Manatee County commission considers land-use changes

SMR hopes to tweak master plan for Lakewood Centre DRI.

By Pam Eubanks
| 9:20 a.m. July 31, 2019

Steve and Becky Jarolin and Jayne Hackett review maps for proposed changes in Lakewood Ranch near their Eagle Trace homes after the July 11 Planning Commission meeting. They are worried about having four-story apartments nearby.

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Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch is seeking changes to its master plan for the area north

ALSO ON THE AGENDA

At the meeting, Manatee County commissioners will also consider:

-Allowing the construction of residential and residential support uses — such as churches, day care centers, schools or assisted living facilities — at the entrance to Tara, at the southwest corner of Tara Boulevard and State Road 70;

-Approving two hotels and 6,500 square feet of retail roughly near the southeast corner of State Road 64 and 64th Street Court East, south and east of the Wendy’s restaurant and a car wash;

-Approving an RV and boat storage facility on five acres at 5517 Lorraine Road, on the east side of Lorraine Road and north side of future Rangeland Parkway, about half a mile north of S.R. 70; and

-Allowing development of either 99,516 square feet of office space; 33,200 square feet of office space and 234-bed assisted living facility; or 160 multifamily units on 19.17 acres between Town Center Parkway and Interstate 75. The changes were approved in February 2017, but the applicant seeks to have only one means of access for the apartment option.

of State Road 70, between Lakewood Ranch and White Eagle boulevards in a request that will be considered Aug. 1 at the Manatee County Commission’s land-use meeting.

SMR will ask to add 30 acres for a proposed single-family home rental community off Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, reduce land set aside for future county-owned parks — deemed no longer needed by county staff as Manatee shifts to a model with fewer larger, regional parks instead of more smaller ones — and exchange 364 multifamily entitlements for 225 single-family homes.

The request also would shift commercial and apartment housing to different parcels within the project. Some residents of Eagle Trace neighborhood are concerned with those changes.

As proposed, apartment housing could be constructed on either side of the Eagle Trace community — to the east along White Eagle Boulevard on property that abuts Eagle Trace and to the west on land between 117th Street East, State Road 64 and Eagle Trace. That area backs up to villas in Eagle Trace, and some homeowners said they were worried about losing their privacy and sense of security if four-story apartments are constructed.

Resident Tony Glaudé said he and others are trying to raise awareness on how the changes might impact the community with the hope local residents attend the meeting to voice their concerns.

“We’re going to try to get as many people to go [to the meeting] as we can,” Glaudé said.

About 20 Eagle Trace residents attended the Manatee County Planning Commission meeting July 11.

The land changes affect SMR’s Lakewood Centre Development of Regional Impact.