Notice to approve issued for gun club at Lakewood Ranch

A county hearing officer has indicated she will allow Schroeder-Manatee Ranch to build a gun club in Lakewood Ranch.

The Ancient Oak Gun Club, a proposed 24-station sporting clay course, would be built on 78 acres zoned for agricultural use, three-quarters of a mile south of State Road 64 East off Uihlein Road.

Officials and parents from the Center for Montessori School and officials from Bayside Community Church, both neighboring residents, have expressed reservations about the proposed gun club’s proximity to their facilities.

Mara Fulk, an administrator at the Center for Montessori School, says the club would sit too close to the school's outdoor nature lab, which sixth, seventh and eight grade students use two to three times a month.
Manatee County Hearing Officer Lori Dorman issued a notice of intent to approve a special permit application for the proposed gun club.

Signed Jan. 8, the order says parties of record, or those who spoke out against the club at a Dec. 19 public hearing, have five days to respond to the county.

On Jan. 16, those comments will be shared with Dorman for a final review. Dorman will then issue the Final Order by Jan. 24.

In the notice of intent, Dorman says the proposed use of gun club is compatible with the area and not a danger to public safety.