Hutchinson and Ayech: Hi Hat expansion will impact roads

From Mike Hutchinson and Eileen Fitzgerald, who have been tireless in their resistance to the expansion of Lakewood Ranch to the South and East. Further below is a message from Becky Ayech of Old Miakka.


The County Commission will be reviewing a future entrance location for Hi Hat at their meeting on Wednesday. Hi Hat planned to extend Bee Ridge past the county Animal Shelter to their development. A controversy popped up after this article was published. Staff suggested putting the traffic on Fruitville rather than Bee Ridge as one solution.

Below is an email I sent to the Commissioners with our thoughts. Please email the commissioners with your thoughts. Note I removed the attachment I sent the Commissioners from this email since it was a very large file.


If you want to speak to the Commissioners on this, your only option is to go to the beginning of the meeting and speak during the Open to the Public session.

Thanks,

Mike
___________________________________________________________________________

Dear Commissioners,

The Sarasota County Commission must deny any more development or activity that adds traffic to Fruitville Rd. east of Sarasota Center Blvd. until Fruitville Rd. is made safe and the traffic problems are fixed. See the attached petitions

Though the full planning process starting with the Workshop on Dec. 1, 2020 to approval by the County Commission, Hi Hat had a planned entrance from Bee Ridge with the initial development located off of that entrance. In the Trident article, staff said Hi Hat could use Fruitville Rd. With the staff suggestion, the Hi Hat residents would have to go north on Utopia west on Fruitville then south on Lorraine (assuming this leg of Lorraine ever gets built) to get to a Publix rather than just go a mile west on Bee Ridge. The traffic conditions on Fruitville are already worse than Bee Ridge. To route the Hi Hat traffic to Fruitville instead of Bee Ridge makes no sense.

The Hi Hat development in the north section by Fruitville Rd. was to be the last portion developed, making the impact on Fruitville Rd. years away. If Bee Ridge was not to be the main entrance from the beginning, the impact of the additional traffic on Fruitville would have changed the traffic studies done by Staff, not only for Hi Hat but for all other projects involving Fruitville Rd. The studies for Lorraine Rd. from Fruitville to Bee Ridge would be significantly impacted. The traffic studies for Lakewood Ranch South East would have been significantly different.

Please resolve the issues with Hi Hat, keep the “original plan” and do not route Hi Hat traffic to Fruitville Rd.

Sincerely,

Mike Hutchinson
Keep The County, Inc.


===============================

From Becky Ayech:


In 2021, the Miakka Community Club attended a Neighborhood Workshop on the request by Hi Hat Ranch for a Village designation.  At the time, Hi Hat was going to build the Village more in the center of the Ranch and use Utopia Road via Fruitville Road for the traffic the development would create.  The Community Club argued against that and suggested having the first development on the western side and extending Bee Ridge Road for the main entrance. 

The Club also met one on one with Jim Turner (Hi Hat Ranch) and continued to request that the entrance be from Bee Ridge Road for construction and residential traffic.

A windshield survey showed between Hi Hat and the "T", there were 14 gates, 27 driveways,4 subdivisions, 7 roads, a cow crossing sign and 1 school bus stop.  The proposed entrance/exit would dumb all the traffic coming from the Village onto Fruitville Road to join in the congested traffic going west.

Jim Turner agreed to move the entrance to Bee Ridge Road by extending Bee Ridge Road into the new development.  This new road would pass by Rothenbach Park, the County dog pound and the recycling center - 3 access points, close together, without a lot of traffic.

The County Commission is now considering having Hi Hat Ranch go back to the original plan and dumb the traffic on Fruitville.  This would be along with the traffic coming from the Lakewood Ranch development of 5,000 dwelling units.

ACTION:  EMAIL THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND ASK THEM TO HAVE BEE RIDGE ROAD SERVE THE HI HAT RANCH VILLAGE.  THIS IS FOR CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC AND RESIDENTIAL TRAFFIC.  FRUITVILLE ROAD IS A TWO LANE RURAL ROAD WHICH CANNOT SAFELY HANDLE THE VOLUMES OF TRAFFIC THE HI HAT VILLAGE WOULD PRODUCE.  HONOR THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MIAKKA COMMUNITY CLUB AND HI HAT RANCH.

As always, sign your name and address.

Best regards,

Becky Ayech 



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