A promising start in Manatee County urban corridor revitalization

The proposal for the development of 12.4 vacant and overgrown acres along the Tamiami Trail gateway into Bradenton is just what Manatee County commissioners had in mind in adopting Land Development Code amendments targeting the county’s six major urban corridors.

The proposal for Blu Harbor, promoted as an “upscale waterfront community,” features four condominium buildings up to seven stories tall with 212 units, a private yacht club and marina with up to 132 slips, and a number of other amenities. The project is the first “ground-up development” of this scope submitted under those new LDC amendments and is currently under county review.

The code modifications encourage infill projects and redevelopment along the county’s six major urban corridors, including Tamiami Trail (also known as 14th Street West and Highway 41). By increasing intensity, density and heights of projects and allowing mixed uses and residential units along the corridors, the county granted greater flexibility in rules, eliminated outdated regulations and shifted from a suburban model to an urban infill one that utilizes infrastructure already in place. Suburban sprawl is costly to the county as infrastructure must be extended.

Fast-track administrative reviews of projects that follow certain design guidelines removes the costly and time-consuming process of county commission approvals, a system that developers deplore and and one that discourages redevelopment.

The project’s development team anticipates Blu Harbor will produce a very positive impact on the neighborhood, such as higher property values and revived interest in beautification projects along Tamiami Trail — which could trigger further revitalization up and down the corridor. Plus, considerable new tax revenue for the county will be generated. That team reports the project won widespread support during several meetings with future neighbors.

Last month, Sarasota Bay Harbor LLC, Blu Harbor’s developer, announced its vision for the property, just south of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar Landside, which stands to benefit handsomely from hundreds of new neighbors within walking distance. That vision “is of a gated waterfront community with lush landscaping and island-inspired architecture, as well as an array of amenities, including a private yacht club with pool and fitness center, a boardwalk, fire pit and walking trails,” the developer announced. The site, which fronts Bowles Creek and is adjacent to Hawks Harbor, will sport freshwater and saltwater marinas with quick boating access to Sarasota Bay.

A large-scale and attractive development is bound to draw the curiosity of passing motorists. The $150 million Blu Harbor project hopes to break ground later this year with all the approvals in place and build-out is expected to take three to five years, the developer’s spokeswoman, Linda Gross, told the Herald.

The Land Development Code changes only apply to the six urban corridors, not nearby residential neighborhoods, which planners intended to protect. Beside Tamiami Trail, those corridors are 15th Street East, 53rd Avenue/State Road 70, Cortez Road, Manatee Avenue and First Street.

While Blu Harbor is upscale and desirable, urban corridor revitalization that includes affordable, workforce housing would fill a critical need and greatly improve the county’s fortunes.

Manatee County already provides an array of incentives to spur the development of affordable housing. Those include helping developers obtain relief from county and educational impact fees and planning building and engineering review fees; fast-tracking the permitting process; tapping the county’s Housing Trust Fund for the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing where 25 percent of the units meet the definition of that term; density bonuses and other enticements. The LDC overhaul adds to that toolbox of incentives, if only developers would step up to the plate.

Meanwhile, we’ll celebrate Blu Harbor as the first major piece of the revitalization puzzle.

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 4:28 PM with the headline "A promising start in Manatee County urban corridor revitalization."