Planning Commission Recommends Urban Core Trail

BRADENTON – "Since the late 1990's, new development has been generally focused east of Interstate 75 and Southwest County in a slow, but steady decline in terms of indicators such as property values, average household income levels and other factors in comparison to the overall county. The age of infrastructure, housing, code enforcement cases, crime, and numbers of rental properties in established neighborhoods have been increasing over the years." That's how agenda item number five at Thursday's Manatee County Planning Commission meeting began.

Speaking was Manatee County Planning Manager Lisa Barrett. She was describing conditions that provoked the proposed PA-16-01/Ordinance 16-07 Urban Corridors Plan Amendment. She also reminded commissioners that the current Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code (both in the process of reconstruction) do not accommodate the needs of older urban areas.

Southwest (Bayshore/Westfield area) is where development first started in Manatee and is still seen by those who work in utilities as ground zero for the county's infrastructure. It is where half century old water supply and wastewater pipes are still doing the job.

Barrett said the main focus of the amendments were to improve opportunities for county infill redevelopment/development along major corridors within the urban corridor boundaries.

But the same reasons that legitimized Barrett's (county staff) position, also codify the fears of local skeptics and historic community leaders who fear the unintended consequences of change.

To many locals, redevelopment and change translate into not being able to afford living in their hometown anymore; which is even more true in historic neighborhoods like Cortez and Palma Sola.