City of Venice purchases Laurel Road property for future park
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
COV
The City of Venice has officially closed on the purchase of a 5-acre property located at 3560 Laurel Rd. E. for $1.5 million. The plan for this property is to create a new park for the northeast region of the City, with possible amenities including passive and active areas, nature and paved walking trails, pickleball courts, and a children’s playground.
The next steps are to rezone the property for park use, and begin selection for the design/build team. Design for the project is planned to begin in October.
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TO: Ed Lavallee, City Manager THROUGH: N/A
FROM: James R. Clinch PE, Assistant City Manager DATE: October 29, 2021
COUNCIL APPROVAL: Yes MEETING DATE:November 16, 2021
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL: Preserve the Venice Quality of Life through Proper Planning
SUBJECT: Approve Commerical Contract with Border Road Investments, LLC to purchase a parcel of land located at 3560 Laurel Road East for use as a public park
Background: The attached contract, between the City of Venice and Border Road Investments, LLC, is for the purchase of a 4.9-acre parcel of land located at 3560 Laurel Road E, Nokomis, FL 34275 in the amount of $1,500,000. The intended use of the property is for development of a public park within the Northeast Venice area.
The selection of this property was based on substantial community input and feedback, a Stakeholders Work Group and input from the City’s consulting team. The NE Venice Park Stakeholders group was formed on October 27, 2020 and representatives were selected from several of the NE Venice communities. In coordination with Atkins Engineering, the team conducted a public outreach survey and a virtual public workshop was held on March 25, 2021 to review the survey results and answer any questions. Multiple stakeholder meetings were conducted to discuss and review the results of the public outreach process. Based on all the information collected and reviewed, the stakeholders made recommendations to prioritize the following park amenities within the NE Venice area:
- passive and active areas
- nature and paved walking trails
- pickleball courts
- a children’s playground
- a dog park
After the park amenity recommendations were completed, the site selection process was started with the assistance of realestate broker Ian Black and Atkins Engineering. A comprehensive review was
conducted of all the suitable properties within the entire Northeast Venice area and Ian Black reached out directly to all properties which would be appropriate for the proposed use. At the final stakeholders meeting, all suitable and available properties were reviewed and the stakeholders recommended beginning negitiations with the following top three property locations:
- Border Road Investments, LLC – 3560 Laurel Road E, Nokomis, FL 34275
- Mirasol – 106 Montecito Street, Nokomis, FL 34275
- John Goulet – 3526 Laurel Road E, Nokomis, FL 34275
After negtotiating and performing preliminary due diligence, it was determined that the Border Road Investments property is the most suitable for the proposed development as a City park in NE Venice. The attached contract has been negotiated by the City broker in the amount of $1,500,000 and the propsed purchase price is below the average market value of $1,562,500 as was determined by the two attached property appraisals.
Funding for the purchase and the future park development will be provided through Park Impact Fees. This contract is contingent on the approval and receival of the Park Impact Fee funds through Sarasota County. As of June 30, 2021 the balance of Park Impact fees within the City of Venice district was
$4,066,854, which is sufficient to proceed with the proposed purchase. The NE Venice Park is an existing County Park Impact Fee project, and this purchase will require a mid-year impact fee request through the County with an associated budget amendment.
After the property is aquired, the next phase will be to proceed with rezoning, design and permitting for the future park. The estimated cost for this phase will be approximately $300,000, followed by the construction phase. The construction phase of the project will vary between $2,000,000 and $3,000,000 depending on the specific final selection of amenities for the park. There will be additional ongoing operation and maintenance costs associated with the park which will be determined as part of the design process.