More development planned for busy Bradenton neighborhood

An abandoned horse farm north of State Road 64 and east of Salt Meadow Circle is one of the last remaining properties in an area of East Bradenton that has seen rapid growth, and it may not be vacant for long.

Next Generation Development LLC purchased the 30 acres at 4915 First Ave. E., in May 2014 for $321,800 from Toby’s Equine Rescue Inc. Plans are going through the city of Bradenton for the development of 12 single-family homes and 172 two-story townhomes.

The proposed Lastra community would sit in the far northeast corner of an area that includes the communities of Cottages at San Lorenzo and San Casciano. To the west are the Harbour Walk and Bella Sole communities. To the south along State Road 64 are the Blue Heron Apartments, among other smaller developments under construction.

The triangular makeup of the 30 acres presented the developer some challenges. The property includes wetlands, and the eastern edge of the property is adjacent to Interstate 75. Preliminary plans show that 36 percent of the property will be designated as recreation space and that much of the wetlands will remain for recreational opportunities.

Bradenton attorney Stephen Thompson, representing the developer, called it a positive aspect to the plan, and things like a walking trail and gazebo are being planned for the community.

“We do have to recognize the impacts of sound and light from I-75,” Thompson said. “We are going to place a berm along the interstate and put a fence on it, as well as pulling back the development from that area.”

Christopher Gratz, zoning manager for the city, said the developer “has done a creative job” in working with the land challenges, as well as providing adequate landscaping buffers between the property and adjacent communities.

“The landscape plan has a lot of trees,” Gratz said. “In fact, it was probably too ambitious with how many tress will actually fit, so we’ll recommend a new plan with the right trees in the right places. There is a little bit of work that still needs to be done, but that’s why this is preliminary.”

What the impact will be on traffic also is a concern for the local residents.

“Traffic is a problem everywhere and always will be a problem,” Gratz said. “The intersection of 48th Street Court and State Road 64 will be F-rated when this, and all other improvements in the area are complete, so it’s not their fault.”

Gratz said the intersection is already functioning at a D level. City planner Catherine Hartley said there are some things in the proposed plan where the developer is “getting off the hook for what developers used to get nailed on.”

If a development causes intersection service losses, Hartley said, multi-modal improvements must be included in the plan. The city tried to add a stipulation that would require sidewalks on both sides of the development’s streets, but Thompson successfully convinced the planning commission last week that it would create a negative impact to the development.

Hartley unsuccessfully stood her ground, noting, “If they can’t fit two sidewalks, then maybe they have too much in there.”

The project is scheduled to come before the city council on Sept. 14 for final approval.

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 11:46 AM with the headline "More development planned for busy Bradenton neighborhood."