Neal seeks home run with Villa Amalfi project

With a high demand for new housing and limited commercial interest, Neal Communities plans to convert a commercially zoned property into a 92-home community.

The homebuilder is working on plans for Villa Amalfi, a 18.6-acre project located adjacent to The Cascades of Sarasota and across from Woodbrook, at the southwest corner of Lockwood Ridge Road and Honore Avenue. 

The property currently is zoned planned development commercial — allowing for development of commercial sites, such as a grocery store, or up to six residential units per acre — but Neal instead plans to build single-story, tiled-roof paired villas. 

Dale Weidemiller, who handles special projects for Neal, believes the county will support the change in land use because it did so when Neal sought to develop its Woodbrook subdivision.

It owned that then-commercial parcel with Benderson Development. But after businesses indicated it preferred a location on State Road 70 or University Parkway, Benderson chose not to develop the site and Neal created Woodbrook, a 213-home project at the southeast corner of Lockwood Ridge Road and Honore Avenue, instead.

“This is a replacement for Fairfield on State Road 70,” said Weidemiller.

The project will have a Tuscan theme, in terms of architecture and colors.

Neal hosted a neighborhood meeting with Cascades residents Feb. 10.

Debby Landes, president of Cascades’ homeowners association, said more than 140 people attended. 

“Anybody who is at all reasonable was thrilled with the idea of housing going there,” Landes said. “It was a good reaction; I’m certainly happy about it.”

“The major concern was where they had placed the amenity center and the pool,” she added. “People felt it would present a noise problem. I got a call from the Neal people (last week). He listened and they actually went in and changed their plan based on our input. What more can you ask for?”

Weidemiller said the Villa Amalfi property is under contract, pending approvals. However, Neal is accelerating the entitlement process by preparing permits and approvals and processing the final site plan and construction plans contemporaneously. 

Neal hopes to bring the rezone and preliminary site plan request to the Manatee County Planning Commission in April, with subsequent approvals by the Manatee County Commission in May. 

Neal expects to request final site plan approvals within the following months, so it can break ground on the project in August.

If plans move ahead as expected, Neal will have Villa Amalfi’s first models ready in early 2016.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].