New Cortez Bridge May Spur Anna Maria Real Estate Market


 

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 8th, 2013 – Plans set in motion to repair, rehabilitate, or replace Cortez Bridge linking Anna Maria Island and the Manatee County mainland stand to have a significant impact on property values around the locality, Sarasota Bay Real Estate reports.

The full service realty company notes that the plans brewing for the Manatee bridge recalls the positive impact that the evolution of Ringling Causeway Bridge has created around its Sarasota vicinity. Originally built during the mid-1920s to promote residential and commercial developments in St. Armands and Longboat Key, the Ringling Bridge has undergone two redevelopments. One was in the 1950s and the other in late 2000s, eventually helping to aesthetically reshape the landscape and seascape of the communities around it such as those at the Golden Gate Peninsula and Sarasota bayfront neighborhoods.

Fishing village protection

price trend graphic

Cortez Bridge was built in 1956, and according to the Florida Department of Transport (FDOT), it already exceeds its 50-year service life. The department, consequently, has put forward a two-year project development and environment (PD&E) study on the possible repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of the two-lane, low-level drawbridge.

Consultation with local residents is one critical aspect of the FDOT study. This April, the department initiated a public kick off meeting in order to gather inputs from the local residents. Besides the surveys conducted, public hearings and workshops about the eventual fate of Cortez Bridge have also been scheduled.

The FDOT is likewise coordinating with the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization regarding the PD&E on the span which is also one of the gateways to Longboat Key and Cocina Beach. Results of the earlier surveys which were presented to the representatives of the planning agency showed that one of the major concerns was the impact on the historic fishing village of Cortez should a new bridge be built.

Located at the east side of the span, the fishing village is one of the quaint attractions not only for Bradenton but also the entire Manatee County. This community, wherein the livelihood of many residents remains linked to the sea, is touted as the last remaining fishing village in Florida. Among its features is the Star Fish Company whose heritage goes back to the early 1920s.

Stable neighborhoods

Sarasota Bay Real Estate notes that Cortez Village is one of the most stable communities around Bradenton. Its relatively few available properties listed in the MLS are also quite attractive among buyers. Sales, for instance, is already pending for an offered 1,000-square-foot single family home here which has been only five days in the market at an asking price close to the $200s level, featuring two bedrooms and one bath.

There are some condo options at Mariner’s Cove located next to the village’s Cove Sound Moorings. The available units here typically have floor areas measuring from 1,762 square feet up to nearly 2,000 square feet. Their asking prices range from the $300s to the $400s.

At the Cove Sound Moorings, an upscale single family home with a floor area of close 3,000 square feet can be sales-listed in the high $700s. For luxury properties, the nearby Harbour Landings Estates can yield finds like a 4,600-square-foot home having a tag price in the $1-million-plus mark.