation of the Manatee County-centered Lakewood Ranch, a 30-year-old city-scale development. The more than 33,000-acre project now has a population of 72,000 people.
The master developer of Lakewood Ranch is Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc.
Last week Sarasota County planning advisory board recommended approval of rezoning the land from the current rural classification that had allowed just one unit per 10 acres to a residential category that will allow up to 3.5 homes per acre.
File photo taken in March 2024 at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch. The 33,000-acre master-planned community in Manatee and Sarasota counties continues to grow with an eastward expansion.
That increase in density, which first received a County Commission greenlight in late 2022, triggered a legal challenge from longtime residents of east Sarasota County that has so far been unsuccessful, despite the residents’ continued confidence they will prevail.
Area residents continue fight against Lakewood Ranch project
Mike Hutchinson and Eileen Fitzgerald filed a legal challenge over the changes, arguing the increase in residential density broke promises made to the county’s rural community when it updated its growth plan in the early 2000s.
Hutchinson and Fitzgerald have appealed an order that went in favor of the county in 2023, with arguments scheduled in their appeal of the 2023 decision.
Previous reporting: Lakewood Ranch tops list of master-planned communities for all ages for sixth year
Hutchinson attended the rezoning hearing before the Planning Commission last Thursday, telling the board that the process was a waste of time since he would be winning the appeal.
If Hutchinson and Fitzgerald were to win the appeal, the project would not be able to proceed as envisioned.
The Lakewood Ranch Southeast asked for a wavier from holding an additional neighborhood workshop. Sarasota County requires community workshops within nine months of when the project receives approval, with an the ability to extend the window by an additional 12 months.
A county neighborhood workshop for the project was completed in March.
The planning board recommended that the county approve the waiver, in addition to recommending the County Commission grant the rezoning request.
This phase of Lakewood Ranch Southeast Project will see 910 homes and 490 multifamily units built on 546 acres in the first of seven planned areas. The project has a total of 5,000 dwelling units across the 4,100 acres of developable property.
A date when the topic will head to the Sarasota County Commission has not been set.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Lakewood Ranch gets green light for expansion in east Sarasota County
