A month after closing Palmetto's Palm View Golf Course, land is eyed for residential development
PALMETTO -- The 55-year-old Palm View Golf Course, with more than 58 acres on both sides of 28th Avenue West and south of 61st Street, closed for good on June 14. Less than a month later, current owners Palm View Golf Corp. petitioned the Manatee County Planning Commission to have the property rezoned from suburban agriculture to residential.
Palm View Golf Corp. is negotiating a $1.5 million sale with Highland Homes -- the same builder that built Palmetto Estates. Those homes start from around $150,000 and range in size from 1,300 to 2,180 square feet.
The planning commission meeting this week was just the first of many steps -- to consider the rezoning request, not a development proposal. The rezoning request does outline specifics in the amount of homes that can be built and county staff recommended approval, saying the request was consistent with the county's comprehensive plan and land
development codes.
But nearby residents are concerned about the request that would potentially open up a 261-unit housing development.
Kenneth Kapcha, a resident of the nearby Deer Run community, opposed the zoning change in a letter to the commission, asking: "How much is enough? More than 23,000 new homes have already been approved for construction," in traditional agricultural land.
Kapcha suggested leaving it agricultural for a nursery, a farm or equestrian center. "It appears to me, that the county is just rubber stamping and approving all new developments," he added.
Forrest and Martha Fulford wrote to the commission about traffic and drainage issues a new development could create, and asked the commission to minimize "the effect of this development on our community."
The planning commission received several similar letters from the public, but voted 4-1 to recommend approving the rezone to the Manatee County Board of Commissioners, which will hear the same arguments at a later date. If approved, the rezone does not approve a development proposal, instead opening the door for the owner and developer to complete their negotiations. Highland Homes, if the deal is finalized, would then be responsible for initiating a proposed development process.
A Highland Homes representative did not return a call for comment Friday. Other residents voiced concern about what impact a new subdivision would have on local schools. A report submitted to the planning commission by the Manatee County School District estimates a community that size would generate 45 new elementary school students, 23 middle school students and 29 high school students. The report acknowledges that no new schools or expansions are planned in the district's five-year plan.
The report did express concern regarding capacity at a nearby elementary school, but noted that the development could be accommodated overall. The planning commission will require the developer to address traffic and drainage concerns if and when a site plan comes forward, which were two of the more common concerns expressed by citizens.
Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.
This story was originally published July 11, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "A month after closing Palmetto's Palm View Golf Course, land is eyed for residential development ."