Email Sent 03/25/2023

The Willowbend Community did a great job turning out for the Zoom call on the proposed development at our Habitat entrance.  We clearly made our voices heard to the Developer’s legal representative in strong opposition to this plan.

The next step in the process will be a hearing before the County Planning Commission.  They will then make a recommendation to the County Commissioners who will make the final decision on this proposal.  Those hearings will likely be “in person” and it is critical that we show up and voice our opposition.  There is strength in numbers!  I am attaching a listing of the email addresses of all those on the Planning Commission.   I have previously sent the contact information for Joe Neunder, our County Commissioner.   Remember, however, that he has only one vote on the Commission.  We will need to voice our opposition to ALL the members of the County Commission - especially if the Planning Commission recommends approval of this project.

We therefore encourage you to write a letter TODAY and send it to all of the members of the Planning Commission.  A list of names and email addresses is attached to this email.  We suggest email rather than mailed letters.  Phone calls are probably not as effective as you are unlikely to actually reach someone.  Stating our opposition in writing provides concrete evidence of the strong support we have against the zone change request and against the proposed project. 

Rather than provide you with a sample letter, which could lead decision makers to think that this is an “orchestrated communication” we are providing a list of “talking points” to assist in formulating your communication.  Choose the ones that mean the most to you.  This will make your letter stronger and more sincere.  While addressing your personal concerns, also speak as a member of the Community stressing how this proposed development negatively affects the entire community.

Whether you are a long time Willowbend resident or have moved here more recently, stress that all homeowners invested in this Community with reliance on the Protective Covenants in place that would limit the development on this vacant land at our entrance.

Points for Discussion

Restrictive Covenants

• All Homeowners in Willowbend have relied on the Restrictive Covenants in place for this property that run with the land with each sale of the property

The Declaration of Covenants state that the property shall be limited to the 

following uses: community recreation facility, day care, educational facilities, 

medical facilities, neighborhood resource center, clubs and lodges, any office

use, including without limitation, banking facilities, community recreation facility,

research laboratory without manufacturing facility.  It goes on to state that the

uses should provide a service to the Willowbend Subdivision homeowners 

without adverse effect, including undue noise, traffic, odors or unusual hours

of operation.

• A “Take 5” oil change facility does not in any way meet the requirements of these restrictive covenants

Inconsistency with the Comprehensive Plan

Future Land Use Policy states:  In established residential areas, incompatible land uses shall be discouraged if traffic is generated on abutting local streets in amounts that would substantially and adversely affect traffic flow, traffic control and public safety.

Future Land Use Objective states:  Maintain governing regulations for Residential land uses and protect the quality and integrity of established residential neighborhoods from adjacent incompatible development.

• The proposed zoning change allowing a Take 5 oil change facility (with two entrances onto Habitat Blvd, a residential street) would increase traffic and substantially alter the nature of the Willowbend Community

Transportation Issues and Safety

While the property in question is located along U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) proposed access to the site is off of the neighborhood road, Habitat Blvd.  Habitat Blvd. is one of two entrances, the other Luminary Blvd. to the south, that accesses the Willowbend Community.  This road serves not only the 275 homes in Willowbend but many of the 498 homes in the adjoining Rivendell Community.

• Currently the wait time to exit Habitat Blvd onto U.S. 41 can be as long as ten minutes depending on the time of day and season

• Due to the proximity of the light at 41 and Blackburn Point Rd, it is unlikely that a light could be considered at 41 and Habitat Blvd

• Has the developer requesting this change prepared an intersection analysis or a travel time/speed/delay study?

Personalize your concerns about safety and transportation - you walk your dog 

daily along Habitat Blvd, your children or grandchildren often ride bikes in the

community.  If you have had a personal experience with traffic issues along this 

road please include details.

Incompatibility of Use

• The proposed development is incompatible with adjacent and nearby properties

• An oil change facility is a visual blight at the entrance to the Willowbend Community

• Signage and lighting for an oil change facility would now be the entrance to the Willowbend Community.  Is this the type of use you would like to see entering your neighborhood?

The Developer is attempting to describe this property as intensive commercial.  The land immediately to the south which is approximately 10 acres of vacant land is zoned OPI, immediately to the east the zoning is RMF-1 which is the community association recreational area including a pool and children’s playground.  The land to the north is developed with offices including a former bank building that has been vacant for some time and a development of Senior apartments.   To the west is a small shopping center including a small “market concept” Publix grocery.  Also to the immediate west is the residential community of South Bay.

None of the surrounding area can be described as intensive commercial uses.

I am attaching a listing of the email addresses for all those on the County Planning Commission   Again, we need to voice our strong opposition to ALL OF THESE PEOPLE.

You should also email our County Commissioner - Joe Neunder.  His email address is:

jneunder@scgov.net

If this is not rejected by the Planning Commission, it will be important for us to contact all of the County Commissioners.

Thanks for your help on this very important matter!

Stephen Meuler

President, Willowbend HOA

Attachment: County Planning Commission email addresses

Email Sent 03/18/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update - Aravilla Project (behind Thornapple and Chalet)

At the Annual Meeting this week, questions and concerns were raised about the condition of the property that is the site of the future Aravilla Memory Care Unit.  The Board was asked to make our concerns known to the County.  Attached with this email is information received from the County as to the status of the project along with some dates that we can expect progress.  This project had been issued a "stop work" order from the County several months ago when they removed many large trees that they had no permission to remove.  The stop work order has been lifted as you will see per the attached.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!


Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Attachment: Notice_March 18 2023.Aravilla Project.pdf

INTERNET AND CABLE TV CONTRACT - FRONTIER

The Board has approved a new 5-year contract with Frontier for internet and cable TV with upgraded speed and equipment.

There is ONE phone number to use for Frontier bulk service accounts: The number is: 844-660-0648
Select Option 2 when calling for installation of service.
Select Option 1 for technical support if you experience problems after installation.

It is important that you use this phone number and not any other Frontier advertised phone number. This number is specifically to service bulk accounts such as Willowbend.

At the annual meeting of the Willowbend Community Association held on March 15, 2023, Janet Kaplan, Frank Pugliese and Tina Wetter were elected to the Board of Directors. Afterwards, the Board met to elect officers.  The 2023-2024 Board members and their positions are as follows:

President - Stephen Meuler
Vice President - Frank Pugliese
Treasurer - Janet Kaplan
Secretary - Paul McClain
Director at Large - Tina Wetter

Email Sent 03/16/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Thanks to all homeowners who participated in our Annual Meeting - either through proxy or by attending last evening. Your interest in our neighborhood is appreciated!

After the meeting the new Board met to select officers for the coming year. The Willowbend Board and their positions are as follows:

President - Stephen Meuler
Vice President - Frank Pugliese
Treasurer - Janet Kaplan
Secretary - Paul McClain
Director at Large - Tina Wetter

Updated contact information for the Board members will be posted on the Willowbend website as soon as we have email addresses set up. I would like to extend thanks to Scott Brundrett for his service to the community for the past two years.

Here is some additional information in response to the discussion at the meeting.

Zoning change request for Habitat and 41
I spoke with our attorney this morning. She is preparing a list for us of the main talking points to include in our communications with the Planning Board as well as the County Commissioners. As soon as I receive that I will provide it along with a listing of the contact information for all of those individuals.

Frontier
I had a phone call with the manager of Bulk Services for Frontier this morning. He has put together a feedback loop for Willowbend homeowners to report the problems that they are having. See below a link that will take you to a "survey" where you can describe the issues and give your contact information. The survey will ask you for the service order number from the work done at your home. It is not a problem if you don't have that. Just enter the other information and describe the issue as best you can. You will also see that if you prefer to not use the survey link, there is an email address where you can send your information and describe the issue. I urge all of you that may be experiencing problems/issues with the Frontier service to contact them by one of the methods below as soon as possible!

I just heard this morning that some homes were not provided the two Eero routers when their service was upgraded. If that is the case at your home, please report that!

“In an effort to expedite the collection and addressing issues for residents who have had issues with installations to date, Frontier has published a brief survey for residents who would like assistance in having any service or installations resolved. The survey should take less than five minutes to complete. You can access the survey by clicking this link. You may also email Frontier at: Multifamily.Communications@ftr.com

Webmaster
Marsh Hestenes has served as our "webmaster" for the Willowbend website for the past 15 years! At the meeting last evening, he expressed his desire to turn that position over to someone else. This website is a valuable tool for our community - not only in posting information but in keeping everyone's contact information current. We would not be able to communicate by these mass emails if this site was not kept current. This morning we had a homeowner step up and offer to take on the role. Barbara Males (545 Luminary Blvd) will work with Marsh to transition these duties. Thanks Barbara for your willingness to serve. Many, many thanks to Marsh for his work for 15 years. In addition to his work with the website Marsh also served as our Treasurer for a number of years. In my time on the Board, I have called on Marsh many times for assistance and he was always ready and willing to offer his help. Marsh, you have my very sincere appreciation.

It takes the involvement of many homeowners - not just Board members - to insure that Willowbend remains a top choice community!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 03/12/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Reminder!

A reminder to start the week!

Our Annual Meeting for all Homeowners will be held this Wednesday evening, March 15th at 5:30 p.m. at:

Ramada Hotel Venezia
425 US 41 Bypass N
Venice

We would like to start the meeting as close to 5:30 as possible. We will be ready to begin signing people in at 4:30. Please try to arrive early so that we can have everyone checked in and start the meeting on time.

If you are unable to attend the meeting and you have not mailed your proxy form to Sentry please give your proxy to a neighbor who will be attending the meeting.

Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 03/05/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Reminder!

Another "gentle" reminder -
If you don't plan to attend the Annual Meeting on March 15th and you haven't yet completed your proxy form please do so now. Tuesday should be the last day that you return the form by mail (to ensure that Sentry receives it in time). You can also give your completed proxy form to a neighbor who will be attending the meeting.

We need to make sure that we get enough forms to have a quorum for the meeting.

Thanks for your attention and cooperation!

Stephen Meuler

Email Sent 03/02/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Thank You!

Many thanks to all of the homeowners who joined the meeting this evening. I think that we clearly put them on notice that we are opposed to this development. I want to apologize that I was having technical difficulties with my computer with the sound on my computer at the beginning. I am certainly no computer wizard! I do think our attorney did a good job.

Now it is important that we all stay engaged in this process as it moves forward if we are to have a chance of defeating this. Thanks again.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 03/02/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Link to Zoom Call

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85234074838?pwd=QlZoZEJQWXB5bk85RE5aem5SaWRZQT09&from=addon

Everyone
Some people had a problem with the link that I sent in the earlier email You should be able to use the link here in this email. Sorry for any confusion

Email Sent 03/02/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Important Reminder!

Good morning!

A reminder for everyone - the zoom meeting concerning the proposed development at our Habitat entrance is tonight at 6:00 p.m. Attached to this email is the link and information to join the zoom meeting. WE WOULD LIKE AS MANY HOMEOWNERS AS POSSIBLE TO JOIN THIS MEETING AS A STRONG SHOW OF OUR SOLID OPPOSITION TO THIS PROPOSAL. If you are uncomfortable with the process of a Zoom meeting, you can also just dial in from your phone and enter the meeting ID and passcode (provided in the attached information). I can also suggest that you may be able to join with one of your neighbors on the Zoom call.

Also attached is a copy of the restrictive covenants that are in place for this piece of property. Pay special attention to page five and the intended uses for this property. In no way does this current proposal meet these covenants.

Our attorney, Kimlyn Walker from the law firm of Lobeck & Hanson, will also be on the call.

Issues we intend to raise with this proposal include:
1. Non compliance with the restricted covenants in place for this property
2. Increased traffic on a residential road (Habitat) and the resulting problems
associated with entering and exiting to US 41
3. Immediate proximity to our community rec center and playground
4. Non-specific plans for the development of the entire parcel
5. Proximity to Oscar Scherer park - our community has always had restrictions due to this proximity

I am sure there are other objections that homeowners may think of. This is just the first step in the process. Hearings will be scheduled with the planning commission which will make a recommendation and then this will ultimately be decided by the County Supervisors. Please also continue to "make noise" on this issue with our County Supervisor, Joe Neunder.

It is important that we have homeowners join the call this evening! Thanks to everyone for your interest and assistance.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 02/26/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Proposed Development - Habitat and US 41
The HOA will have an attorney from the firm that represents us take part in the zoom call that has been scheduled for Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Our intention at this point is to assess our chances to block this proposed development at our Habitat entrance. Again, we encourage as many homeowners as possible to join this call on Thursday as a show of our opposition. Details on joining the call are in a previous email.

Annual Meeting
Another reminder - if you will not be attending the Annual Meeting on March 15th please complete your proxy form now! Either return the completed proxy in the envelope provided or give it to a homeowner who will be attending the meeting. It is important that these are completed so that we ensure that we have a quorum to conduct the meeting. Thanks for your cooperation.

Frontier
Homeowners on Crane Prairie Way and Luminary may now call to set up an appointment for the upgrade to your Frontier service. We hope to have the service upgraded at all homes by mid March.

Many thanks to all for your interest and support in maintaining Willowbend. We now have home sales that are closing well over $900K. That is great news for all of us. We want to keep it that way!

Email Sent 02/24/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Further information from one of our Homeowners - thanks to Charlie Arnold!

I found the attached documents to this email (Take 5 Osprey_3022023.pdf attached below) online at the Sarasota County Government link listed below; it may be worth sending to all Willowbend Residents. It includes the documents you sent plus more. It is public information on their website.

https://www.scgov.net/home/showpublisheddocument/59585/638128383853258426

In addition, the following links may be useful.

Link to the oil change company Take 5 who wants to build at the Front Door to Willowbend. It says that Take 5 also includes a Car Wash and possibly Auto Repairs at some locations which means used parts and broken autos will be sitting on their property. I wonder how many cars a day will frequent their location for oil changes and/or car washes; something to consider. https://www.take5.com/

Link to Review of Take 5; it has more critical reviews than positive reviews. https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/take5oilchange.com

This is a link to the Attorney representing the company for rezoning https://icardmerrill.com/steve-rees-jr/

Email Sent 02/24/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - ALERT - Proposed development at US 41 and Habitat

During this past week, a few of our residents received a mailing detailing a proposed new development along Habitat and US 41 - the vacant lot at the Southeast corner of Habitat as you enter our community. This proposal would require a rezoning from the County as they want to divide the property into two with a proposed Quick Oil Change business and an additional office building.

This should obviously be concerning to all of us.

It is interesting that the notice was mailed to so few homeowners and not the entire community. I am attaching a copy of the notice letter that was sent along with a map showing the area.

Per the letter, you will see that the property owner has scheduled a Zoom call for Thursday, March 2nd at 6:00 p.m. to present their plan to neighboring homeowners. A link to join the meeting is included in the letter.

I urge all homeowners to join this meeting if possible! We need to voice our concerns and have our questions answered.

I am sure there will be additional County hearings scheduled to consider the zone change request. As a Community, we need to stay involved in this process.

I have also sent an email voicing concern to the County Commission representative for this District, Joe Neunder. It would be good for him to hear from as many of us as possible. His email address is: jneunder@scgov.net

Something will clearly go into that area. We cannot really stop that. Our big concern is to stop the rezoning into two parcels so that two businesses can be put in that area. We are all well aware of the current traffic problems with entering and exiting our community. Let's make our voices heard now!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 02/22/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Frontier

We had a follow-up call with Frontier yesterday. We discovered that the welcome letter that was sent as well as the information in my email had a wrong telephone number. (This time it wasn't even my fault).

There is ONE phone number to use for Frontier bulk service accounts: The number is: 844-660-0648
Select Option 2 when calling for installation of service.
Select Option 1 for technical support if you experience problems after installation.

It is important that you use this phone number and not any other Frontier advertised phone number. This number is specifically to service bulk accounts such as Willowbend.

As of yesterday, they had over 150 service orders placed for installation so hopefully all is going well. Homeowners on Crane Prairie Way and Luminary may begin placing installation orders on February 25th.

Another gentle reminder - please complete your proxy form for the annual meeting and either mail it to Sentry or give it to a homeowner/neighbor who will be attending the meeting. Thanks for your attention to this!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Happy Presidents' Day!

You should have received the mailing from Sentry with the information for the annual meeting and election. I am pleased that we have three candidates that have stepped up and are willing to serve for the three open positions.

Please do not throw the mailing away. Don't set it aside and forget about it. If you cannot attend the meeting, please complete your proxy form as soon as possible and either mail it back to Sentry in the envelope provided or give it to a homeowner/neighbor who is going to attend the meeting. We need these completed so as to be sure we have a quorum to proceed with the meeting. If you are going to attend the meeting on Wednesday March 15th then you don't need to do anything with the proxy form. Thanks for your cooperation.

If you are attending the meeting, please make plans to arrive at around 5:00 if it is possible for you. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 but as you know it takes time to check everyone in.

If you are a homeowner who had LMP do stump removal on your property the charges for that service are listed on your homeowner account on the Sentry Management website. Quite a few of those charges have not been paid. Please log on to your account to see the amount that is owed and make arrangements to make payment to the HOA. For those of you who had their yard lights replaced by Nostalgic, those charges will be handled in the same manner. Once Sentry receives the itemized charges from Nostalgic the amount that you owe will be listed as a debit on your account with payment due.

We have had reports from homeowners who regularly walk the neighborhood that increasingly we are seeing dog waste being left in the neighborhood. Picking up after your dog is not only a rule of our HOA but is a County Ordinance and indeed is just being courteous and respectful to your neighbors. PLEASE PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG! Again, thanks for your cooperation,

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our Annual Meeting on March 15th!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

SORRY - It was quickly pointed out to me that I forgot our neighbors on Habitat! Homes on Habitat are included in ZONE ONE

We are ready to begin the Frontier upgrade for the community! There are three attachments to this email. First, a welcome message and instructions from Frontier. Second, a price list for those interested in upgrading the Television package. The TV package that is included in our contract is the same channel lineup as existing. We will now have DVR capability and two high definition set top boxes provided. Third, is a map outlining the two zones of the neighborhood.

Please do not call to place your order prior to the dates listed for your zone.

Zone One - Service orders to be placed Feb 14th - Feb 24th
This zone includes all homes on the following streets:
Chalet Court, Copperwood, Latitude, Thornapple

Zone Two - Service orders to be placed Feb 25th - March 7th
This zone includes all homes on the following streets:
Crane Prairie Way, Luminary Blvd

To place your order for service you must call 844-660-0648 (Select Option 2).
Any changes to your TV service - additions (per the attached price list) or possibly deleting something additional that you currently have, should be done when you set up the service call.

If you experience any problems with your service after the installation you should call 866-844-0468 (Select Option 1).

Please refer to the instructions in the welcome memo attached and save that for future reference.

Again, Frontier will begin taking orders tomorrow, Feb 14th, for those homes in Zone 1. Homes in Zone 2 can begin placing orders on Feb 25th.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Click the link to see the Agenda for the 02/16/2023 Willowbend Board of Directors Meeting

The Board will meet for the regular monthly meeting this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church. A copy of the agenda is attached. All homeowners are welcome to attend.

Also, please mark your calendars for the Annual Members' Meeting to be held on Wednesday March 15th at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at: Hotel Venezia, 425 US 41 Bypass N., Venice Florida. The earlier mailing from Sentry listed the wrong date for the meeting. All homeowners are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. A mailing will be coming from Sentry later this week with information on the candidates for election to the Board as well as a Proxy form and a return envelope. Please do not throw this mailing away!

If you know that you will be unable to attend the meeting, please complete your proxy form per the instructions with the mailing and either mail back to Sentry in the envelope provided or give your completed proxy to another homeowner that will be attending the meeting. If mailing your proxy, I urge you to mail it as soon as possible so that we can be sure that we have established a quorum for the meeting.

FRONTIER

Many of you have been asking about Frontier and the upgraded internet service. I apologize and share your frustration with the delay. I hope to have a definitive date for the launch in the next couple of days and will advise everyone. So far Frontier has upgraded 4 homes as a test. They ran into several issues due to the very old equipment and connections in our community - more issues than they anticipated. They have addressed these issues as they have come up. They believe that they are now very close to launching the service for the community.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA 

Please go to the President's Corner to see other emails sent out by our President recently.

The Board adopted the 2023 Budget and the Reserve Schedule on November 17, 2022. You can view the adopted Budget on the secure pages for homeowners on this web site.

To reach the adopted budget on the Willowbend Web site, you need to remember your user name and password and sign in. If you do not remember either one, you can call Marshall Hestenes at (941) 918-8150 or e-mail him at hestenes@msu.edu and he will remind you of your user name and give you a new password. Once you have logged-in, at the bottom of the list of links on the left hand side, you will see a link called "Budget". Click on it, and you will go to the Willowbend Community Association Budget page, which will contain links to the 2023 Budget and the 2023 Reserve Schedule documents. Also, about two weeks after the end of the month, an Income and Expenses summary is posted that shows actual income and expenses through the end of that month and how they compare with the budgeted amounts in each category.

LMP will meet residents with landscape issues at the Gazebo every week on Wednesday, 10:00 am to 10:30 am.

After a hiatus of many years, in early June, 2021, publication of the Willowbend newsletter, Around the Bend, resumed. On the left menu, click the Around the Bend link to get to the page containing links to the newsletters published since that date.

Click the link to see the June, 2022 newsletter from the Nokomis Fire Department.

Click the link to see the September, 2022 newsletter from LMP.

Residents are reminded that according to flag etiquette, the custom is to display the U. S. flag only from sunrise to sunset on flagstaffs in the open, but it may be displayed at night - if illuminated - to produce a patriotic effect.

The fitness center is now open, but use of it is strictly at your own risk, and you must follow the Guidelines and Restrictions for Use of this Facility