- August 4, 2026
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Over the past two years, Manatee County commissioners have routinely denied requests for development along Lorraine Road, but a plan for 224 rental townhomes doesn’t need the board's approval.
Hillpointe, LLC has a plan in motion to develop Point Grande Lorraine on about 20 acres on the east side of Lorraine Road and to the west of Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch.
Hillpointe, a multifamily developer in Winter Park, is using Florida’s Live Local Act to build more units than would otherwise be allowed without the commission's approval.
After signing the bill in March 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press release, “This legislation provides record support for Florida’s workforce and their families to help them live where they work, while also providing historic support for our military communities and the families living near military bases.”
Live Local has been updated four times since then. In exchange for building workforce-housing units, developers can bypass height restrictions and receive zoning and property tax pre-emptions.
Projects are approved without public hearings, and applications are fast-tracked.
Pointe Grande is in the pre-application stage, but Hillpointe could start construction as early as January. Plans for the community include a clubhouse, fitness center and pickleball courts.
Rental rates for at least 40%, of the units will be determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's guidelines for a minimum of 30 years.
Pamela Thompson, Hillpointe’s director of external affairs, emphasized that affordable housing does not mean “Section 8” housing.
“That’s not what we do,” Thompson told residents during a neighborhood meeting July 27 at the Lakewood Ranch Library. “What we do is attainable housing for the workforce with an 80-120% AMI.”
The AMI, or average median household income, in Manatee County is $109,700, meaning the income target range is about $88,000 to about $131,600.
Thompson said Hillpointe is able to offer workforce housing because the company is “vertically integrated.” Everything from permits to property management is handled in-house for the life of the community, resulting in a cost savings.
Height overlooking her family's pool is what bothers Esplanade’s Luzette Socash. A block of two-story townhomes would be 15 feet away from her property line. It's enough for her to consider moving.
“But who’s going to buy this house…15 feet is the size of a car,” she said.
Socash brought a measuring tape to the neighborhood meeting. Thompson held the end of the tape as Socash backed up 15 feet.
The distance spoke for itself. An audience member replied, “Wow.”
Thompson thanked the over 200 residents for attending the meeting and acknowledged the obvious sentiment of the room.
“At the end of the day, you all probably will still not want Hillpointe to be your neighbor,” she said. “I appreciate us being able to speak and share facts and be civil with one another.”
But as long as Hillpointe doesn’t apply for a variance, the project will be administratively approved without any additional input from residents or commissioners.
The bumper-to-bumper length of a Toyota Prius will separate Socash’s fence from a "wall of apartments." She described the issue as an "invasion of personal space and privacy.”
Azario’s Greg Dunbar asked Hillpointe representatives to at least consider reconfiguring the site plan.
The buildings wrap around the perimeter of the property with a retention pond in the middle of the lot. If the retention pond were relocated, it could serve as a buffer between the two communities.
But even with a buffer, Azario residents called the jump in density “unnatural.” Surrounding densities range between two and six units per acre.
With 224 townhomes on 20 acres, Point Grande will have nearly 12 units per acre.
Commissioners unanimously denied a rezone request in March. The project was nearly identical to Point Grande — 232 townhomes on 19.51 acres off of Lorraine Road with an affordable housing component.
Commissioners liked the project but couldn’t get past the jump in density.
Yet Hillpointe could’ve built a far more intense project with 640 units under Live Local's density allowances. The act would've allowed for 32 dwelling units per acre.
“(Live Local) completely bypasses the wise decision making of local elected officials,” Azario’s Jim Toolen said. “We’re going to fight this to the extent we’re able to.”
Azario residents established an action group in 2024. The sea of red shirts at the meeting read, Azario Responsible Land Development Coalition.
Toolen emphasized that the coalition is not an anti-development group.
If Hillpointe wanted to build the 90 units reserved for workforce housing, ARLDC members would "grab shovels" to help.
The coalition fears the surrounding infrastructure can't handle the density of the project, so they want commissioners who know the area to decide the matter instead of legislators in Tallahassee.
Members declined to comment on any specific plans moving forward, except that the group will be devoting additional time and resources to hold Hillpointe accountable to “responsible development.”
If a municipality tries to stop a Live Local project, the developer can sue, have the lawsuit fast-tracked and force the county to pay up to $250,000 of the developer’s legal fees.
“This issue goes beyond this community and this development,” Toolen said.
