What Can We Do for You Today, Mr. Neal?

The procedure involved a somewhat complicated three-step process (items 8, 9, & 10 in the agenda) in which a slice of property was carved out of the northeast quadrant so that it could be rezoned from RES-1 (Residential-1 dwelling unit/acre) to the UF-3 (Urban Fringe – 3 dwelling units/acre) Future Land Use Category so that the developer could cram 200 plus more units on a development site already approved for more than 900 units.

The only commissioner who raised an issue with the applicant was George Kruse, who seems to do his very best sustainable growth advocacy whenever land use attorney Ed Vogler is across from him for some reason. Commissioner Misty Servia was absent from the meeting.

"We're getting too close to the FDAB line and not putting the emphasis where it should be, which I believe is redevelopment and more toward the urban core."

Kruse went on about how he’s all for increased density, noting his support for using additional height downtown, including the soon-to-be-former site of the central library. He also asked how the board, which forever talks about supporting redevelopment in the urban core, is ever going to accomplish that if they just keep allowing developers to put as many houses as they want on virgin ground in east county, regardless of what the comp plan says. Kruse also reminded commissioners that there is a means within the comp plan to award density credits when 25 percent of the units are "affordable."

I must say that I would have loved to see this same ethos in play when an applicant recently asked for not a couple hundred additional units but 6,000, and not close to the FDAB line but beyond it. However, Kruse, along with five other commissioners, happily rubber-stamped that trainwreck with only Servia dissenting.

Commissioner Reggie Bellamy, who like Whitmore is up for reelection this fall and has been getting the generous support of east county landowners and the development community in his reelection campaign, asked if the developers were aware of the workforce housing crisis and had any plans to abate it (yes, this literally happened).

Allow me to answer. Yes, Commissioner Bellamy, but they’re not the ones charged with being stewards of the public good. You are. They are in the business of making money and there’s a lot more moolah in overdeveloping our pristine rural hamlets with expensive houses that will command whatever the market will bear than in building affordable units where we need them most. That’s where you all are supposed to come in. The checks they stroke you are to make sure you don’t, and I’m sure that they’re happy to see that it’s working, my friend.

Commissioner James Satcher entertained motioning for a continuance but quickly demurred. Commissioner Whitmore, who seemed willing to bend over backward to get the application approved, then seemed to sense that there might not be enough support to get four votes and debated whether the board should wait for Servia to be present before making a decision.

At one point, Whitmore asked Mr. Neal if he would please come to the podium and tell them all what he thought of how things were going (this, too, literally happened).

Neal told them they should approve his application, that people desire to move here and his company desires to build them all houses.

Vogler then pulled out the old you’re only voting for a transmittal today, it still comes back to the board, let’s let the state weigh inline, and, just like that, the commissioners, sans Kruse, all fell right into line and voted 5-1 in favor of transmittal because, hey, it’s Manatee County and that’s how we do business here.

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of ourweekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County governmentsince 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Clickherefor his bio. His 2016 short story collection, Casting Shadows, was recently reissued and is availablehere.