Central Park residents don't want holes in their security wall

Central Park residents who attend the July 13 Manatee County Planning Commission meeting might not have a lot to talk about.

Many in that community are alarmed that Manatee County plans to cut two access holes through their security wall to accommodate sidewalks as stipulated by an ordinance long on the books.

An online petition has collected 227 signatures of those opposed to the breach in the wall. The sidewalks would connect the east side of the commercial property at the corner of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and 44th Street with Tilden Park Court and Belvedere Terrace in Central Park.

However, Pat Neal, who developed Central Park and who also owns the commercial property, said he will work to make sure the access points don't happen.

"We know their feelings," Neal said of the Central Park residents. "We work with them. We know they don't want this to go through."

John Barnott, the building and development services director for Manatee County, said the stipulation that the commercial property and Central Park needed to be connected can be changed easily enough.

"Pat Neal has an active application for that corner (Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and 44th Street)," Barnott said. "He doesn't want to punch two holes in that wall. Our recommendation would be to take it out of the ordinance with a new development order." 

The Planning Commission could then vote on the new order. Barnott's staff and Neal's staff met to go through the procedure for changing the ordinance. If Neal files the development order to take the access points out of the ordinance, Barnott said it appears, in this case, it should be granted.

The Planning Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Commission Chambers on the first floor of the County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. Public comment will be accepted.

The petition stated, "The safety and security of the entire Central Park community is at risk if we do not convince the Manatee County Planning Commission to remove the two sidewalks from the development plan."

It urged people to attend the July 13 meeting.

Online comments attached to the petition said homeowners on the streets affected were "vehemently opposed" to having access points punch in their security wall. Others noted they had moved into the Central Park community for the added security.