Two More Join West Manatee Homebuilding Queue

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 26th, 2016 – It’s green and go for two property development projects in West Manatee—Peninsula Bay and Tides End—with their final approval of the Manatee County Commission in October.

Peninsula Bay will rise on the 359-acre site of Manatee Fruit Co. located north of Cortez Road, and south of Palma Sola Bay. Its owner, Whiting Preston, plans 1,950 residential units in this property straddling east and west of 115th Street West. In addition, Preston envisions this waterfront community in the historic village of Cortez to have 90,000 square feet of nonresidential uses plus a boat ramp and a dry storage marina for 200 boats.

In August 2015, Preston also got county commission approval for a mixed-use community just to Peninsula Bay’s southeast. Called Lake Flores, this sister development is planned for 6,500 homes, 500 hotel rooms and millions of square feet of retail and commercial space all in a 1,322-acre site off south of Cortez Road. The New Urbanist design and walkability are a common theme on both projects, which have been described as “infill.”

Twin Stakes for Neal

Some four miles north of Preston’s twin developments, another infill project, the Tides End neighborhood of Neal Communities, was also approved by the Manatee County Commission. This property, planned for just 38 homes, sits on a 19.6-acre site on the southern flank of 17th Avenue Northwest and east of 99th Street Northwest.

Earlier in August, Neal broke ground at The Estuary in a 53-acre site in this area just south of the Robinson Preserve. This property, located off 103rd Street, is planned as a gated community of 50 maintenance-included homes ranging in floor areas from 2,181 to 2,600 square feet priced in the $400s‒$500s range.

Significantly, public works project are either underway or in the pipeline to address traffic concerns as a result of these new property developments in this West Manatee area. One of these is the expansion into a divided four-lane roadway of the 1.8-mile segment of 53rd Avenue West between 43rd Street West to the roundabout at 75th Street West. Similar traffic mitigation initiatives are set at El Conquistador Parkway and Cortez Road. Rehabilitation or replacement of Cortez Bridge to Anna Maria Island is also the subject of a Florida Department of Transportation study which is expected to be finalized in 2017.

Local Neighborhoods on Focus

Several existing communities in Cortez Village stand to benefit from these infrastructure projects. West of Preston’s planned Peninsula Bay spreads Harbour Landings, a gated waterfront community featuring luxury residences with floor plans ranging from about 3,200 up to approximately 5,700 square feet designed with three to five bedrooms. The price point is $1.1‒$1.6 million. Besides private docks in many of its homes, the amenities in this community include a clubhouse, a well-equipped fitness center, and a swimming pool.

The Pointe at Mariner’s Cove, a small condo complex, is another enticing search destination for homes for sale in Cortez. This property is located on 129th Street West north of Cortez Road and sits on the Intracoastal Waterway across from Anna Maria Island.

This community is comprised of 24 units in six two-story buildings. Their units feature floor areas of between 2,300 and 2,750 square feet designed with three bedrooms. The asking prices of available condos at The Pointe are typically quoted from around the $500s up to the million-dollar level.

Built in 1988, the Pointe at Mariner’s Cove is a gated, well-landscaped complex. Each condo has its own private elevator entrances and a two-car garage with an air-condition storage room on the first floor. A tennis court and a heated swimming pool with a hot tub are some of the amenities in this community which has a heads-up over the new developments on a queue in West Manatee.