New entertainment, dining development in downtown Bradenton? See plans for city hall
The latest proposal to buy City Hall could spark new development in downtown Bradenton by replacing the government building with a hotel, condos, restaurants and more.
A local developer has expressed interest in taking the property off the city’s hands for $10 million and replacing the government building with new uses that could attract new residents and visitors. The proposal calls for demolishing City Hall to build a full-featured entertainment hub.
“We believe this is consistent with the vision of the city for optimal use of this area of the riverfront,” Barcarotta Development LLC wrote in a March 18 letter detailing the offer.
In a joint meeting between Bradenton and Manatee County Government, officials say there’s a common interest in moving public buildings away from prime real estate. Bradenton City Hall and the county’s downtown library both sit on attractive waterfront property along the Manatee River.
“If you’re looking to sell City Hall, we’re looking to eventually sell the Wares Creek property and relocate the (downtown library),” said County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge.
In September, Bradenton hired a firm to conduct a space study and an appraisal of the city hall building. City Hall, which opened in 1998, has become too small for city government, City Administrator Rob Perry said.
“When I first came in, I was tasked with continuing a space study for the existing city hall and the police side. By most cases, it has been deemed obsolete in size, functionality, programmatics and the like,” Perry explained.
With roughly 16,000 square feet of office space at City Hall, another 11,000 square feet are required for the city government’s future needs, according to the space study.
The Bradenton Police Department is also short on space, said Chief Melanie Bevan, who described the headquarters at City Hall as “undersized” and “functionally obsolete.”
An appraisal determined the City Hall property to be worth about $10 million, which is almost as much as it cost to construct the building nearly 25 years ago. Before the city begins to consider the offers, Councilman Bill Sanders urged his fellow officials to charge enough money to pay for relocation.
“If we put $10 million in it, and we only get $10 million out, something is wrong there,” Sanders said. “Are we going to accept an offer for less than we have to spend in order to repurpose other properties?”
Two potential buyers
A public records request revealed that two potential buyers have submitted unsolicited offers to buy City Hall for $10 million, but one of those offers involves a proposal for city government to acquire and remodel the Bradenton Herald building, 1111 Third Ave. W., just south of the City Centre Parking Garage.
“We are not selling City Hall right now,” Perry said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald. “There’s a diligence of what has to happen before. We take it incrementally. The next step is a policy decision for us to discuss these steps.”
Barcarotta Development LLC, a newly formed company, submitted the proposal to remodel the Herald’s building — where the newspaper has leased space for its operations since 2013 — along with a number of local businesses, such as accountants and law offices. Barcarotta proposes to purchase the building by the end of May for $4 million. The company proposes to sell the building to the city for the same price.
In turn, the company, led by NDC Construction Company’s Ron Allen, hopes to demolish City Hall and develop the 4-acre site into a complex with a wide range of uses.
“Plans include a signature hotel, retail, restaurants, entertainment and a full spectrum of residential housing,” Allen wrote. “Residential housing will consist, in varying degrees, of luxury apartments, condominiums and attainable workforce housing.”
Bradenton City Council has not taken any official action on the offers to buy City Hall, but the subject is expected to be discussed during the board’s next public meeting on April 6, Perry said.
‘Back in private hands’
County Commissioner George Kruse was in support of the city relocating government headquarters to a different location, arguing that there are better uses for the property. The same applies to the county’s library, he said.
“We massively, massively underutilize our waterfront on both sides of the river when you compare it to other places like St. Pete that has downtown cafes all along their water. We’ve got a city hall, a county library, a hospital and a retirement home as our waterfront,” Kruse said. “We need to help facilitate the better use of the waterfront because a library can be built any place.”
The former City Hall property on the southwest corner of 15th Street West and Manatee Avenue is also a key spot for redevelopment. For years, it has sat empty due to the legal strings attached.
Because the property was acquired through eminent domain via a partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, the state agency is entitled to $3 million or 50% of the sale price, whichever amount is greater, County Attorney Bill Clague said.
Van Ostenbridge encouraged his fellow board members to consider relocating the downtown library and selling the former City Hall property to spur redevelopment.
“We’re sitting on 7.5 acres of land downtown that’s not on the tax rolls and not an economic generator. These are two properties that should be put back in private hands,” Van Ostenbridge said.
The county and the city are expected to discuss selling and relocating public buildings in future meetings.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
