Lakewood Ranch – The lyrics "Movin' on up, To the east side" never have rung truer.
First came the residents, then came the businesses, and now organizations are relocating to Lakewood Ranch.
The Manatee County chapter of the American Red Cross opened its Mid-County Service Center in June 2006. The center on Malachite Drive offers classes in first aid, CPR, operating an automated external defibrillator (AED) and baby-sitting.
The Manatee Chamber of Commerce in 1999 opened an East Manatee facility in the ComCenter building on State Road 70 but has outgrown the space.
Construction is underway on the new Lakewood Ranch facility that will house the chamber and the United Way.
The 9,000-square-foot building, off Lakewood Ranch Boulevard about halfway between state roads 64 and 70, will have separate wings of offices for the chamber and the United Way as well as a joint-use area.
Construction already is under way for several neighboring buildings, including one for the Manatee Association of Realtors.
In October, the U.S. Postal Service broke ground on a 20,000-square-foot post office, Lakewood Ranch's first, on the northeast corner of State Road 70 and Lorraine Road.
Schroeder-Manatee Ranch donated the land for the $4-million building, which will take about a year to construct.
At the groundbreaking, Bradenton postmaster Joe Gerace announced plans to work with SMR to build a second post office near State Road 64 sometime in the future.
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