Commissioners approve 610-home community

The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a plan for a 610-home community on the west side of Rye Road, south of Upper Manatee River Road, at its land-use meeting Thursday afternoon.

The development, a project called Del Tierra to be developed by D.R. Horton, calls for a net density of 2.99 dwelling units per acre, below the county’s comprehensive plan limit of nine dwelling units per acre. 

However, Country Meadows, a community just west of the proposed development, has about one home per acre and its residents have complained about the denser Del Tierra development changing the rural character of the neighborhood. 

D.R. Horton’s original site plan proposed a second entrance to Del Tierra through Country Meadows to Upper Manatee River Road — in the form of an inter-neighborhood tie. 

A traffic analysis conducted by the county anticipated a 7% traffic increase in Country Meadows if the site plan was approved as is.

Trying to appease both sides in a deliberation that took four-plus hours, the board approved an amendment to the site plan that requires Del Tierra to have private streets and that the inter-neighborhood connection be gated and used for emergency access only. 

Del Tierra will occupy 233 acres.

Construction on Del Tierra will begin this year and be completed in 2017.

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].