Sarasota city commissioners considered the final rezoning of part of the contaminated Marian Anderson Place brownfield in Newtown on Monday, Oct. 5, along with new downtown food truck rules and agreements for more than $4.1 million in U.S. 41 improvements.

The meeting agenda included the second and final reading of Ordinance 25-5582, which proposed rezoning about 9.22 acres at 2046 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way from Commercial Residential to Industrial General.

The agenda also included a zoning code overhaul that would allow food trucks in the Downtown Bayfront district and three Florida Department of Transportation agreements for safety and resurfacing work along U.S. 41.

Brownfield redevelopment could bring medical offices, industrial space

The Marian Anderson Place property is a city-owned brownfield in Newtown. The city acquired the property in 1944, and the site operated as an unlicensed landfill until the early 1960s.

Debris remains beneath the property at depths of up to 12 feet, while testing has identified elevated levels of heavy metals and other organic compounds in the soil and groundwater, according to the city.

The rezoning covers about 9.22 acres on the southern portion of the larger property. The city's comprehensive plan identifies the site as being south of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, west of the railroad right of way, east of Marian Anderson Place and north of 21st Street.

Newtown Gateway LLC plans to divide the property into two parcels. The northern portion is intended for a health care clinic and medical office complex, while the southern portion is planned for light-industrial development.

The city agreed to sell the property for $50,000 because of the extensive environmental remediation required. Developer representative Barron Channer estimated in 2023 that cleanup would cost about $4.5 million.

Commissioners unanimously approved the rezoning on first reading Sept. 8, adding a restriction prohibiting the property from being used primarily to process or recycle trash or for outdoor crushing of rock, concrete or similar materials.

"The idea is to build light industrial that can be job-producing, recognizing the nature of the site … but also, more importantly, the opportunity for the Newtown area," Channer told commissioners at the Sept. 8 hearing, as reported by LBK News.

Residents raise concerns about future industrial uses

Some residents raised concerns about approving the rezoning without a specific site plan.

Ron Kashden, chairman of the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations' Air Quality Committee, told commissioners at the Sept. 8 hearing that doing so could leave the community vulnerable to undesirable future uses.

Commissioner Kyle Battie also raised concerns about preventing potentially harmful uses in Newtown, an area that has historically experienced environmental and economic challenges. Battie specifically raised data centers as a possible concern, although commissioners did not add a restriction on data centers during the first reading.

The rezoning process had been delayed for nearly a year.

Deputy City Attorney John Shamsey said at the Sept. 8 meeting that the delay was not the developer's fault, citing the city's rewrite of its traffic concurrency regulations and the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

The October 2024 hurricane led the city to use the property as a debris staging area for more than six months.

The property sale has not closed. The agreement remains contingent on the developer securing state approval of environmental plans, including an Oct. 31 deadline to submit supplemental information to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the northern parcel.

Food trucks could expand into Downtown Bayfront district

Commissioners also considered Ordinance 26-5611, a broader package of amendments to Sarasota's zoning code.

One of the most visible changes would allow mobile food trucks as a provisional use in the Downtown Bayfront zone district, meaning operators would need approval rather than being permitted automatically.

Food trucks already are permitted on private property in several other downtown districts, including Downtown Core and Downtown Edge.

Commissioners directed staff to pursue the Downtown Bayfront expansion at their July 6 meeting.

The Sarasota Planning Board voted 5-0 on Sept. 9 to recommend approval of the zoning amendment package, which also addresses operating hours in the Urban Mixed-Use 3 district and other zoning regulations.

The ordinance also would establish zoning provisions for nonmedical intravenous therapy businesses.

More than $4.1 million proposed for U.S. 41 work

Three consent agenda items involved Florida Department of Transportation agreements for work along U.S. 41 from North Myrtle Street to south of General Spaatz Boulevard.

The largest was a joint participation agreement providing up to $3,073,667 for resurfacing. A separate Local Agency Program agreement provided up to $985,462 for safety improvements.

A third agreement provided up to $100,000 for a pedestrian hybrid beacon at 47th Street.

Together, the agreements totaled about $4.16 million.

Commissioners previously authorized a related agreement for the project May 18. The Oct. 5 agenda items updated that earlier authorization.

For the Marian Anderson Place redevelopment, the next scheduled milestone is Oct. 31, when the developer faces a deadline to submit supplemental environmental information to the state for the property's northern parcel.