Bridgewater residents express CORE concerns

Bridgewater resident Laura Whinfield knew White Eagle Boulevard was going to get busier as Schroeder-Manatee Ranch developed its Collaborative Opportunities for Research and Development project across the road from her development.

Whinfield said she supported the project.

Now, though, SMR is attempting to change allowed uses on the 150 acres directly across from the entrance to the Bridgewater community and that has raised concerns with Whinfield and many of her neighbors.

On April 13, the Manatee County Planning Commission recommended approval of SMR’s light industrial request. It now goes to the Manatee County Commission on May 4. SMR has requested to change the allowed uses on the 150 easternmost acres of the 305-acre CORE project by swapping 100,000 square feet of retail use with up to 250,000 square feet of light industrial.

Three access points off White Eagle Boulevard into the light industrial area have been proposed.

SMR’s Vice President of Planning Richard Bedford said the swap from retail to light industrial within the CORE project is about “jobs, jobs, jobs.” SMR has a goal of creating at least one job for every household in Lakewood Ranch.

Whinfield said the proposed change to light industrial will lead to more truck traffic and that has become the main issue. She would prefer if the light industrial area would have no entrance across from the Bridgewater entrance.

“That would take the brunt of the traffic off my main gate,” she said.

She will ask commissioners to consider a weight limit on vehicles to restrict the size of trucks using the area.

SMR officials say the use change to light industrial is critical to the area's growth.

Darenda Marvin, a planner for a legal firm representing SMR, presented the application to the planning commission. She said light industrial use, which by county regulations cannot have noise or other impacts off-site, is needed in CORE to accommodate medical companies that develop products such as hearing aids. Office and retail needs have changed since SMR secured development rights in 2008 for the 1,400-acre tract that now includes CORE.

“We can’t just have retail and office as our job creators,” she said. “If we don’t have this component, we don’t have the jobs.”

Planners said the use trade-off is “trip neutral,” meaning the number of vehicles visiting the larger industrial square footage proposed will be equal to or less than what would be produced from the smaller retail square footage.

It still does not alleviate the concerns of Whinfield and her neighbors, who worry about noise and safety at their neighborhood entrance. Whinfield hopes SMR will consider moving the access into CORE farther south or that Manatee County will make provisions to minimize conflicts with trucks.

“It's too close to our main entry,” Bridgewater's Jean Johnson said. 

That issue is compounded by what residents say is a line-of-site problem for drivers heading southbound on White Eagle Boulevard and turning east into the Bridgewater community. A curve in the road, combined with landscaping, makes it difficult to see northbound vehicles on White Eagle.

Bridgewater's Kim Herten said the extra traffic near the Bridgewater entrance will cause safety issues. “The way they developed White Eagle, there are blind spots,” she said.

Manatee County transportation staff members said visibility issues most commonly result from landscaping and can be addressed by the county, if reported by residents.

White Eagle Boulevard is designated as a county thoroughfare, meaning it is intended to take high volumes of traffic and disperse them onto smaller roadways. SMR representatives indicated the company is not prepared to relocate the access on White Eagle, which has been indicated on maps since 2008. They also declined to prohibit placement of the light industrial use at the southwest corner of Rangeland Parkway and White Eagle Boulevard, which Bridgewater residents suggested at a prior public meeting.

“White Eagle Boulevard has been planned as a major thoroughfare to carry large amounts of traffic from day one,” said Caleb Grimes, the attorney representing SMR. “It has been built ahead of its needs.

“Retail has trucks. Grocery stores have trucks,” he said. “You study it if it becomes a problem. You don’t fix a problem if it doesn’t exist. Something like this doesn’t have a large number of trucks.”

Whinfield said she and the majority of her neighbors support the CORE concept and are eager to have the new organic grocer, Earth Fare, promised for the site, as well as new retail and restaurants close to home. She still hopes the suggested changes will receive more consideration.

“I think we’re the smallest neighborhood in Lakewood Ranch,” she said. “I keep coming (to public meetings) so they know we care. I just need them to know people are watching.”