SMR expansion gets clawback from Panther Ridge residents

Manatee County Planning commissioners gave an East County expansion the green light at Thursday’s meeting, despite residents' concerns for traffic safety.

Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. sought to rezone a 1,389-acre property on State Road 70 east of Lakewood Ranch Premier Sports Complex and Uihlein Road. The property would be divided into two separate communities: Lakewood National Golf and Country Club to the north and Bridgewater East on the southern portion.

Lakewood National would include a 36-hole golf course and 477 single-family homes plus 1,110-unit multifamily apartments. Separated by the Braden River, Bridgewater East will be 412 single-family homes. Both will be gated communities built by Lennar Homes.

According to county staff's presentation, State Road 70 will eventually be widened by the state to make it a more robust east-to-west corridor, but there is no definite timeline for the expansion.

The item was listed under the Planning Commission’s consent agenda, but was pulled on Thursday morning and rescheduled as the last item during the discussion portion of the meeting. A few residents who live near the proposed project waited six hours for their three minutes of public comment.   

Tammy Norwood, a member of The Point at Panther Ridge Homeowner’s Association, was concerned about the project’s impact on S.R. 70 and the use of both single-family and multifamily units.

“The idea of multifamily, apartments and townhomes, seems very out of character,” she said.

With traffic levels at current development levels, it already takes her 15 minutes to get to I-75 from Panther Ridge. More housing would mean an extended commute, she said. She wasn’t alone in her traffic concerns: Two other residents stood up at the podium to make similar comments.

Al Kasper, a Panther Ridge resident, called the area on S.R. 70 where the new development would go a “death trap.”

“With 3,500 new homes being put in — this one and Del Webb — it already can’t handle the traffic on it now,” he said. “I’ve been passed in no-passing zones.”

The section of S.R. 70 is the truck route from orange farms in East County to the Tropicana factory in Bradenton.

Marie Rizzi, a retired school teacher who also lives in Panther Ridge, said she’s seen oranges flying off trucks when the drivers speed down the state road.

“On S.R. 70 — 60 (mph) is a suggestion,” she said. Rizzi also expressed concern for the impact on additional families to the schools serving the new development.

“Nolan (Middle School) doesn’t have the space,” she said.

In addition to these two communities, another community, Del Webb, has been planned for a parcel to the south of S.R. 70.

Clark Davis, the transportation manager for the county, tried to qualm fears, saying some intersections would be improved by the developer and others would be future candidates for traffic lights. As more development comes online, the speed limit of the road would also be reduced, he said.

“As the area urbanizes, (problems) address themselves, but that doesn’t make it go away immediately,” he said.

Planning commissioners unanimously recommended approval of the project. It will appear before the Manatee County Commission at its Thursday, Aug. 6 meeting for final approval.

“The people next-door knew Lakewood Ranch would be expanding,” said Planning Commissioner Albert Horrigan.