Apartments near Sam's Club in Bradenton could break ground soon

MANATEE -- A planned apartment complex first announced little more than a year ago is set to break ground soon in an area best known for its retail and industrial development.

The developer of the 216-unit Preserve at Walden Lake filed a site plan with Manatee County this month. Developer Starboard Tack Real Estate of Tampa could receive planning staff approval in coming weeks.

The county board of commissioners approved the project last September. Staff members have until March 25 to comment on the project.

The planned complex is set to be built on about 38 acres south of the Sam's Club store and the Sabal Palms apartment complex at State Road 70 and U.S. 301. Brian McCarthy, Starboard Tack's president and CEO, said last year that all but 13 acres at the project site would be left as open space.

McCarthy said he is looking primarily to attract people who want to live there full time, although he acknowledged some of the units would likely wind up as part-time vacation places.

Construction planned for the complex includes 13 buildings, most two and three stories tall, according to the project's development application. A year ago, McCarthy estimated that the size of the project would be more than 250,000 square feet.

Amenities at the complex include a clubhouse, gym and garages. The developer also intends to preserve little more than 2 acres of wetlands, according to the site plan. Charlan Brock and Associates in Maitland is listed in the application packet as the architect of record.

The owner of the project site, Royal Palm LLC of Boca Raton, has held the land since purchasing for $1.2 million in July 2006. Bordered by a dairy drainage ditch, the land is largely wooded. The developer plans to retain much of the vegetation at the site.

McCarthy could not be reached for comment on a construction start date or rental rates for Preserve at Walden Lake.

Access to the complex will be on 33rd Street East at 3231 55th Drive E. It will abut two housing developments. To the north are the Sabal Palms Apartment Homes. The complex is owned by a Winter Park company. The 355-home Briarwood single family-home neighborhood is to the south.

Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027, or on Twitter@MattAtBradenton.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Apartments near Sam's Club in Bradenton could break ground soon."