County reaches Tara Bridge settlement

TARA — Manatee County is pushing forward with plans to secure property for the development of the Tara Bridge and is readying to pay out nearly $2 million as part of an eminent domain deal.

The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 20 is slated to vote on a mediated settlement agreement between the county and Northern Capital Group for a 3.8-acre parcel near the Southern Manatee Fire Rescue station on Honore Avenue, on which the county plans to build part of the proposed Tara Bridge.

The $1.739 million settlement includes payment of $1.07 million, with a $451,000 credit previously deposited to the registry of court, for the land, plus attorney’s fees ($96,975) and expert fees and costs ($60,000).

The deal also provides that Manatee County pay $511,850 for a remaining 22.5-acre tract.

“This is the result of the mediated settlement agreement with (developer) Pat Neal after a 13-hour mediation,” Manatee County Attorney Rodney Wade said of the decision to purchase the acreage. “We arrived at a price for the 3.86 acres, but he would only agree to that price if the county would purchase the remainder of his property. The county plans to hold it for sale, at this point in time, but anything can happen. Ultimately, the county plans to recoup its money through the sale of the remainder.”

Wade said the county stalled a vote on the deal from its original Sept. 6 meeting to determine how the county would finance the purchase.

Terms of the mediated agreement, Wade said, are confidential by law. He declined to divulge further details.

Manatee County documents show the county’s appraiser valued the land and total value of improvements for the $3.86-acre parcel at $332,300. The developer’s appraiser, however, valued the land at $1.975 million when considering the value of finished lots less development costs.

Neal said the county’s purchase of the remaining 22.5 acres basically comes in lieu of the county paying “substantial” severance damages. The additional parcel, which had been slated for development, lost value as a result of the county’s taking of a portion of the property, he said.

“Although we’re not terribly satisfied with the price, we think we’ve reached the best compromise available,” Neal said. “Each side can say they worked hard to (reach) a compromise.”

Residents of Tara continue to question the county’s decision to move forward with the bridge, despite public opposition, associated costs and other reasons.

“We, here in this area, don’t want this bridge,” said Tara resident Ray McCray. “We think it’s too expensive. It’s the wrong project for the wrong amount of money and the wrong times to keep it in the program. We’d like to see it removed from the (county’s Comprehensive Plan).”

Commissioners and local transportation officials have long held the bridge is necessary to meet the community’s future long-term needs and to speed up emergency response times.

Neal, owner of Neal Communities, said development of the parcel in question has been stalled since 2004. A Manatee County judge granted the county’s eminent domain request to take the land for the bridge in October 2009.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

CHANGES
Plans to extend Tara Boulevard and build a bridge over the Braden River to connect with Honore Avenue was formerly a Capital Improvement Plan project but has since been removed by the Board of County Commissioners. It now is considered only a “project of record.”