- May 5, 2024
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A proposed 1,100-home project in East County that was turned down by the Manatee County Commission in June appears to be headed toward approval.
On Dec. 7, Pulte Homes' request for a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would make the Lazy C Ranch project by Pulte Homes more feasible was approved, clearing the way for commissioners to approve the project next time it comes up for a vote.
The Comprehensive Plan amendment will be transmitted to the state, and if it gains approval a date will be set for the commissioners to vote again on the project, which has 405 of its 495 acres to the east of the Future Area Development Boundary.
Commissioners were reluctant to approve the project in June because, if approved and zoning was changed from agriculture, it opened the possibility of putting up three homes per acres on the parcel, as opposed to the 2.23 homes per acre that had been proposed by Pulte Homes. It also would have been open to commercial development.
The Comprehensive Plan amendment would not allow more than 1,100 homes at the site and no commercial.
It is not uncommon for projects that have been turned down by the commission to return after some tweaks, or even a lawsuit filed by the developer.
For example, lawyers for the Concession Land Development’s Keven Daves told commissioners in September that they could either rehear his project and vote yes or Concession Land Development would continue its $8.9 million lawsuit against the county.
Daves project was voted down in 2020 and 2021, but commissioners in September agreed to vote again by Nov. 3. Daves requested an extension to Jan. 18.
“There is no limit for how many times a project can go to the board,” Interim Comprehensive Planning Section Manager Bill O’Shea said in an email. “If the site plan is denied and the applicant does not make substantial changes to the plan, a one-year waiting period is required prior to reconsideration. With that said, the applicant can always request that the board reconsider its denial.”
Developers can wait until new commissioners are voted on to the board, of they can file lawsuits. Or, as Commissioner Ray Turner put it, they can “make it fit inside the box,” which is what Pulte did with Lazy C Ranch.
Kyle Grimes, the attorney representing Pulte and Lazy C Ranch Holdings, said any commercial or additional residential units for the site beyond what’s in the plan would require another Comprehensive Plan amendment to go before the board.
Commissioner George Kruse said Pulte Homes' willing to go with 1,100 homes and no commercial made a difference.
“It’s in line when we made the same request that Taylor Ranch scale it back and be a little more considerate,” Kruse said. “Previously, in theory, you could’ve built almost 4,500 homes and 300,000 square feet of commercial sight unseen (on the parcel). Now, it’s 1,100 homes, that’s it. That is such a massive difference and concession to move this forward.”
According to O’Shea, additional buffering was added to help mitigate for the smaller lots along the perimeter and a stipulation was added to the development order that directly addresses the construction of the force main (used for wastewater).
Right now, Rye Ranch is responsible for the force main, but the stipulation states that developers of Lazy C Ranch have the option to construct it should Rye Ranch not do so within one year.
Whoever puts in the main, it won’t be the county. As part of the Comprehensive Plan Policy 2.1.2.8, which allows development east of the FDAB, developers are responsible for all infrastructure east of the line.
Projects must also be “coterminous” and “contiguous,” so the 90 acres of Lazy C Ranch that lie west of the FDAB must be built to the point where all public infrastructure is available from the west to service the whole site.
The property is located north of the intersection of Rye Road and Country Road 675. If the Comprehensive Plan amendment is approved by the state, the commission will have to vote on the rezone and the general development plan.
The request is to have the land rezoned from Agriculture to Planned Development Residential.
