Proposed ‘village’ near Parrish may be bold, but planners have one big problem with it
Brothers Bob and David Lindsay first proposed their idea for a unique, agriculturally oriented, rural community in East Manatee five years ago. They drew inspiration from a few other communities in the United States that some have called “utopian.”
What does utopia look like? Clustered homes that leave lots of space for nature trails, farming, schools, parks and businesses to give residents most of what they need right in their community.
It’s an idea that attracts few objections, except for one thing: the location.
Gamble Creek Village would be located two miles east of Manatee County’s future development line, just across State Road 62 from FPL’s Parrish Power Plant on a three-mile-by-three-mile chunk of real estate.
Recently, the Manatee Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that the Manatee County Commission take up the proposal at their May 20 meeting, and then forward the request to the state of Florida for evaluation.
The principals of L3 Partnership/Gamble Creek Village, located about 11 miles east of Interstate 75, are seeking text and map amendments that would allow the project to go forward.
If approved, Gamble Creek Village, would eventually have about 7,200 homes and as many residents as present-day Palmetto, about 13,500.
Attorney Mark Barnebey appeared before planning commissioners recently, representing the property owners and requested changes to allow the project, which he called, unique, visionary and innovative, to go forward.
The alternative, if Gamble Creek Village is unable to receive development approvals, might be 1,000 separate five-acre homesteads, each on septic tanks, as now allowed by the parcel’s agricultural zoning, Barnebey said.
Carol Clarke, former Manatee County planning director, also lobbied for Gamble Creek Village, calling it an exciting, innovative project, and the antithesis of urban sprawl.
Robert Lombardo, a civil engineer, said Gamble Creek Village would have its own potable water system and sanitary sewer funded by a special district, such as a community development district, and would not be a drain on county infrastructure.
Plans also call for land to be set aside for law enforcement, fire protection and schools, Lombardo said.
Also envisioned are charging systems for electric vehicles, and multi-modal transportation within the village for bicycles, buses and trolleys, all designed to keep traffic within the village where residents could work, live and exercise out of doors.
About 10 percent of the housing would be designated as affordable or workforce after the first 1,000 homes are built. Also planned are 2 million square feet of commercial space and 1.8 million square feet of industrial space.
There is no other similar-sized undeveloped property in Manatee County, Barnebey said. “They can’t get this anywhere else in the county.”
Lisa Wenzel, Manatee County’s principal planner for the project, said the location and timing for Gamble Creek Village are the biggest concerns.
“Growth should generally grow from the west to the east,” Wenzel said.
The Gamble Creek Village property is 11 miles from the closest fire and emergency medical services support, and two miles from the closest water and sewer service area, she said.
Bill Conerly, chairman of the planning commission, agreed that the project “doesn’t fit any box we have ever talked about before.”
But he voted to forward the request to the county commission to allow discussion about the project to continue. The vote to move the proposal forward is a reversal for the planning commission from three months ago when it voted 4-3 to deny the request.
The request to develop a master planned community east of the county’s urban development line is the not the first to come before the Manatee County Commission recently.
Manatee County commissioners voted earlier this month to allow Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, developer of Lakewood Ranch, to add another 7,000 homes east of Bourneside Boulevard and south of State Road 64. Unlike the Gamble Creek Village property, the SMR acreage is contiguous to the urban development line.
The county commission’s approval of SMR’s request to develop beyond the urban development line is just one step of several needed to make it a reality. The county will host another public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan amendment within six months of receiving comments from the state. In the meantime, commissioners expect to host a workshop meeting to discuss the proposal.
For more information about Gamble Creek Village, visit https://www.gamblecreekvillage.com/.
