No decision on Aqua by the Bay; next hearing set for Sept. 29

The decision on Aqua by the Bay will have to wait for another day, as commissioners voted Wednesday to again continue the special land use meeting.

The vote was 6-1, with Commissioner Robin DiSabatino dissenting, and the next hearing will be held on Sept. 29 at the Manatee County Administrative Building.

Staff gave their blessings to the proposed rezoning and general development plan of the 529-acre Medallion Home project that sits between El Conquistador and Sarasota Bay after changes to the proposal were made mid-meeting last week.

The differences included requiring a 50-foot fixed buffer between a proposed estuary enhancement area near the mangroves on the bay and an upland retaining wall, and nixing the proposed four buildings that could have reached up to 145 feet.

But a few commissioners, and 36 public commenters, still had issues with the proposal as it stood.

The project consists of 2,384 multi-family and 510 single-family homes in addition to 78,000 square feet of commercial space in a plot of land between El Conquistador Parkway and Sarasota Bay. Medallion Home founder Carlos Beruff said Aqua by the Bay would look something like Bonita Bay in Bonita Springs.

There are a proposed 16 buildings up to 95 feet high and an unknown amount of buildings from 36 feet to 75 feet that will be determined based on “market demand,” King Engineering consultant Misty Servia said last week. But Medallion Home still had the option to come back to commissioners to ask for the four, 145-foot buildings, which would decrease the 95-foot buildings to 12.

Near the end of the meeting, another compromise was made. Beruff agreed not to ask for the 145-foot buildings in the future.

Another stipulation added to the proposal was making sure no motorized boats would enter the estuary enhancement area.

Unless the applicant submits a change to the general development plan, the Sept. 29 public hearing will be closed to public comment because it is a continuation and public comment was closed on Wednesday.

During public comment, Andy Mele, who represents the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club, showed off to the board a large visual display dotted with foam squares where he thought the buildings could be placed along the property. He calculated that there would need to be an extra 67 buildings at 75 feet high to accommodate all of the proposed units.

“It’s going to be a wall, ladies and gentlemen, no matter how you look at it,” Mele said.

Karen Willey, a naturalist, suggested that the five outflow channels that have been on the property since it was owned by Manatee Fruit Company could create damage to seagrass over time with the addition of estuary enhancement area. She compared it to the tidal flow at Robinson Preserve, which significantly eroded away the bottom of the Manatee River over a 10-year period.

A spiritual leader of the Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples, Bobby Billie, was anxious about the two archeological sites of historical importance discovered on the Aqua by the Bay property.

“These people (are) attacking my cultures,” he said.

The applicant’s attorney, Ed Vogler, said that he would put in writing that the developers won’t harm the two sites, but it was not included in the stipulations added Wednesday.

The project got full support from the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange.

“It’s 8,600 new jobs in the area; $1.5 billion in economic investment in an area of Manatee County that really needs that economic investment and that tax revenue,” said the group’s executive director Mary Dougherty.

Yet with the tweaks, commissioners Charles Smith and Priscilla Whisenant expressed that they would not support the project, the latter indicating concern about the height of the upland retaining wall and that the mangroves may be harmed by the proposed depth of the estuary enhancement area. Commissioner DiSabatino expressed her concern about not having a “sufficient amount of information,” as the applicant hasn’t identified where the buildings will be placed and how many smaller buildings there will be.

After the meeting, Beruff issued a statement.

“Aqua by the Bay is committed to doing this right every step of the way, and in the end, we look forward to being able to demonstrate the neighborhood’s real, positive impacts. Supporters who have spoken up for smart growth represent thousands more, and we’re thankful for their voices as we work to protect our area’s natural resources and build a superior neighborhood with character and longevity.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 12:41 PM with the headline "No decision on Aqua by the Bay; next hearing set for Sept. 29."