Developer on board for Bradenton's Love Apartments redevelopment and MLK mixed-use project

BRADENTON -- The Bradenton City Council on Wednesday authorized a memorandum of understanding agreement with North Star Development for two much-anticipated redevelopment projects in East Bradenton.

However, still stinging from the failed attempt at building a grocery store on the corner of First Street and 13th Avenue West, officials are moving forward with caution with the projects.

The projects consist of redeveloping the 1950s-era Love Apartments at Sixth Street Court East and Ninth Avenue East, and building the Martin Luther King Jr. mixed development on vacant land at Ninth Avenue East and Third Street East.

Ward 5 City Councilman Harold Byrd Jr. said, "I would like to ensure we have ironed out a lot of the unforeseen complications that have happened when other boards have approved MOUs. We want to make sure we cover all bases."

The MOU allows North Star to begin preliminary site studies but doesn't guarantee the project will proceed. Financing will depend on the developer's success in obtaining needed tax credits.

"We want to try and avoid the pitfalls we experienced with the grocery store," said city administrator Carl Callahan. "There is only so much you can lay out in an MOU and when a full-fledged development agreement is reached, we can do what is necessary."

Callahan said nothing is being promised as it was during the grocery store project, where the city went as far as to have a ground-breaking ceremony in 2012 only to see the project collapse four years later.

"You can rest assured that North Star wants nothing more than to make sure all bases are covered for both sides," said Callahan. "They want no tie-ins to what happened in the past. They are a different kind of entity and will distinguish themselves as such. What's most important right now is that everyone is on the same page about funding. North Star brings in some funding sources but

not the entirety, and some of the funding will be difficult to get."

Unlike the grocery store project, Callahan said the city will not spend money until a master development agreement is successful.

"We're not promising anything to the public at this point, he said.

"The only thing we are promising is that we will do everything feasible to make this happen."

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Developer on board for Bradenton's Love Apartments redevelopment and MLK mixed-use project ."