Cox plans new Bradenton location. Is a neighborhood the right spot for a dealership?
A new Cox dealership could be coming to a flood-prone piece of land in Bradenton, but residents say that it wouldn’t be the best fit for the neighborhood.
A swarm of neighbors made their case to the Manatee Planning Commission on Thursday, urging officials to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners deny the proposal to rezone an 18-acre lot at the corner of State Road 64 and 117th Street East and a general development plan for 150,000 square feet of commercial space.
Stephen Thompson, a land use attorney, represented residents from the Osprey Landing and Greyhawk Landing subdivisions who say they will be affected if the development is approved. He argued that a dealership would be incompatible with the surrounding area, which is mostly residential, and took issue with the lack of detail in the plan.
“We believe this is not really community planning,” he said. “We know there’s going to be a dealership. Why isn’t that depicted so that we can respond to those impacts?”
“We’ve been pretty transparent about that. (Cox) clearly would like to do an auto dealership on the site,” said Scott Rudacille, an attorney representing the applicant.
The Cox Auto Group already operates two dealerships — Chevrolet and Mazda — on Cortez Road in Bradenton.
Another spokesman for the group of residents, John Rhodes, said they would prefer the site to be turned into a “light commercial” shopping center that avoids impact to the parcel’s wetlands and floodplain area.
As part of the application, Cox included a list of several uses that may occur if the rezone is improved, which included automobile sales, restaurants and office space. According to Assistant County Attorney Bill Clague, commissioners must consider whether each listed use would be appropriate in that spot when casting their vote.
Residents were loud and clear in their testimony, arguing that they’d rather see a less intensive use on the property.
“It’s necessary to have growth in Manatee, but it has to be smart growth that’s sustainable to the surrounding communities,” said George Kruse, a resident of Greyhawk Landing and candidate for the Board of County Commissioners.
“We can’t look at this in a vacuum. This is going to be a car dealership. We all know it’s going to be a car dealership,” he added. “I do not believe one person maximizing their profit should be to the detriment of another person enjoying their property.”
Other speakers suggested that the Cox Auto Group only found the area attractive because of the price, citing flooding issues, traffic accidents and an acre of sensitive wetlands on the southeastern corner.
“This is smack in the middle of a neighborhood — our neighborhood,” said Walter Wulczak, another Greyhawk Landing resident. “They’re only looking at this property because it’s inexpensive.”
Planning Commissioner Bill Smock said he supported the request, “with faith that the Cox family and county will make the right decisions to protect the land and safety of the community.” Other commissioners were less hopeful.
“I think the water issue there is a concern, and I don’t know enough to support this,” said Planning Commissioner Paul Rutledge.
The Planning Commission voted 4-2 to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve the general development plan and rezone request. Planning Commissioner Paul Roth and Rutledge cast dissenting votes.
Staff have scheduled a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners at 1:30 p.m Feb. 20 at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W, Bradenton.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 4:28 PM.
