BRADENTON — The residents of Christian Retreat will soon have better cell phone reception, thanks to a new cross that will be constructed in their backyard.
The Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved Thursday the installation of a 175-foot-tall cell tower on a piece of land the church and religious conference center will lease to Tech Tower Properties.
The tower will be in the shape of a cross.
County planner Karen Tarman told commissioners that there was concern voiced by two residents about their property values.
Tarman said she replied to both, explaining that the cell tower application complied with land development codes and comprehensive plan regulations.
Another resident, Larry Durso, voiced his concerns during the Planning Commission public hearing last month about the cross being lighted.
Tech Tower Properties agreed not to light the tower.
The commissioners also unanimously approved without discussion the rezoning of about 15 acres at the corner of State Road 64 and Lorraine Road from agricultural to planned development.
The vote included approval of developer SM Duck Dog LLC’s site plan for a commercial center of almost 109,000 square feet with a grocery store, bank, retail stores, offices and a convenience store with gasoline pumps.
During Thursday’s meeting, the first of two public hearings on the North County Gateway Overlay Master Plan was held.
No one from the public spoke on the proposal to change the land development code to promote port-related development. The second public hearing is set for sometime after 9 a.m., Nov. 17.
The boundaries of the district generally are from U.S. 41 on the east to Interstate 75 on the west, and from Buckeye Road on the south to the county line on the north.
Approval of a $236,885 grant to pay for screening services of juveniles at the detention center was a last-minute addition to the agenda, and sparked a discussion among the commissioners about the funding of Children’s Social Services.
Commissioner Larry Bustle said there was about $1 million in federal stimulus funds from June being held up in bureaucratic red tape, while there are families in Manatee who don’t know if they will have a meal at night.
Bustle asked if the commission could appropriate funds from the county budget to help social service agencies and get paid back when the stimulus monies are available.
The commissioners requested a staff report on the problem with getting the stimulus funds spent.
Email Story
Printer Friendly 
Quick Job Search
@Nyx.replyAnswerText@