Ranch considers info center

Lakewood Ranch residents want to retain the Summerfield Information Center as part of the community when its owner, Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, vacates the building in January 2016 for a new center closer to future development.

But they have two questions that need to be answered first.

Is the building a viable space for clubs to meet? And how much will it cost to purchase the building from SMR?

Neither question was answered at an information center meeting Monday at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall regarding the future of the one-level office building.

But progress was made.

A committee made up of a member of each community development district agreed to allow Town Hall Executive Director Eva Rey and her staff to seek the help of any retired architects living in the Ranch to assess the building sometime this year to see if it’s big enough for three meeting rooms that are at least 500 square feet apiece. That’s approximately the size of each of three saloons at Town Hall that get busy during season.

“It’s becoming tighter working with the clubs because they all want the first and second Wednesday of the month to meet at Town Hall, and we can’t always accommodate that,” said Lori Basilone, director of the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities Corp. “We have more than 45 clubs now, and the community as a whole is growing.”

CDD 1 Treasurer Robert Swiatek suggested an architect look at the building to see if it will fit at least three meeting rooms. The architect, who would perform the service for free, can also suggest any other uses for the site.

Located near the southwest corner of State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard at 6310 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., the green-roofed information center with a wrap-around porch has served as an information center for Schroeder-Manatee Ranch for nearly two decades.

The Manatee County Property Appraiser’s website shows the 2.31-acre property appraised at $463,800 in 2014.

The building, which was built in 1995, has 3,964 square feet under roof, but only 2,740 square feet of usable business space.

The property must be used for community supporting uses, such as a recreation center, information center or community meeting rooms, per its zoning.

Residents in attendance agreed they would like the building to be retained by the community as a recreation facility or an extension of Town Hall rather than as a retail or restaurant spot.

But the price the CDDs agree to pay is the key to any acquisition. SMR hasn’t announced what it’s willing to take for the building yet, but it has said it wants it to stay with the community.

While the center sits in CDD 1, all of the CDDs must be willing to help fund a future purchase price.

“If this costs too much money, I won’t recommend purchasing it to my district,” said CDD 4 Assistant Secretary Nancy Johnson. “Let’s hope SMR donates the building.”