Affordable housing complex could replace Bradenton’s shuffleboard club, city says
A five-story affordable housing apartment complex could replace the Bradenton Shuffleboard Club, city officials say.
On Tuesday, Bradenton’s Community Redevelopment Agency Director Jeff Burton confirmed the CRA is in negotiations with housing developer Pearl Homes to build an apartment complex at the 2-acre site. Burton said the CRA estimates the project will bring a $30 million property near the downtown area.
Burton presented a brief update to the Bradenton City Council without a voting item, stating the CRA received an unsolicited bid for the property in October, and received no other offers. The final sale price for the property will need approval from the city council.
Pearl Homes anticipates the shuffleboard site will become its fourth affordable housing apartment complex in the city.
But the news came as a shock to the Bradenton Shuffleboard Club, which has operated on the city-owned property just outside of downtown Bradenton for more than 100 years.
After the sale is finalized, development won’t start until at least late 2028. The shuffleboard club will be able to stay at the location until March 2028, when the lease on the city-owned property expires.
“The sale of land will not affect the current contract that the city has for the property. We want to make that clear,” Burton said.
Workforce housing expansion in Bradenton
The city owns the property at 1525 Ballard Park Drive and the Bradenton Shuffleboard Club pays $1 per year for rent, according to the lease agreement.
However, with a more-developed property, the CRA estimates a larger return. According to Burton, for every $10 million invested by a private development, the City of Bradenton and Manatee County Government will each generate $100,000 in net value each year by 2040.
“You can see that this property in the downtown is a viable economic piece,” Burton said.
Burton said the CRA hopes the developer will look at mixed-market apartments, and possibly a mixed-use property.
“We’re looking to do mixed-use housing to vary a little bit from what the city has done in the past with 100% workforce or 100% affordable,” Burton said.
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Pearl Homes, the prospective project partner, has developed other projects in Manatee County, including The Met, a $31 million workforce housing project at 1405 14th St. in Bradenton.
According to Marshall Gobuty, president of Pearl Homes, the project at the shuffleboard site will be the company’s fourth “Met,” copying the aesthetic and affordability of the other Met apartments.
“We’re very excited about how the Mets have come up,” Gobuty said. “It’s not what one would consider workforce housing. It’s an elevated level.”
This Met project at the shuffleboard site will be five stories and include 145 units and 152 parking spaces, according to Gobuty.
While other Met projects are income-restricted, Gobuty plans for the fourth Met to be different. Like Burton said, Gobuty wants this complex to not be income-restricted, but not market rate either. His goal is to expand workforce housing in the Bradenton area.
“Workforce housing is so important for our community,” Gobuty said. “It’s really good to work with the CRA in this manner.”
What will happen to Bradenton’s shuffleboard club?
Ron Nurnberger, president of the Bradenton Shuffleboard Club, said the news of the possible eviction caused concern throughout the club.
“After 102 years, we were sort of taken aback by that,” Nurnberger said.
The Bradenton Shuffleboard Club has called the site home for over 100 years, according to Nurnberger, and he worries about finding a replacement. While Burton and other city officials have offered to help the club find a new home, Nurnberger said the club’s future is still uncertain.
Nurnberger said early discussions included the idea of finding space at nearby sports complexes, like G.T. Bray Park, but talks have shifted toward sharing space at other shuffleboard clubs, like the Palmetto Shuffleboard Club.
But Nurnberger worries that sharing another club’s space will not be enough. The Bradenton club has 100-150 members per year, according to Nurnberger, and hosts state and national tournaments.
“That really doesn’t work because we have our own clubhouse. We have other events here,” Nurnberger said about sharing space at another club. “We have a lot of things going on, more than I think people realize.”
While there are other shuffleboard clubs in Southwest Florida, Nurnberger said the Bradenton club is essential to members within the city and throughout the area.
“We are the hub. And there’s more to it than I think the city and county realized,” Nurnberger said.
