‘Too much, too soon.’ Manatee County officials deny 2 more housing projects
Manatee County commissioners recently denied plans for two future residential communities.
At a public land use meeting on June 5, Manatee County officials did not approve a neighborhood in southern Manatee County and also voted to deny another one in Parrish.
After a devastating hurricane season that saw widespread flooding cause damage throughout Manatee County, commissioners and residents cited potential flooding caused by the proposed developments as a main concern.
Manatee County neighborhood rejected
Homes by Towne’s 29-acre neighborhood planned for the area between Tuttle Avenue and Prospect Road, just south of Whitfield Avenue, was denied. The Hawthorn project proposed rezoning land for 175 multi-family, single-story homes.
But population density and traffic flow were concerns for Commissioner Mike Rahn.
“We all know something is going to go in on this site,” Rahn said. “It’s primed for it. It’s ready for it. My issue is 175 units.”
Rahn added, “the other projects we’ve looked at, they have some major arteries with at least a four-lane road that’s going to get somebody somewhere. This is surrounded by two-lane roads that I drive every single day.”
Scott Rudacille, a lawyer, represented the developers for both potential neighborhoods.
In a presentation to the board, he said the developer addressed resident concerns over traffic, stormwater, compatibility and a nearby bald eagle’s nest.
“We worked with Fish and Wildlife to obtain their approval for that eagle permit,” Rudacille said.
Rudacille said the neighborhood’s design was updated in coordination with county staff to meet future county stormwater standards.
“They’re actually doing probably the maximum we’ve seen out of any project so far since the last storm,” commission chair George Kruse said. “They’re taking the newer version of the stuff, and then they’re going even further than the newer version of the stuff. This is the most stormwater protection.”
Multiple residents, however, questioned whether the project would increase the likelihood of flooding in the area.
The board denied it in a 5-2 vote. Kruse and Commissioner Amanda Ballard voted against the denial.
Parrish neighborhood proposal denied
A project called The Oaks at Rutland Ranch was also rejected at the land use meeting. The proposal asked the board to rezone 53 acres in Parrish on the north side of County Road 675 about 1.4 miles west of the Rye Ranch intersection.
The proposed neighborhood would build 96 single-family detached homes with a maximum height of two stories.
The project was originally denied in 2024.
Since then, the developer updated their project to reduce the number of homes, create additional floodplain compensation, increase the amount of open space, add a full cul-de-sac and designing its stormwater plans to meet increased county standards.
However, residents still said they had concerns about flooding if the project was approved.
“There (have) been areas of (County Road) 675 that have flooded for 25 years,” Commissioner Carol Ann Felts said.
Felts said the problem is “too much, too soon with very bad planning.”
“We’ve done so much so quickly that we haven’t had a chance to (monitor),” Felts said. “Some of these things that sound like the greatest thing since white bread on paper don’t work in real life.”
Felts added she wants a better plan so the growth in East Manatee happens, “in such a way that our infrastructure keeps up with it.”
The board unanimously denied the proposal.
What happens next?
With plans denied, developers cannot move forward with building. But they can return to the commission with new or modified proposals at a future date.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
