SCF nears a crucial step in the project to build a Parrish campus
State College of Florida wants to build a campus in Parrish, and the long-term project is taking shape in the form of a general development plan, which is up for consideration on Thursday morning.
The Manatee County Planning Commission will decide whether to recommend approval of SCF’s plan during a 9 a.m. meeting at the county Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton.
Thursday’s proposal calls for 455,000 square feet of college facilities, including offices, administration buildings, classrooms, recreational areas and dormitories, along with a library, student union and collegiate school.
Another 76,230 square feet is set aside for commercial and office space, according to the plan.
The development plan faces a review by the Planning Commission and later the Board of County Commissioners, which has a land use meeting scheduled for March 5. A thumbs up would allow SCF to use its land for the approved purpose, but many of the proposals are a distant reality.
The project is spaced into three stages, and Phase One — an initial classroom and office building — was expected to take three to five years, according to a past interview with Carol Probstfeld, the president of SCF.
“It goes on until we have what we need to make the project come to fruition,” she said at the time. “Construction costs continue to go up, so the sooner we can get our hands around all of this, the better.”
State Rep. Tommy Gregory, R-Sarasota, filed a request for $9.5 million to help SCF start its project. If approved, the appropriation would add to $5 million already raised by the college, which would need to solicit another $10.5 million for the completion of Phase One.
Phase Two includes several classroom buildings, along with a collegiate school, library and student union, according to the development plan.
The proposal goes on to list a recreation area, several more classrooms and two dormitories in Phase Three.
About two years ago, SCF purchased the 74-acre plot of land at 11680 Erie Road, adjacent to the Copperstone community and across the street from Parrish Community High School. It was another step in the college’s strategic plan, including a project to establish itself “in the rapid growth area east of I-75 and north of the Manatee River.”
The surrounding area is currently transitioning from agricultural uses to residential developments and commercial projects, and SCF would be a positive addition to that growth, according to its plan.
“The proposed project offers a mixture of non-residential uses, promoting the creation of areas of employment and the diversification of the county’s economy,” it states.