Venice planning commission to review zoning change for workforce housing

VENICE — Plans for a proposed 534-unit workforce housing complex will be subject to public scrutiny for the first time Tuesday, when the Venice Planning Commission will host a public hearing to consider a zoning change to increase the number of units its proposed site — a 29.9-acre parcel on Knights Trail Road, about a half-mile north of the Triple Diamond Commerce Park.

Currently the property, annexed by the city in 2003, can be developed at a density of eight units per acre.

A 2006 ordinance included stipulations that capped the size of the development at 240 units, with a maximum height of 35 feet, when it was assigned to city zoning category RMF-2. Original plans for that development were scrapped during the recession.

Developer Ed Pinto wants the zoning changed to allow for up to 18 units per acre so he can construct John Nolen Gardens. The 534 homes would be spread out in six three-story buildings.

The proposed complex would offer rents for line manufacturing and service workers earning $11 to $15 an hour, including studio efficiency apartments renting for $750 per month plus utilities; one-bedroom, one-bath apartments renting at $865 per month plus utilities; two-bedroom, two-bath apartments renting at $1,040 per month plus utilities.

The idea of locating an apartment complex on Knights Trail Road grew from a series of meetings with representatives of PGT Innovations and Tervis Tumbler, the United Way of South Sarasota County, the mayors of Venice and North Port, a local real estate agent and a developer/apartment manager.

The initial meetings, organized by Venice Mayor John Holic, began as a way to quantify the need for workforce housing in South County. Once Pinto came forward, Holic stepped away from the process.

To ensure that those homes would rent to members of the local workforce and not snowbirds or retirees, Pinto is planning to implement master-use agreements with area businesses.

Those businesses — including but not limited to PGT, Tervis Tumbler, area governments and schools — could reserve units and refer employees as possible residents.

The complex is also being designed in anticipation that a large portion — if not the majority — of residents would use public or alternative transportation and not own cars. In fact, residents may be charged a higher rate if they do own cars. That’s an approach he borrowed from area developer Harvey Vengroff, who’s pitched the same concept in attempting to have a development approved in Sarasota.

Pinto also plans to ask the city to reduce or waive impact fees to make construction more economically feasible.

While sure to be part of the discussion, none of those novel concepts will be decided by the planning commission Tuesday, which will only be concerned with recommending whether the increased zoning is appropriate.

Though Tuesday will be the first public showcase of the plan, a neighborhood meeting in northeast Venice received a lukewarm reception from residents who worried about the impact of the increased development on Laurel and Knights Trail roads.

Almost 30 pages of emails have been sent to the city and included for consideration by the planning commission as part of the application. Some specifically raise concerns with John Nolen Gardens and the thought of locating workforce housing units there. Others worry about the overall number of homes proposed for that area.

One email, submitted by John Moeckel, president of the Venetian Golf and River Club Association Board, does not take a stand on the need for the complex, but takes issue with potential fee waivers that Pinto has asked for, which could amount to as much as $7.6 million, between reduced impact fees, permit fees and water and sewer hookup charges.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at Venice City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave., Venice.