Developer pays $10.5 million for Bradenton property. That land has been in the news a lot of late.
Developer Taylor Morrison recently paid $10,525,00 for 227 acres of City of Bradenton property west of Evers Reservoir.
The company plans to build 600 homes on the site, a prospect that brought objections from neighbors who fear more traffic on Honore Avenue and the resignation of a Manatee County Planning Commissioner.
In May, Planning Commissioner Al Horrigan Jr. cited the county commission’s 5-2 vote to approve Taylor Morrison’s plans for the property as a factor in his resignation.
Horrigan said the commission wasted an opportunity to request a north-south right-of-way on Natalie Way before approving the project. He had also advocated for a bridge to connect Honore Avenue with State Road 70 as a traffic alternative.
The City of Bradenton originally acquired the property with the idea of building an off-line water reservoir but scrapped that plan after learning it would be twice as costly as originally planned, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
The undeveloped property north of Honore Avenue is easily identifiable by a large mound of earth, now overgrown with trees and other vegetation.
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Taylor Morrison did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for more specific plans for the property or for a timeline on when construction might begin.
Other Taylor Morrison projects in Manatee County include Esplanade at Artisan Lakes, Palma Sola Trace by Taylor Morrison, and Esplanade Golf and Country Club at Lakewood Ranch.
In 2017, Taylor Morrison and its subsidiary, Taylor Woodrow, added 66 acres to Artisan Lakes, north of Moccasin Wallow Road, and west of Interstate 75.
Taylor Morrison is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz.
County Commissioners Vanessa Baugh and Robin DiSabatino voted against the proposal to build 600 homes on the parcels off Honore and Avenue and Natalie Way, saying they were concerned about the prospects for more traffic there.
The sale of the city land to Taylor Morrison is the largest property transfer reported this week by the Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office.
Prior to the sale to Taylor Morrison, the two parcels had a combined value of $2,795,045, according to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s web site.