Over 5,000 new homes in 7 developments planned for Parrish community in Florida
The massive growth sweeping over Parrish isn’t exactly an overnight phenomenon.
It‘s been coming for more than three decades, slowed down by some events like the Great Recession, and sped up by others, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
But it’s not slowing down again yet, as there are now thousands more home planned in at least seven different developments.
The roots of the current Parrish building boom can be traced back to the 1980s, when Manatee County government approved a land-use map, showing that much of Parrish was within the urban development area.
In 2001, former county commissioner Amy Stein met with the Parrish Civic Association on concerns about a development on Golf Course Road.
“In the legal scheme of things, this map confers some reasonable expectations (to developers),” Stein said at the time. “If there had been some angst, there should have been appeals.”
Ben Jordan, former president of the Parrish Civic Association, can remember when much of the development in the Parrish area was along Old Tampa Road, and when a census of Moccasin Wallow Road, Buckeye Road and State Road 62 would show more cattle than people.
“It used to be that if we had a 300-home development it was a big deal,” Jordan said.
Nowadays, not so much.
In recent weeks, the Manatee County Government Development Services weekly project reports shows thousands of homes planned for the Parrish area in various stages of approval:
▪ Cone Ranch general development plan, Keen Road and State Road 62, with 2,048 lots and a variety of housing types. Plans for the development of Cone Ranch date back to at least 2006.
▪ Firethorn planned development, U.S. 301 North, Parrish, shows plans for 1,540 dwelling units on 549 acres. The property extends north from Buckeye Road to the Hillsborough County line.
▪ Prosperity Lakes Phases II-IV, Blue Diamond Trail, off Fort Hamer Road, is planned for 703 single-family residential units.
▪ Buckhead Trails mass grading, 10905 131st St. E., is planned for 532 lots. The property owner is identified as EPG Buckeye Road Holdings LLC of Tampa.
▪ Rye Ranch Phase II, construction of a 450 single-family development and infrastructure on 158.56 acres. In June 2021, the Manatee County Commission approved plans for Rye Ranch that would bring 3,500 new homes and up to 300,000 square feet of commercial space to property that runs parallel to the east of Rye Road and south of County Road 675.
▪ Rutland Property on North Rye Road, 340 single-family homes on 152 acres.
▪ Saltmeadows Phase IIA, 7807 Satterfield Terrace, 170 single-family residential lots.
Supporting rapid growth
Jennifer Hamey, current president of the Parrish Civic Association, says her biggest concern about all of the new development is for the infrastructure and amenities needed to support it
She would like to see walking-friendly development in downtown Parrish that preserves the quaint character of the historic village. She is encouraged that the groundbreaking for a community park is planned for early 2023, anticipating that it will become a center of community activities.
People are looking for things to do without having to drive out of town, she said.
That echoes what the Mellgren Planning Group, a Fort Lauderdale-based urban planning firm retained by the county commission, found in a 2019 study of resident concerns.
High on the resident want list was great public spaces with special events, such as arts and crafts fairs, antiques fairs, swap meets, farmers markets and more.
Jordan is also concerned about facilities to support growth.
“I don’t think the county is anywhere ahead on infrastructure,” he said, referring in particular to growth along Moccasin Wallow Road, and the overloading of traffic at certain hours of the day on the Fort Hamer Bridge.
The county is holding a public information meeting about a project to widen Moccasin Wallow Road from U.S. 41 to U.S. 301 from two lanes to six lanes, including sidewalks and bike lanes. It will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Parrish Community High School Auditorium.
“It’s unbelievable so many people are moving to our area,” Jordan said. “The number of people moving here is what is driving the growth.”
But the upside, Jordan said, is that growth is also bringing new services, including two hospitals planned along Moccasin Wallow Road, and hopefully new dining and entertainment options as well.
“I want the people to be able to drive to a local full-service restaurant without having to go out of town,” he said.
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
