Manatee County wrong to approve gas station with design inappropriate for neighborhood

This letter is directed to those involved in the decision-making of what and where a project will be built in the county.

I recently inquired, through a phone call to the county, about what is being built on the corner of SR 70 and Caruso Road. I was informed a storage facility. No one said anything about a gas station. I did not see anything written on Racetrac in the Bradenton Herald, which is primarily my news source.

If anyone is familiar with the Tara/Creekwood neighborhood, which our District 5 county commissioner should be, they would see it is predominately a small business community neighborhood. These businesses blend in with the community. Braden River High School and Manatee Technical College, as big as they are, blend in through their landscaping, lighting and color design.

I would have loved to have seen a Wawa because of their neighborhood design appeal. But no, we have this massive ugly gas station that is trying to be part of a community, which it will never be.

Yes, something was needed for that corner, especially for those attending both schools, so they did not have to cross SR 70. Racetrac was not the answer unless it was truly downsized and redesigned.

The thing that bothers me the most, I was lied to by the county. There was deceit and I have had enough of that in my life. The ones who OK'd this project should be ashamed of themselves because it was not proper planning for this community.

So sad and disgusted.

Elizabeth M. Sullivan

East Manatee

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County wrong to approve gas station with design inappropriate for neighborhood ."