Construction starts on Marshall Key

MANATEE COUNTY — More than a decade after the late John Briscuso first shared his desire to build a riverfront community off State Road 70, a group of friends and business colleagues now are moving forward with his vision.

Maryland-based Braden River Investments recently began construction on its first venture in Florida — Marshall Key.

Formerly called Marshall’s Landing, the community is located just east of Natalie Way and the Harborage development on State Road 70. Once finished, it will feature 37 home sites, all with access to the Braden River.

“It’s nice to see the dream come true,” said Carl Wagner, who is developing the project with business partners John McLoud, Sam Brown and George Brown, of Maryland. “It’s one of the prettiest pieces (of land) I’ve ever seen. (The property) is unique even for this area. I thought it would be fun to develop.”

The men knew Briscuso from his development days in Maryland; they have known about the Marshall Key site for more than a decade, Wagner said. When the property became available after Briscuso’s death in 2004, the men purchased the site for more than $4 million. They installed infrastructure and cleaned up the site, a former fishing camp, about four years ago, but held off on home construction when they sensed a change in the housing economy.

Although Braden River Investments is developing more moderately-priced homes than their predecessor envisioned — with homes ranging from the mid-$500,000s to $800,000s rather than several million dollars — to accommodate a change in the economy, developers believe the project is one-of-a-kind and will give home buyers great value for their dollars. Every home site will have an available boat slip, giving each homeowner access to the Manatee River via the Braden River.

“It’s a peninsula,” Brown said of the property. “(The project has) all waterfront homes. There’s one way in and one way out. You don’t find property like this too often.”

Builders selected for the project are Vision Group LLC and Arthur Rutenberg Homes, and both currently are constructing model homes on site.

Brandy Coffey, of Keller Williams Luxury Homes, said homes offered would range in size from about 2,000 to 3,500 square feet with one- and two-story options available.

“Having the different homes to choose from, we’re going to appeal not only to the second home buyer, but also to families,” Coffey said. “There will be more of a mix — not all families and not all retirees.”

Two model homes — one from each builder — are expected to open in December, in time for the winter season. The community will have a West Indies architectural style.

Although the community’s gated front entrance will be close to State Road 70, developers don’t expect noise to be an issue, because the area will be heavily landscaped and the closest home site is more than 200 feet from the roadway. Instead, the neighborhood’s proximity to Interstate 75 and Lockwood Ridge Road will make it a sought-after location for individuals seeking easy access to either downtown Bradenton or Sarasota, or other areas, they said.

The project is being named in honor of Steve Marshall, the site’s original owner, who already has reserved a home site in the new community.

Developers plan to have a ribbon-cutting celebration when the community’s home models open, Brown said.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].