Officials consider new Ellenton apartments. Will traffic concerns be fixed by then?

A busy county road may soon become busier as the Board of County Commissioners considers approving a controversial mixed-use project.

Developers pitched plans for a 292-unit luxury apartment complex and 150,000 square feet of retail on the southwest corner of 29th Street East and 60th Avenue East, just north of the Ellenton Prime Outlets.

The 37-acre property is currently vacant land. According to a county staff report, it was most recently used as a palm tree nursery, but commercial properties to the south cause traffic nightmares that the commission couldn’t put behind them at Thursday’s meeting.

In December, a developer revived plans to construct a 50,000-square-foot movie theater, a 330-room hotel and an additional 120,000-square-foot retail space just south of the development commissioners debated Thursday. The combination of new development, along with what’s already there, has board members concerned about traffic on 60th Avenue.

Representatives for the Springs at Ellenton development said they would be willing to pay for traffic improvements to accommodate the strain their site is expected to bring. Rachel Layton explained that full access to the complex would be available on 29th Street East, in addition to new turn lanes into the property along 60th Avenue East.

“We understand traffic is problematic, but frankly we wouldn’t be developing if we didn’t think it could be managed,” said Aaron Konop, a representative with Continental Properties Company Inc.

A host of neighboring residents were adamantly opposed to the plan, citing traffic on an already heavily congested road. Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace agreed with them.

“I’ve never had a single problem with these projects, except 60th, which is terrible,” she said.

“With the already approved movie theater project, another project of this magnitude without provisions made before approval without traffic considerations addressed is (inadvisable),” wrote Linda Johnson, a longtime resident of the Oakley Place subdivision to the north.

The answer could come in the form of a roundabout, according to Clarke Davis, deputy director of Traffic Management. He explained that the county’s capital improvement plan includes road improvements on 60th that should help accommodate daily traffic.

According to preliminary design plans, the roundabout would be built at the intersection of 60th and Factory Shops Boulevard. North of the intersection, 60th would become a 4-lane road for about 500 feet, staff said.

But even with $15 million worth of improvements around U.S. 301 and Factory Shops Boulevard, commissioners were wary about including an access point on 29th Street without immediate plans to increase capacity on that 2-lane road.

“Nothing against the project but from the county standpoint, we’re bringing in 292 apartments that could bring in two vehicles per apartment. With what we have already, we’re going to add close to 600 vehicles to that area, but we aren’t going to create capacity, but we’re going to allow 29th to be an access?” Commissioner Reggie Bellamy asked.

Caleb Grimes, who represented the applicant, pointed out the 29th Street entrance is required by code, and the layout is designed to encourage egress and ingress on 60th, but Trace said she would be opposed to the project in its current form until the county improves 60th.

Davis estimated that construction wouldn’t begin until the end of 2020, at the soonest. According to Grimes, that’s about the same time frame that the complex expects to finish its first of 12 apartment buildings on the site.

Commissioner Betsy Benac and Grimes noted that state law and court precedent prevent the county from denying a development because of traffic concerns.

“I have to draw a line in the sand,” Trace responded.

“This is a good project,” she continued. “They have done all they’re supposed to do. I’m going to have a hard time because I don’t think it’s ready. I’d like to see whether the $15 million fixes the issues of we’ll have to do something else.”

“They’re going to build something here, and we can’t hold them until the road gets built,” said Benac.

Seeking compromise, the board voted 5-1 to continue deliberations at a meeting on Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m. At that time, the developers of the Springs at Ellenton may put forward an updated site plan for consideration.