- May 3, 2026
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Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse has a solution for traffic woes in east county: approve more commercial development.
Kruse said it made sense to turn a denial into an approval for a 195,000-square-foot commercial development on the north side of State Road 64 where it intersects with Uihlein Road.
Kruse, along with commissioners Mike Rahn and Tal Siddique, voted to approve the project when it was first presented in December. The project was denied because the other four commissioners had concerns over traffic and flooding issues in the area.
In February, after attorney Kyle Grimes asked for the denial to be tabled, Kruse made the motion to do so. The motion passed 5-2 with Commissioner Bob McCann and the late commissioner Carol Felts in opposition.
Finally, on April 23, when the project was presented for the second time, Kruse made the motion for approval. The motion was approved 4-1 with McCann remaining in opposition and Commissioner Jason Bearden absent.
“The best thing we can do is keep the traffic here,” Kruse said. “The homes are already approved. They’re already getting built.”
The commercial site is adjacent to Palm Grove, a 900-home Neal Communities development. Lakewood Ranch’s northeast quadrant is located to the south of the site.
The northeast quadrant includes nine neighborhoods with 9,297 homes. The north-south boundaries are S.R. 64 and S.R. 70. The east-west boundaries are Lorraine Road and Bourneside Boulevard.
Laura Cole, senior vice president of Lakewood Ranch, said the quadrant is already 94% sold out.
By Kruse’s reasoning, offering neighborhood services nearby keeps those residents from having to drive further to access those services elsewhere, thereby lessening the traffic on the surrounding roads.
But Kruse’s argument isn’t what swayed Commissioner Amanda Ballard to change her vote. It was the compromise that Rex Jensen, president and CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, brought forth.
SMR is the parent company of Lakewood Ranch. Although the company no longer owns the 37-acre site where the development will be built, Jensen waived 195,000 square feet of SMR’s retail entitlements to allow Casto Net Lease Properties, LLC and Albatros 64 Partners to move forward with the development.
Casto is taking the lead on the plans that were presented, which will only use about 15 acres of the site.
“I appreciate the transfer of entitlements from the northeast quadrant up to this site because that ensures that we’re not just adding endless traffic to this area,” Ballard said. “We’re taking traffic that was already going to be there because of those entitlements and just moving it to a different site.”
Jensen wrote a letter to commissioners prior to the land use meeting April 23. He said his intent was to support retail uses that SMR had already planned for and evaluated as part of its broader master plan.
That master plan already accounted for any traffic impacts that will come from 195,000 square feet of commercial uses.
Jensen’s letter laid out over $55 million worth of road improvements SMR provided within the northeast quadrant.
Casto declined to comment, but Jensen said the company has been a strong partner that has worked collaboratively with SMR to advance the master plan’s goal of locating everyday services near the residents they are intended to serve.
Two of the larger projects Casto has developed in Lakewood Ranch are Main Street and Center Point.
To gain the necessary approval, Casto was willing to compromise.
Casto limited the size of the grocery store to 30,000 square feet because there is a Publix under construction to the south, and a smaller store will generate less trips.
While it remains unknown which small grocer will lease the space, a daycare provider was revealed. Discovery Point Child Development Center will be one of the future tenants.
The development will also include a restaurant and possibly a self-storage facility.
If built, the storage facility will be located on the interior of the property so it will not front State Road 64. If 130,000 square feet is not dedicated to self-storage, only 90,000 square feet of medium neighborhood commercial will be developed. Examples of medium uses include a bank, dry cleaners and health clinic.
A gas station was the most intensive use kept as a possibility because there is “a strong demand.” More intensive uses, such as major vehicle repair and taxi services, were removed as options.
Additionally, Casto agreed to increase its stormwater management plan by utilizing NOAA Atlas 14, which is the most updated data used to estimate major storm events.
“This is the right project in the right place at the right time,” Kruse said. “And for anyone who says they’re just getting another bite and nothing’s changed, it has.”
