Palm Aire apartments approved in Manatee County

Development finally is coming to the final piece of the Palm Aire community at the northeast corner of Lockwood Ridge Road and Whitfield Avenue.

With existing approvals, the roughly 32-acre site could have up to 200 apartments approved administratively by Manatee County. With a rezone and public hearing, it could have been a 432-unit affordable housing

project, as initially proposed by developer Medallion Homes.

Instead, residents will see something in between.

Manatee County commissioners on Aug. 20 approved Medallion Homes’ plans for a 315-unit luxury apartment complex on the site, which has been zoned for multi-family housing since the 1,376-acre Palm Aire project was approved in 1969.

“This property is going to be developed,” Manatee County District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said. “They’ve had the right to put multi-family there for years. You can either have upscale gated apartments or not. That’s what I’m looking at.

“It’s a tough one,” said Baugh, who supported the project. “I want the best community if it’s going to be an apartment complex.”

Commissioner Besty Benac said she continued to worry about flooding problems in the area and allowing development within a 25-year floodplain in Rattlesnake Slough, however county engineering staff members testified the applicant will have to prove it will not negatively impact surrounding properties during its final design process.

“It’s a leap of faith that our standards are going to be met here,” Benac said.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to support the project. Commissioner Reggie Bellamy was absent.

Medallion Homes’ original application for the site was an affordable housing project with more than 430 units and buildings up to five stories tall. Neighbors, however, opposed the project, and a group of residents met with Medallion Homes developer and founder Carlos Beruff to discuss possible changes.

Beruff presented new plans that eliminate affordable housing, gate the project, reduce building height, enhance setbacks and provide a 370-foot minimum setback on the east side from the Carlyle subdivision. Only 10 to 30 feet is required, depending on building height. It also adds stormwater retention close to Carlyle.

The new design, presented to commissioners, had mixed support from residents. Some said they believed fewer units would be better for traffic and for impacting existing flooding issues in the area, while others said the changes would enhance the community and be better overall for neighbors.

“We’re going to have to lick our wounds,” said Palm Aire’s Beth Boyce, who created a group called “Protect Our Corner” to oppose the plan. “I still think the original zoning would be the right way to go.”

Woodbridge Oaks resident Dan Freed worried about traffic and access to Lockwood Ridge from his subdivision.

“To bump (density) by 50% — I don’t know where that’s a beneficial trade off,” he said.

Supporters, however, said the design changes created a superior project that would be beneficial to Palm Aire and the surrounding neighborhoods. They stated a better design would help protect and enhance home values and also be more consistent with neighboring development.

“I don’t like what could be built,” Palm Aire’s Robert Bennett said. “I think the flooding is being addressed. I think the development being proposed is better than what we were going to get.”

Palm Aire’s Rick Pellegrini agreed. “Housing growth in our area is inevitable,” he said. “Rational and reasonable planned growth is therefore essential. I believe this developer has gone a long way to (address) the community’s needs and concerns.”

Benac said if affordable housing had been proposed, it likely would have been supported by the board because of the county’s need for affordable and workforce housing and the county’s policies encouraging such development.