Unwanted city property near Evers Reservoir could become development

An unwanted piece of city property could become a neighborhood of up to 600 homes right next to Evers Reservoir, as the Manatee County Planning Commission voted in favor of a future land use map amendment Thursday.

Seven years ago, the city of Bradenton had an idea to build an off-line water reservoir in the 200-acre parcel that runs north of Honore Avenue. But deciding that it would be twice as costly as originally planned, they scrapped the idea and got a permit for an aquifer storage and recovery system next to the water treatment plant on Natalie Way.

“There’s an affectionate term for (the parcel),” said applicant attorney Dorinda Marvin. “It’s the property with the mound or hill.”

A clay pile sits on the property deemed “unnecessary” to the city of Bradenton, said city economic development director Carl Callahan.

The future land use amendment could transfer the current public/semi-public land designation (P/SP-1) to residential with up to six units per acre (RES-6). Areas around the site, aside from the reservoir, include Carlyle at The Villages of Palm-Aire to the south, Mandalay to the west and Silver Lake to the north.

The map ammendment was approved 5-1, with Planning Commissioner Al Horrigan Jr. dissenting.

Horrigan took issue to the kind of traffic the new development would bring, and thought the county needed more north-south routes. Natalie Way East, which is accessed by State Road 70, could connect to Honore Avenue but most of it is inaccessible to the public as it is on the reservoir’s property and is not a part of the request.

“We weren’t wanting that kind of traffic going back and forth,” Callahan said.

Marvin said it was a bad idea to spend tax dollars on roads that might not be needed.

“We have to experience a little congestion before we decide where we need those roadways,” she said.

Six people spoke against the future land use amendment, including Mandalay resident Ken Miller who was concerned about drainage complications a new development could bring.

“While Irma was not the threat to the community that we thought it was going to be, the heavy rains in the prior days did emphasize that,” Miller said.

While positives listed in the staff report include existing connection to Honore Avenue and consistency to the surrounding areas, some negatives that were pointed out include increased use of public utilities, more traffic on Honore Avenue and that the development would be next to the reservoir.

The application is set to go before the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 5.

Other action taken during Thursday’s meeting include:

• Approval by a vote of 5-0 to rezone of 116.9 acres on the northwest corner of U.S. 301 and Interstate 75 in Ellenton to planned development mixed use (PDMU) and approving a general development plan for 500,000 square feet of warehouse and 20,500 square feet for office space. Planning Commission Chairman Bill Conerly had a conflict and did not vote.
• Approval by a vote of 6-0 to rezone 289.64 acres that is west of Interstate 75 and south of 69th Street East to residential single family designation with three units per acre (RSF-3) and a preliminary site plan for 799 lots of single-family homes.
• Approval by a vote of 6-0 to rezone 44.5 acres north of Upper Manatee River Road and east of Wilderness Crossing to planned development residential (PDR) and approve a preliminary site plan for 126 single-family homes.
• Approval by a vote of 6-0 to rezone 2.569 acres north of 37th Avenue East and east of Ninth Street East from residential single family with 4.5 units per acre (RSF-4.5) to residential duplex with 4.5 units per acre (RDD-4.5).

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Unwanted city property near Evers Reservoir could become development."