County OKs 5,300 new homes, East River Ranch development near Bradenton area racetrack
Less than two months after approving thousands of homes in East Manatee, county officials this week cleared the way for a second large residential community outside of the development boundary line.
East River Ranch will become Manatee County’s latest eastern expansion, adding another 5,378 homes, a charter school and a fire station just south of State Road 64 and west of County Road 675. Taylor Ranch, a 4,500-home expansion of Lakewood Ranch, was approved next door in March.
The Future Development Area Boundary (FDAB) line runs north-south and is roughly parallel with the western edge of Lake Manatee. The line, which has shifted further east over the years, is meant to limit urban sprawl and preserve agricultural lands out east.
But Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the company behind Lakewood Ranch, sought a change to the county’s Comprehensive Plan allowing large developments to go beyond the FDAB line. That change also opened the door for East River Ranch.
Developer Carlos Beruff’s Medallion Home development company worked closely with SMR in the months ahead of Wednesday’s public land use meeting.
“As you know, this area of the county is largely built out to the FDAB line, which is what necessitated the county’s decision to amend the Comprehensive Plan,” said Scott Rudacille, a land use attorney representing Beruff.
“The applicant has coordinated with Taylor Ranch to ensure that thoroughfare roads and utilities would be connected, bringing infrastructure to this area at a significant savings to the county.”
East River Ranch development plans 5,300 homes
Because the west side of Taylor Ranch borders the FDAB and East River Ranch shares a border with Taylor Ranch, both projects are legal under the county’s recently updated Comprehensive Plan.
Following a three-hour hearing, board members voted to rezone the land and approve a general development plan for East River Ranch, which is also set to include 900,000 square feet of commercial, 300,000 square feet of office space and 300,000 square feet of self-storage.
Despite having about 1,000 fewer acres than Taylor Ranch, East River Ranch plans to build more housing units than the community next door.
“This is high-intensity development,” said Commissioner George Kruse, who cast the only vote against the project based on concerns about the proposed density and traffic.
Commissioner Jason Bearden was absent and did not vote.
Protection for historic Bradenton racetrack
In March, county officials based the approval of Taylor Ranch on a notice to buyers that there is an active racetrack in the area. YouTube star Cleetus McFarland owns and operates the Bradenton Motorsports Park, 21000 State Road 64, which will now be surrounded on the east and west by the new housing developments.
Despite concessions from the developers, Cleetus McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, said he remains concerned about the racetrack’s ability to survive complaints from the incoming residents.
“This project is likely to happen and I am here to protect the racetrack that has been here for 50 years,” Mitchell said. “Maximizing the protection of the racetrack is what I’m here to do.”
After hearing concern from commissioners, Beruff agreed to add language in a notice to homebuyers that explicitly mentions the existence of the racetrack and the noise it produces.
“I still believe thousands of homeowners will be awakened early on Sunday mornings,” Mitchell predicted. “Who will they blame? Me.”
However, unlike Taylor Ranch, which dedicated a 140-acre segment of its property to create a “race village” aimed at car enthusiasts, Beruff said his development will choose to position homes away from the racetrack.
Residents concerned about urban sprawl out east
Kruse was the only commissioner who voiced opposition to the East River Ranch community, arguing that the density was too high and the number of homes would have a significant impact on traffic.
“I’m against a development that’s this high an intensity, this far out and that’s going to fundamentally break our roads for everybody,” said Kruse.
East Manatee residents also expressed concern and urged county officials to consider the impact of adding more homes to the traditionally rural area.
“It’s too much development too fast,” said Tim Tralick. “We’re not ready for it.”
“I think there are a lot of issues that need to be decided before you move (the FDAB) again,” said Patricia Petruff, a local land use attorney. “This is a 20-year project. Maybe it doesn’t need to be decided today.”
Other commissioners said they had no choice but to approve the project because it meets the requirements listed in the recent changes in the Comprehensive Plan.
“This is just a show vote. The real vote was Taylor Ranch,” said Commissioner James Satcher, who noted that East River Ranch wouldn’t have been eligible for approval if the county hadn’t approved Taylor Ranch in March.
“There’s already been a precedent set. We can’t just arbitrarily change the zoning that we do,” added Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. “For those that don’t like growth, I would suggest you tell your farmers to stop selling their land to developers. That’s where it starts; not with this board.”
