Neighbors: We need your help!

In March and April 2023, Harvest Church rented their new building across from our fence for money-making rock concerts. The building is less than 200 feet from some of our villas. The noise from musical events causes booming vibrations and sound in neighboring houses.

When the new building was proposed to the city several years ago, the church administration stated that the future building would not be rented or used for commercial purposes to outside entities. The property is zoned residential with limited conditional use. (We are not opposing church activities in the building.) The city applied a religious institution’s conditional use on the residential property, which does not allow facility rentals. The designation provides a property tax exemption for the church.

Besides advertising for rock concerts, the church has advertised the building for event rentals. On April 14, 2023, the city told the church to cease advertising.

Harvest Church administrators are now requesting a change to their conditional use, to legally allow them to rent their facility for money-making conferences, concerts, fundraisers, galas, banquets, etc. We believe that they will want to keep their property tax exemption.

Our neighborhood surrounds the church’s property on two sides. If a change is approved to the conditional use, traffic, noise, and environmental pollution will increase, as will the possibility of crime and decreasing property values.

Please sign the attached petition so we can demonstrate to Sarasota city officials that our neighborhood does NOT want a change to the conditional religious use of the neighboring Church property.   Thank you.