‘Is that Bradenton?’ 3 developers share plans to invest millions in downtown waterfront
Three developers looking to spend millions of dollars to transform the waterfront City Hall property in downtown Bradenton shared their visions with city leaders this week.
With ideas ranging from high-rise condos to a more understated apartment building, developers pitched their plans to the Bradenton City Council in a Wednesday morning workshop. Last year, five bidders responded to a nationwide advertisement, but only three are expected to move forward for consideration.
City officials first revealed the bid offers to buy and develop the city hall property in September, but Wednesday’s meeting was the first time board members and residents were able to hear directly from developers.
“We are here to hear the proposals from the proposers themselves,” City Administrator Rob Perry said.
Bradenton leaders have said they are interested in selling the four acre property at 101 12th St. W. along the Manatee River to improve the downtown experience, while putting the prime real estate back on the tax rolls for annual revenue.
While a final decision has not been made on whether to sell the property and to whom, city officials still need to determine where the Bradenton Police Department and a new City Hall will be located.
‘Beautiful, but is that Bradenton?’
The first — and largest — project to make its pitch to the Bradenton City Council is a partnership between several companies. L&L Development, NDC Construction Company and the Arquitectonica design firm joined together to propose The Vias.
The Vias is a mixed-use development that plans to bring a 130-key AC Hotel by Marriott, 350 multi-family apartments, 100 condos and about 30,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The group has offered to buy the City Hall property for $14.1 million.
In renderings of the development, lead architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia showed off two towers that appear to bend toward one another. One tower is 20 stories tall and the other is 14 stories tall.
“It’s something that has a bit of iconography and relates to the place,” Fort-Brescia explained. “We started to look at how we could make the buildings look like they’re shaped from the breezes coming from the Gulf.”
The preliminary site plan features an internal parking garage, a central courtyard, a rooftop pool and an 8,000-square-foot hotel ballroom.
Board members said they were impressed with the presentation and the attention to detail, but not everyone was sold on the design of the towering building.
“I feel like this is definitely Sarasota, Tampa, Miami. I’m not necessarily feeling it. In Bradenton, we have the antique street lights. We’re more understated than the other communities,” said Councilwoman Jayne Kocher. “I feel, at least ground level, I would like to keep our Old Main Street kind of feel, but that’s just my opinion.”
“I would probably tend to agree with Councilwoman Kocher about the look of the two towers,” added Mayor Gene Brown. “Beautiful, but is that Bradenton?”
Developers say they are open to modifying the plans to match what city officials hope to see. Bradenton has committed to hosting several public community meetings to receive feedback from local residents.
“This is a game changer for Bradenton, and we’ve been talking about it for so long,” said Ron Allen, president of NDC. “This is excitement. This is what Bradenton really should have to take it to the next level.”
‘A blank slate’
A New York-based developer says it is committed to building 240 luxury apartments along with 30,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Red Apple Real Estate is also the developer behind a massive 46-story condo tower in downtown St. Petersburg.
In his presentation to the board, Robert Zorn, Red Apple’s senior vice president, said he didn’t share preliminary drawings of the proposal because he wants the end result to be something that city officials help craft.
“I apologize that I’m not here with 12 renderings of what the site might look like, but I think it’s more important to understand what the city wants and then deliver it,” Zorn explained.
Red Apple is offering to buy the property for $12.75 million, according to Zorn. The company would also allow Bradenton leaders to remain in the building for two years while they figure out where City Hall will relocate.
Council members said they appreciated Red Apple’s willingness to collaborate on the design, but some of them hinted at a desire to see adjustments that might result in higher annual tax payments and downtown entertainment.
“I’m glad you would work with us on the design ... but a big part of value, to me, is ... I’m looking at this as a way to improve our city and improve our lifestyle downtown but also to be able to do what we need to do without raising taxes,” said Kocher, pointing to a recent report showing which uses would benefit Bradenton’s tax base. “The economists are telling us that more condos and retail will be a better benefit long-term for the city, so everyone should look at that to maximize the future for this.”
“Thank you for providing a blank slate,” added Councilwoman Pamela Coachman. “That definitely says you’re willing to listen.”
‘Keep Bradenton Bradenton’
The architects at Silver Hills Development are proposing a large block of apartment buildings meant to “develop the downtown Bradenton experience,” according to Ryan Solow, the company’s president of development and chief transaction officer.
Silver Hills, an Ohio-based apartment developer, says it wants to build up to 350 apartment units in a building that’s between six and eight stories tall. The company has also offered to provide 10,000 square feet of retail space.
In his pitch to City Council, Solow said his company’s proposal is most appealing because it allows more people to live in the heart of downtown, which would attract new business and entertainment options.
“You need a critical mass of residents to activate everything else,” Solow said. “That’s what we’re proposing — something that meshes well. Instead of bringing Miami to Bradenton, we want to keep Bradenton Bradenton.”
According to Solow, Silver Hills is offering $11.6 million to purchase City Hall, as well as 20 years of tax abatement to reduce the annual cost of property taxes owed to the city.
What happens next?
The Bradenton City Council still needs to determine where it will relocate its City Hall building, which serves as the headquarters for government staff. Different ideas have been tossed around, but there have been no final decisions on where a new building will be.
At the end of Wednesday’s meeting, Mayor Gene Brown announced plans to host a Feb. 15 public workshop meeting to discuss options for City Hall’s new home. Council members said they look forward to additional public meetings before moving forward with any sale offers.
“We feel the gravity of this, and it’s not something we’re taking lightly. As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to change the footprint of Bradenton,” said Councilman Josh Cramer.
“The only thing that likes change is a wet baby,” Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey added. “This is very difficult. This one of those decisions — everyone up here is taking it very seriously.”
Bradenton officials have not announced when they plan to make a final decision on the sale of City Hall.
This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 5:50 AM.
