TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Direction Initiating a New Project: Activity Center 3 (Gateway) Master Plan.
Recommended Action
Discussion and possible direction initiating a new project to prepare a master plan for Activity Center 3 (Gateway).
Background Information
The City has not previously developed a master plan for the area around the Sumter Boulevard and I-75 interchange, known as Activity Center 3 (Gateway). The City is currently coordinating with representatives from Sarasota Memorial Hospital for development of a full-service hospital to be located at the southeast corner of the interchange, with construction anticipated to begin in 2025.
The news of the future hospital is already spurring significant interest in future development potential in Activity Center 3 area. A master plan is necessary to ensure the City’s ability to maximize the economic potential, while also evaluating needs and opportunities for resiliency, sustainability, transportation, and infrastructure to serve the area. In the absence of a master plan, Activity Center 3 is likely to develop within the next few years without a cohesive and deliberate approach to address these topics.
With development of a new hospital imminent, the timing of a Gateway master plan is much more critical than the Yorkshire master plan, where development is not anticipated for at least the next decade. The City is moving forward with other measures (Joint Resolution with Charlotte County) that have been discussed with the Florida Department of Transportation staff to support construction of a new interchange in the I-75 and Yorkshire/Raintree area. Delaying the Yorkshire Master Plan project to commence in Fiscal Year 2024 will not have a material impact on the new interchange planning efforts. Additionally, staff has been coordinating with the Utilities Department regarding expansion of the Urban Service Boundary to include the Yorkshire Activity Center and will need to conduct an evaluation of the City’s capacity to serve the area, which will take additional time and will not begin in Fiscal Year 2023.
The City Commission authorized $200,000 in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget to begin the Yorkshire master plan. These funds for the Yorkshire master plan have not yet been encumbered through a consultant contract. While a budget amendment is not necessary to reprioritize these funds to a new project for a Gateway master plan, staff is requesting City Commission authorization of the “Gateway Master Plan” project. If approved, staff would issue a Request for Letters of Interest to the consultant firms included in the General Planning Services contract to initiate the master plan this fiscal year. Any funds remaining after completion of the Gateway master plan would be available for the subsequent Yorkshire master plan.
Strategic Plan
Quality of Life
Economic Development & Growth Management
Infrastructure and Facilities
Good Governance
Financial Impact
The approved Fiscal Year 2023 budget includes $200,000 for a Yorkshire master plan; these finds would be reprioritized for the Gateway master plan.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments: None.
Prepared by: Lori Barnes, AICP, CPM, Planning & Zoning Division Manager
Department Director: Alaina Ray, AICP, Neighborhood Development Services Director