Massive Lakewood Ranch expansion approved in East Manatee County

Jesse Mendoza, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·5 min read
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners, pictured on Feb. 16, 2023.
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners, pictured on Feb. 16, 2023.

County commissioners gave Lakewood Ranch developers the green light for a 2,300-acre expansion for the master-planned community that will bring 4,500 new houses to Manatee County.

The vote also opened the door for other powerful developers who also own undeveloped agricultural land in East Manatee to receive similar approvals, paving the way for even more homes and new roads further east than ever before.

Commissioners have voiced a desire to update Manatee County's comprehensive plan before their terms are over, and on Thursday, the most tenured of the seven commissioners indicated those discussions could include moving the county's urban boundary line once and for all — opening the door for developers to build dense neighborhoods further east.

Catch up: Proposal for Lakewood Ranch expansion in Manatee County moves forward

And: Sarasota County commissioners approve Lakewood Ranch development plan in rural east county

"I think it's time that this board moves to officially move our line from where it is, and I think it needs to move to (County Road) 675," Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said. "We know we've got growth that's going there, and we need to realize it, move it, and say okay this is where it stops. This is it. We can't just keep having project after project come up and then move it."

Lakewood Ranch set for massive expansion in Manatee, Sarasota

Lakewood Ranch developers have cleared the biggest hurdles for the construction of 9,500 new homes in East Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Thursday's 5 to 2 vote approved changes to the county's comprehensive plan to allow the developer to build up to 4,500 homes on 2,300 acres of land owned by SMR Taylor Ranch east of Manatee County's urban boundary line, as well as necessary zoning changes and a general development plan. It also grants the right to build a personal wireless service facility and designates up to 20 acres for a possible school site.

The developers have also requested similar approvals to build 5,000 homes on over 4,000 acres of land in a community called Lakewood Ranch Southeast in northeast Sarasota County. That decision is being challenged in court in a lawsuit filed against Sarasota County.

Developers rally across urban boundary

A map that shows the location of a 2,300-acre Lakewood Ranch expansion, as well as a proposed community called East River Ranch that seeks approval immediately east of the property.
A map that shows the location of a 2,300-acre Lakewood Ranch expansion, as well as a proposed community called East River Ranch that seeks approval immediately east of the property.

Approval for the Lakewood Ranch expansion is already setting the stage for additional development in East Manatee across the county's Future Development Area Boundary line.

The line was established in 1989 as a part of the county's comprehensive plan and marks the furthest to the east Manatee County provides water and sewer services to residences. It also marks the area where most of the county's land changes to agricultural zoning.

Changes to the comprehensive plan approved on Thursday make it possible for Lakewood Ranch to skip over the line by meeting certain criteria originally proposed by the developer, SMR Taylor Ranch. Those criteria are narrowly tailored to specifically apply to developers of master-planned communities.

Other developers are now piggybacking on that momentum, and that same criteria, for additional development across the line.

More: Beruff wins big zoning change, paving way for massive East Manatee County development

Prominent local developer Carlos Beruff proposed another master-planned community named East River Ranch that could bring up to 4,144 residential homes, or 12,434 total dwelling units, if affordable housing incentives are also utilized, just east of the Lakewood Ranch expansion.

Commissioners voted 5 to 0 in February to send additional comprehensive plan changes needed for the development of East River Ranch to state agencies for review — the first of many steps necessary before final approval, or denial, of the project. Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Commissioner Amanda Ballard were absent during the vote.

On Thursday, Baugh and Commissioner Mike Rahn indicated a desire to move the county's urban boundary, rather than to allow developers to skip over it on a case-by-case basis. Baugh suggested moving it as far as County Road 675, also known as Waterbury Road.

Every resident who spoke during public comment at the meeting opposed the Lakewood Ranch proposal for reasons that included concern over its effect on drinking water and well-water quality, future traffic, the impact of intense development on nearby agricultural lands, and its implication on the line.

"The FDAB was not moved, but all the development is happening to the east of the FDAB," East Manatee County resident Richard Williams said. "So now the FDAB is essentially a cruel hoax against the residents of Manatee County. It doesn't mean anything if you can just go beyond it and build things."

Race Village proposed as an olive branch to local racetracks

Automotive YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland and dozens of his followers nationwide voiced concern in December about the impact the Lakewood Ranch expansion would have on his racetrack, the Freedom Factory, as well as the Bradenton Motorsports Park.

The racetracks have operated in the community since the 1970s, and it has come into prominence in recent years since McFarland purchased and renamed the former DeSoto Speedway in 2020.

Developers have proposed the construction of a neighborhood, known as the Race Village, on 142 acres of the SMR Taylor Ranch property that specifically caters to residents who want to live near the racetrack to address a fear that building thousands of new homes right next to a loud racetrack will inevitably lead to conflict.

Previously: Lakewood Ranch developers seek compromise with automotive YouTube star Cleetus McFarland

More: Automotive YouTube star Cleetus McFarland at odds with Lakewood Ranch over eastward expansion

The plan includes caveats that future residents of the Lakewood Ranch expansion agree not to make formal complaints about the racetracks because they would be purchasing a home that was built in close proximity to the already existing facilities.

Commissioners denied a request by McFarland's team to postpone Thursday's vote so that his recently acquired legal representation could review Lakewood Ranch's proposals for compromise before they were approved. They claim that many attorneys declined the case because of a conflict of interest. Commissioner Jason Bearden supported McFarland and moved to continue the vote to a future date, but his motion died for a lack of a second.

"I think it's only fair," Bearden said. "We're talking millions of dollars on both sides."

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Lakewood Ranch expansion would bring more than 4,000 new homes