Local Government Bradenton City Council Members Torn on New Supermarket

The proposed site is located at 201 13th Ave. W., near U.S. 41/U.S. 301; it was fomerly a community center.

BRADENTON – The Central Community Redevelopment Agency is expected to provide $750,000 in incentives for a developer to open a Save-A-Lot grocery adjacent to Oasis Middle School. As the agreement goes through various departments, one member of the city commission is strongly opposed to the plans. Council member Bemis Smith feels that opening a Save-A-Lot could take away from other local businesses. 

Timothy Polk, interim director of Bradenton’s Central Community Redevelopment Agency, reached out to corporations in an effort to bring a much-needed grocery store into one of the area’s low-income neighborhoods; located at 201 13th Ave. W., near U.S. 41/U.S. 301.

”I’m not able to support this because I don’t believe we are getting what we are bargaining for,“ said Smith. ”We are spending a lot of money here and Save-A-Lot is not the type of store that will bring in customers.“

Polk said residents in the CCRA district don’t have access to food stores with adequate nutritional product. Smith argued that building the store at that location would hurt business for a nearby Bravo Supermarket (2004 14th St W), as well as the many fruit and vegetable vendors at the Red Barn Flea Market. 

The new store would incorporate multimodal paths that go around the vicinity, so the area will be pedestrian and bicycle friendly with a dedicated bus stop, which will make it accessible to many residents without automobiles. 

”Save-A-Lot’s are a lower-end store,“ Smith said. ”We are trying to make a statement that the CCRA is no longer a low-socioeconomic area. There needs to be a market demand.“

A town hall meeting will be held Thursday, March 15, at 6 p.m. regarding the issue. Then the development agreement and land transfer will be scheduled before city council on March 28.

The one-acre site is triangular in shape making tenancy a challenge. The original plans for the design of the Save-A-Lot had an urban setting, meaning that it would be placed at the front of the property with parking in the back. 

A revised site plan was presented to the CCRA and this is now being vetted by Save-A-Lot. Polk hopes the store would appeal to those who live in the CCRA’s district as well as residents working downtown at places like Manatee Memorial Hospital. The store would also provide initial construction positions for anywhere from eight to 12 months, then approximately 73 permanent positions in the store, some of those full-time with benefits.