Manatee approves developer request for more time to modify Cox car dealership project
Following advice from legal staff, the Manatee Board of County Commissioners granted a developer’s request to reschedule a hearing on the proposed Cox dealership in East Manatee.
“The way land use works in Florida, the applicant drives the ball, so when they say they’re not ready to make their case today, virtually every local government confronted with that situation is going to be in a difficult spot,” said Assistant County Attorney Bill Clague.
The Board of County Commissioners received a letter Tuesday — two days before Thursday’s planned hearing — that indicated the applicant would no longer seek immediate approval for their plan to rezone 18 acres of land and approve a general development plan for a 150,000-square-foot car lot at the corner of State Road 64 and 117th Street East.
Instead, they requested more time to update traffic and stormwater improvements regarding the development and will come back for board approval at a later date.
“The board has received numerous emails related to this project, and we would like to make sure we have the opportunity to evaluate those comments, modify where appropriate and provide updated information for the board and the residents,” Scott Rudacille, an attorney for the applicant, wrote.
But more than 100 residents showed up to Thursday’s Land Use meeting, and many argued that developers have had years to figure out how to make their plan work, and called the request for continuance a distraction.
“I want to urge you to deny this continuance and put this issue to bed once and for all. I hope the commissioners can see this for what it truly is. It’s a blatant attempt to delay in hopes that the escalating opposition quiets down,” Brady Chapman, a resident of the nearby Greyhawk Landing subdivision, told the board.
“We don’t have any understanding of why this is occurring, and it feels disingenuous,” Kristin Day, another concerned neighbor, added.
Clague urged the board to grant the request. Choosing not to would be tough to defend in court, he warned.
“I understand the public is frustrated, but consider this: Suppose the board says we’re going to make them put on their case today, and then the board decides to deny this, even though they said at the beginning of the hearing, ‘We’re not ready and we need to continue it.’ That will put our office in a very, very difficult legal position in defending this decision,” said Clague. “That will be hard. That will be a case I’ve never had to defend in my 24 years of practice.”
Residents have rallied against the planned dealership, fearing that it would introduce more traffic and flooding problems into the nearby Osprey Landing and Greyhawk Landing neighborhoods to the north.
Commissioners voted unanimously to continue the hearing to a later date. It’s not exactly clear when the applicant may appear before the board again. According to Rudacille, the changes could require another hearing with the Planning Commission.
The delay should only last a few months, though, and the developers expect to be back before the end of the year.
“This is a process. I understand your frustration. I would like to deal with it today. I was prepared to deal with it today, but this is a process, and we will make sure you know when it comes back,” Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace told residents. “Just keep your stuff and we will deal with it when we have to deal with it.”
“I’d love to get this over with, believe me,” Commissioner Betsy Benac added. “You’re very, very concerned about your way of life. That’s why you’re all here. Have a little faith. Let’s keep the faith and keep moving forward and see what happens at the hearing when we come to it.”
