Ground broken for downtown Bradenton high-rise apartments designed for workforce
A deluge of rain held off just long enough Friday morning for a ceremonial groundbreaking on a 12-story apartment building designed to bring workforce housing to downtown Bradenton.
The Nine20 Manatee apartments are scheduled for completion in about 18 months, said Ron Allen, president of NDC Construction Company.
Planned: 137 units, with rents ranging from about $1,300 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,600 for a two-bedroom unit.
Among the hurdles facing the project was demolition — now completed — of the five-story building at 920 Manatee Ave. W., formerly used by the public defender’s office.
“It’s time to move forward for a new era of 920,” Allen told the crowd.
The Nine20 Manatee apartments are designed to be affordable to younger workers, crucial during a national labor shortage, Allen said.
Manatee County Commissioner Reggie Bellamy got involved in some of the jurisdictional talks between county and city officials and the principals behind the project to help make it happen.
“We almost lost the project,” Bellamy said of some of the behind-the-scenes challenges.
“This will make a difference in people’s lives. This is a good day,” Bellamy said.
The building will also include 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
