BRADENTON — The City Council voted 5-0 on July 22 to reject a plan for 98 townhouses at Jordan Creek at Bradenton East, with members citing the project’s density and the traffic it would generate.
The vote leaves in place the council’s earlier approval of 66 units in 33 attached duplexes on the 12-acre site at 1201 27th St. E. and 2906 11th Ave. E.
Developer J.B. Howell of Davie first sought approval for 106 townhouses. After the council denied that request, he returned with a scaled-down plan for 98 units in a mix of four- and six-unit buildings.
Demand for duplexes has fallen since the original approval while demand for townhouses has grown, said Kyle Grimes, an attorney with the Bradenton firm Grimes Galvano. Townhouses cost less to build, he said, and sell at a lower price.
Jordan Creek would be built at about 8 units per acre, senior city planner Jamie Schindewolf said. Most of the surrounding area has been developed below the maximum allowed density, ranging from 2 to 4 units per acre in nearby neighborhoods to 9.9 units per acre at one apartment complex, according to Schindewolf.
“I’m all on board for homeownership. If it could be plopped somewhere else, it could be a win-win,” Council member Pam Coachman said. “I would love to see that area developed. I just wish we could consider density a little more.”
“To me the density is not the problem,” council member Lisa Gonzalez-Moore said. She said she opposed the project mainly over traffic, including a proposed entrance across the street from residents’ driveways.
“I was hoping the concerns for ingress and egress that are very particular to this site would have been fleshed out a little more,” she said.
Council member Marianne Barnebey said she rejected the revised plan for the same reason she rejected the first.
“I said, you’re trying to put 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5-pound sack, and now you’re trying to put 9 pounds of potatoes in a 5-pound sack,” she said.
Residents raised similar objections during public comment.
“I believe an owner has a right to develop their property, but it has to be consistent with the neighborhood,” said Susie Copeland, a former city employee, who added that the project also must comply with city codes.
Sandy Lorr said the increase from 66 to 98 units would add traffic to the area. Dean Jorgensen said the developer had made commitments to the neighboring Tropical Shores community when it won approval for the 66 units, and he urged the council to deny the larger plan as inconsistent with the surrounding neighborhood.
“It’s a sleight of hand, in my opinion,” he said.
Cindy Lane is a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Beacons. She can be reached at clane@tbnweekly.com.