Bradenton Moves Forward with Land Purchase for Park Project: 11.3-acre parcel to be added as city advances City Park development
Bradenton is closing in on acquiring more than 11 acres tied to the City Park project, a development municipal leaders view as transformational for the surrounding neighborhood.
The city council unanimously voted this month to move forward with purchasing 11.3 acres to be used for stormwater improvements, a community center and recreational fields. The sellers are New Rogers Garden Limited Partnership and the Bradenton Housing Authority.
Councilwoman Pam Coachman, who made the motion to push forward with the purchase, said the project represents “everything the community could ask for. And it was easy to ask but very difficult to do.”
It’s all part of the major City Park project in the area of 13th Avenue West, Ninth Street West, 17th Avenue West and Sixth Street West. The city website describes the project as a milestone “blending recreation, community resources, and economic development … shaping Bradenton into an even more desirable place to live, work, and visit.”
The public-private revitalization involves enhancing LECOM Park with three new baseball fields, expanded parking and other improvements while also developing a community resource center, public park, market and event space, concessions, art installations and more.
“There’s a lot to be excited about,” Mayor Gene Brown has said. “City Park has been in development behind the scenes for a long time and now we’re close to seeing results — months away instead of years.”
A project groundbreaking took place earlier this spring, with construction also set to get underway soon.
The council action this month advances a vote taken in November to pursue a property sale agreement, which was followed by due diligence. The $1.525 million price, funded with non-city sources, includes $25,000 for survey costs and $150,000 for administrative and legal costs, according to a city memo.
“It was an area that was slated for future potential development,” city manager Rob Perry said, describing extensive legal and technical challenges — including about 14 easements on the property — in the purchase effort.
The property, with G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary to the west and Bradenton Village to the east, will be used for stormwater retention and a 50,000- to 60,000-square-foot community center, outdoor amenities and parking in a partnership that includes the school district and the Police Action League.
Perry descri
bed plans for a range of programs, resources and amenities, including sports, recreation and education for youths and adults.
“I think it’s a real good thing for the community,” he said, adding that the city plans to provide a ready-to-build pad for the center’s construction.
Coachman, who represents Ward 5, said, “Every time I talk about this, I get emotional because of the impact it would have not only to the city but to a community … that was once considered alright and then it wasn’t. But this project could very much bring it back to being alright again.”