Bradenton officials to discuss future of grocery store site

BRADENTON -- The Bradenton City Council will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the future of the failed grocery store plaza at the corner of First Street and 13th Avenue west.

The years-long effort to build the Minnie L. Rogers Plaza within the Central Community Redevelopment Agency collapsed in January after the prospective developer made one too many demands on the city.

Here's what has been said about the prolonged effort to fill a gap in one of the city's food desert areas:

"The residents of this neighborhood have been waiting far, far too long for this grocery store. Proverbs 13:12 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is the tree of life.' A grocery store would help to revitalize this area and can only be a positive," said Gail Landis Brightbill

Here's what city officials say:

"We are wanting to move

forward on the grocery store site to get it cleaned up and plan a course of action that will be successful." Bradenton City Administrator Carl Callahan.

The City Council will meet as the Community Redevelopment Agency board.

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

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 11:27 PM with the headline "Bradenton officials to discuss future of grocery store site ."