Sarasota County, FL has long since desired to house the various disciplines of the Planning and Development Services (PDS) department in a co-located facility.  Previously, housed in spaces miles apart, the synergy between divisions was oftentimes hampered.  Matt Osterhoudt, PDS Director explains that managing 220 staff in multiple locations is a challenge to the organizational culture and customer service excellence we wish to provide.  

In March 2026 a state of the art One Stop was opened to bring together Building (Permit Center), Planning and Zoning, Environmental Protection, Neighborhoods Services, Code Enforcement, Property Management and PDS Administration into a forward-thinking space designed to provide cohesion in service delivery.  

The 55,600 square foot facility sits on 7 acres and features public spaces for gathering in a very transparent setting.  As you enter the building you are greeted in the lobby by a customer service agent and six spaces dedicated to meeting with PDS staff.  This is adjacent to the permit center where customers engage with the staff to receive white glove treatment.

What is also important to note is that each of the disciplines within the land development review process assigns reviewers to the one stop during business hours to ensure that all customer questions and requests can be managed within the One Stop on a daily basis.

The One Stop also offers meeting spaces for the public.  Pictured below is the community meeting room which doubles as a large training room for PDS staff with the amazing backdrop of the Clery Fields, a County Regional Stormwater Facility.  This setting lends itself to learning and innovation in the highest levels while providing access to the public.  

Beyond Public Access

While every detail of this building was carefully considered for public interaction, beyond the public access points the mission for the space was transformational in a much more organic way.  Spaces were designed to be aesthetically pleasing while focused intention was made to creating spaces to break down cultural silos.

From the crossroads which is the gathering point in the center of the building that offers opportunity for organic conversation to occur, to the close by cafeteria space and lawn, the point was to bring people together to achieve the mission of serving the public and the community.  Leaders wanted to break down barriers that have challenged the department in working cohesively in the separated spaces of the past.

But the attention to detail and the sense of community building doesn’t end there.  Whether it be various comfortable huddle rooms strategically placed throughout the building, or wellness spaces to pay attention to the physical and mental health of the staff, all the details mattered in the design of the spaces.

From the shape of the building in a Z pattern to help with flow and synergy, to the orchestration of working spaces for employees with general zones for divisions but also providing cross-over locations for gathering in the hallways, at the Crossroads or in the working areas, you can visibly see the barriers to collaboration coming down.  

Each space is designed to benefit from light streaming through the east to the west, using nature as the backdrop for the stewardship each PDS employee brings as the community builders for the county.

More than a Building… A Civic Buffer

While the One Stop serves a very well-defined  purpose for Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, the building itself also acts as a Civic Buffer between one of the county’s industrial corridors and the world-renowned Celery Fields ensuring the transportation vista.  The Celery Fields is a 400+ acre site owned by the county that acts as the primary flood mitigation zone for the area.  

Prior to the 1920’s the area was rich muckland known as Big Camp Saw Grass and Tatum Saw Grass.  The site was organized as the Sarasota Fruitville Drainage District in 1921 which made development in the Phillippi Creek watershed possible.  Construction of the Celery Fields was finished in 1926 and experimental farm lands were set up with celery becoming the primary crop in 1927.  

In 2001, the Sarasota Audubon began conducting bird surveys of the Fields and to date 246 species have been recorded.  The county works in partnership with the Audubon society on site programming and community outreach. The Celery Fields is  home to the Sarasota Audubon Nature Center a well frequented tourist spot in the community, which is known across the Country as a world-class birding destination.

The Quads

The Celery Fields is immediately adjacent to four key county owned parcels known as The Quads.  These parcels were identified for the potential to surplus in 2019 which yielded various proposals for construction with mixed feedback from the community.  

What became clear to the county is that the Celery Fields is a major quality of life amenity for community residents as development continues east of Interstate 75.  The ingenuity that followed took the need for replacement of county buildings as an opportunity to improve service delivery for the community.  Now rezoned as Government Use, all four quad parcels are creating a buffer between the industrial corridor and the Regional Stormwater Facility.  

The One Stop sits on quad 3 and is designed to visually point visitors toward the Celery Fields.  With it’s mix of metals to represent the nearby industrial area, and the use of woods and colors to bring to light the natural beauty of the Fields, the One Stop represents the beauty of one of the county’s most world-renowned assets while creating balance with adjacent development.

Plans for quad 1 are underway in partnership with Audubon for a Re-wilding Project, with development of quad 2 to ensue as a parking and play area to serve the Celery Fields completing the area as a transportation corridor for all to enjoy.

Lessons Learned

When asked what the five-year process of building the One Stop has taught him, Osterhoudt said his two greatest lessons were to listen and let go.

1. Listen: We had to listen to everyone and understand what the customers and the staff were experiencing on a daily basis.  It was also important to pick an architect who listened to internal partners to help make the vision a reality.  To me this is an organic vision for all that represents a patchwork quilt of our intentions that we all have a part in.
2. Letting Go: This was a lesson in leadership to understand that your vision isn’t the only one that matters.  We had been dreaming about a One Stop, but trusting one another was essential to making it reality that met the needs of organization and the community.

Osterhoudt went on to say, “As a temporary steward of this department, it’s humbling to build something for the community that will live on for 50 to 70 years.”

For more information on the Sarasota County One Stop contact Matt Osterhoudt at mosterhoudt@scgov.net.  You may also view a video recording featuring the ribbon cutting of the center here.