Del Webb community approved

Add Del Webb to the growing list of communities popping up in Lakewood Ranch. 

A community of 1,300 homes called Del Webb at Lakewood Ranch was officially approved by the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners at this morning's Land Use meeting at the Manatee County Administrative Center in downtown Bradenton.

Plans call for 1,300 single and multi-family homes to be built in a gated, 55-and over community that will be located on 643 acres six miles east of Interstate 75 along State Road 70.

Pulte Homes, a subsidiary of the Pulte Group, develops homes under the name Del Webb and plans to build a community that caters to retirees and has narrower streets to implement traffic calming in the walkable community.

The commission approved the development by a 6-0 vote, although District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh urged the commission to think of ways to reduce traffic issues in the future in an area of State Road 70 that still has two lanes of traffic and isn't slated for widening to four lanes until 2015 at the earliest. 

"Traffic is a big issue in my district and we need to think of ways to be proactive because builders are submitting more plans now and wer'e approving new developments again," Baugh said. 

Fore more information on Del Webb at Lakewood Ranch, pick up a copy of next week's East County Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].