Quit putting Cortez, AMI under development siege

My wife and I have lived in Manatee County for 27 years, residing in Anna Maria and now building a home in Cortez on a lot in an existing subdivision. After being driven off the island by the uncontrolled rental invasion, we are worried now about being driven out of Cortez by Peninsula Bay and subsequent traffic.

An Urban Land Institute piece cited by the developer says “the majority of Peninsula Bay traffic will be headed inland, rather than out to the beach. It is our hope that the county would use some of the tax revenue collected from our development to provide bicycle lanes along Cortez Road.”

If you were staying in one of the 158 hotel or B&B rooms, which direction are you going? Beach! If you live in one of the 1,950 residences, which direction are you going come the weekend? Beach! Are you going to be riding on a bike path? It’s not likely since you’ll have beach chairs, coolers and floats. You won’t hop the bus either.

Traffic on Cortez Road is already a dangerous lane-changing road race. At 119th Street, the intersection is often blocked with weekend and season beach traffic, making it impossible for some residents to head inland, even if they really do want to go that direction instead of the beach.

The development in the county over the last couple decades has been irresponsible. Besides traffic considerations, is any attention being paid to water resources? What about hurricane evacuation? I’m sure there is a lot of aging infrastructure in the county, including the Cortez Bridge, that needs attention before we start planning new infrastructure.

But, most important to me and my Cortez and Anna Maria Island neighbors: is any consideration being given to quality of life for current residents?

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Quit putting Cortez, AMI under development siege."