BRADENTON — If you live along the U.S. 41 corridor south of Cortez Road, imagine sitting in a coffee shop or browsing the aisles of a bookstore while waiting for a bus, all within walking distance of your home.
That was the picture painted for the Manatee County Commission during a workshop Tuesday, during which a broad plan to make changes to the comprehensive plan and land development code was suggested.
County planning department interim director John Osborne told commissioners the U.S. 41 corridor can be redeveloped into a urban core of mixed uses, such as multi-story buildings with shops on the ground floor and offices and residences on the upper levels.
“We have to create incentives for more density and intensity in the urban core,” Osborne said. “It’s tough to do urban redevelopment with the current land development codes.”
He also presented a proposal that would divide the county into three general areas where density is concentrated along the U.S. 41 corridor and stepped-down as redevelopment moves away from the major north-south transportation route.
The kind of redevelopment would vary along the stretch of highway depending on neighboring communities. For example, Whitfield Estates and the university area would differ from the intersection with 53rd Avenue West and the Community Redevelopment Agency district.
Most of the commissioners were generally in favor of the proposal and encouraged Osborne to continue to develop a plan.
But Commission Joe McClash said he has questions about the viability of the three-tiered proposal.
“How much redevelopment can we support with the existing infrastructure?” McClash asked. “How much density can we achieve?”
He said any plan would have to take into consideration the costs of upgrading the infrastructure.
Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she supported the planning department’s efforts to come up with fresh, new ideas.
“No one likes changes,” Whitmore said. “We have to give it a chance to present it to the community.”
She said it is important for the county to look at ways to attract a younger population.
For Commissioner Larry Bustle, it was a matter of being prepared for the eventual redevelopment that will happen.
“I’m not for business as usual,” he said.
Commission Chairwoman Gwen Brown said after the meeting that the planning department was looking hard at codes and regulations.
“They are suggesting changes that may be beneficial to the county,” Brown said. “They also will reach out to the community.”
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