Growth alarms neighbors as 10,000 homes planned near East Manatee development boundary
Two large-scale development projects working their way through the Manatee County permitting process could bring nearly 10,000 new homes to land that has traditionally been used for agricultural purposes.
Neighbors are saying the projects, Taylor Ranch and East River Ranch, are too large, and too much for the rural roads to handle.
On Thursday, the Manatee County Commission is set to consider approvals for Taylor Ranch with 4,500 housing units.
Taylor Ranch would be the first project approved beyond the Future Development Area Boundary (FDAB) line, which the county uses to limit urban sprawl and protect agricultural land.
Among those affected by the proposed Taylor Ranch are the owners of the Freedom Factory racetrack. The nearest home in Taylor Ranch, according to planners, would be built about 400 feet from the racetrack.
Nearly 700 homes would be in the area closest to the racetrack, according to the site plan shared by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.
Local YouTube star voices concern
“This is the racetrack,” Freedom Factory owner Cleetus McFarland, a YouTube star with over 3 million subscribers, said during a previous public meeting, pointing at his property on a map.
“Although I like the idea of sound abatement, you tell me if you’ll be able to hear those race cars with a 25-foot fence in between. I’m just being realistic that these neighbors are going to hear the racetracks,” he added.
McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, said he fears the incoming residents will be bothered by the noise and seek to have his racetrack shut down.
East River Ranch, bordering Taylor Ranch to the east, is not on Thursday’s agenda but is planned for 5,378 dwelling units. Also planned there are 900,000 square feet of commercial space, 300,000 square feet of self-storage and 300,000 square feet of office space. It could also include a charter school and a fire station.
The two developments are between State Road 64 and State Road 70. Portions of East River Ranch, being developed by Carlos Beruff, border County Road 675.
Lakewood Ranch seeks expansion
During the land use meeting, which starts at 9 a.m., commissioners will consider rezoning the Taylor Ranch property from agricultural use to planned development mixed-use and also consider approval of the general development plan.
In 2021, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the parent company of the master-planned Lakewood Ranch community, petitioned the county to amend its comprehensive plan so that the Taylor Ranch development could expand beyond the future development area boundary.
The boundary line limits urban sprawl by keeping growth to the west, while land to the east is reserved primarily for agriculture through 2040. But the line has shifted further and further east over the years.
The county approved the request, paving the way for Taylor Ranch — the first exception to the plan’s limit on development.
In 2021, SMR Taylor Ranch LLC submitted its initial request for a rezone and general development plan for 2,307 acres from agriculture to planned development to build 4,500 homes at 18900 State Road 64 East.
SMR Taylor Ranch LLC was the largest of any project submitted to Manatee County in 2021.
On Thursday, the county commission is scheduled to consider a comprehensive plan amendment and text amendment to allow the Taylor Ranch project to proceed.
East Manatee neighbors object
In 2001, Mark Vanderee and his wife, Yvonne Kelly, bought property on Waterline Road north of the proposed Taylor Ranch project.
“We imagined there would be growth. We didn’t imagine there would be this much growth in such a short time. When we bought here, the FDAB (Future Development Area Boundary) was about a mile or so to the west. We thought we would be good until 2040,” Vanderee said Monday.
“There has to be a better balance between development and what the land can afford to support,” he said.
“If approved Thursday, Taylor Ranch will be the first east of the FDAB and per the new BOCC (county commission) ordinance Policy 2.1.2.8 will allow unlimited ‘cascading’ development to the DeSoto County line,” he said.
Vanderee and Kelly plan to attend the county commission meeting to register their concerns.
The couple is not alone in their concerns.
Panther Ridge Homeowners’ Association issued a press release unanimously opposing the proposed Taylor Ranch and East River Ranch developments. The East Manatee subdivision, with its riding trails, is popular among horse-owning residents.
“You don’t need a traffic study to recognize these proposals would result in a tidal wave of vehicles that would endanger our riders and their horses as tens of thousands of new residents to our north look for their best path to Route 70,” the Panther Ridge news release said.
“If someone wants to turn Manatee County into Atlanta by doing Planned Development Urban Fringe with five-story apartments in a cow pasture east of the FDAB, they can follow due process in an open and transparent way with a map amendment of the Comprehensive Plan to move the FDAB, and they can design it in a way that doesn’t utterly destroy Manatee County’s cherished horse country,” the Panther Ridge statement said.
Traffic plans
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ has recommended the Legislature appropriate $53 million for widening S.R. 70 between Bourneside Boulevard and Waterbury Road, more commonly referred to as County Road 675.
The proposed expenditure is part of a $7 billion program to safely handle the growing number of drivers on Florida roads.
