Fairfield residents oppose planned five-story building in Manatee County

Residents of the Fairfield community are concerned about changes that might be coming to a shopping center adjacent to their homes.

They have heightened concerns a five-story building could be approved near the intersection of Lockwood Ridge Road and State Road 70.

Developer Gryboski Howe and Gravely is already approved for 165,000 square feet of commercial space at its plaza at the southwest corner of Lockwood Ridge Road and S.R. 70, where there is a Walmart Neighborhood Market, a Wawa gas station, a Burger King restaurant and a storage facility. However, it seeks to increase square footage by 59,520 and wants approval for a five-story building, instead of a three-story one previously planned, on the parcel adjacent to Fairfield.

Project representative Darenda Marvin said increased square footage would accommodate the taller building height, possibly for a hotel, though no specific user has yet been identified. She also said the changes would not create any more vehicle trips to the plaza than previously anticipated. That is because the storage facility took up nearly half of the allowed square footage but produces a “very low traffic impact.”

Fairfield residents said their top concern is the proposed increase in building height, which they do not believe is compatible with their neighborhood.

“If they didn’t do a petition for five stories, we wouldn’t be here [to oppose)]” Fairfield’s JoAnn Reddy said. “We wish they would decline the petition.”

Resident Matthew Dansbury said that there are no five-story buildings between U.S. 301 and Tara Boulevard. The tallest buildings are three stories, and such a change could open the door for future, similar approvals along the corridor.

“Everything is flat [in this area],” Dansbury said. “You’re going to have a building that’s going to affect the view.”

Three-year-resident Ron Sell said that he is mostly concerned about traffic and hopes any building constructed, whether three stories or higher, would be set back sufficiently to minimize impact to neighbors.

The project site was formerly home to an abandoned Winn Dixie supermarket. GHG began redeveloping the property in 2014.

Residents of the Fairfield community also say traffic on S.R. 70 continues to worsen, and they now regularly have problems getting into and out of their community, which has only one access directly from S.R. 70. The completion of improvements to 45th Street East and the addition of a dual-right turn lane from northbound Lockwood Ridge Road to eastbound S.R. 70 have created such a steady flow of traffic that they often cannot get in or out of their community easily or safely.

Those residents say traffic generated from the plaza at the southeast corner of S.R. 70 and Lockwood Ridge Road is more than what’s approved on paper, and the counts should be restudied to ensure compliance.

“The Wawa, the Walmart, the car wash — they’re always busy,” Mike Reddy said. “They produce a ton of traffic.”

Residents said there needs to be more speed enforcement on S.R. 70, and Manatee County should consider banning vehicles from turning right on red from the dual right turn lane from Lockwood Ridge Road to S.R. 70 to create more breaks in eastbound traffic.