This week in Manatee: New pools for Premier and Bradenton convention center upgrades

Manatee County will move forward with almost $90 million in upgrades to the Premier Sports Campus and the Bradenton Area Convention Center as part of major efforts to draw more tourism.

Commissioners voted to support the planned improvements during a public meeting on Tuesday, where they also discussed an opportunity for development in downtown Bradenton and major changes to the way the county assesses impact fees on development.

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Racquet & Aquatics complex headed to Premier

Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with plans for $39 million in upgrades to Premier Sports Campus to build a competition-level Racquet & Aquatics complex.

The effort includes the construction of a 50-yard long-course competition pool, a 25-yard competition pool, a therapy pool, locker rooms, office space for staff, and other facilities. The racket center would include 24 pickleball courts, 14 of which would be covered, and 14 tennis courts.

"Right now Premiere brings a lot of soccer matches from all over the country here," Commissioner Mike Rahn said. "I think this gives us an opportunity to become a major swim capital, for us to have swim meets here from all across the country like we do the soccer events. It gives us an opportunity to drive some economics to our county as well as tourism."

The facilities would be built near the site of a new Lakewood Ranch Library, which has also been at the center of discussion over public library book materials in the county as it nears completion.

County has already earmarked $23 million for the project, although it is short of anticipated costs. Despite some apprehension over cost estimates, commissioners voted to move forward with the effort because of the opportunity it creates at Premiere to host major swim meets.

"We are the only swim team in the area that does not have a home pool for meets," said Amy Barrett, assistant swim coach for the Lakewood Ranch Lightning team. "The county will also benefits because we'll be able to host swim meets and bring families from all over, especially out of state and up north, who want to come to the sunshine state."

Commissioners also agreed to look into opportunities to purchase competition-level pools that are likely to be on the market at discounted rates soon as a way to potentially save on the cost of the project, as suggested by other residents during public comment.

They also expressed a desire to approach the project in phases and indicated aquatics facilities could receive priority over racquet courts because of the availability of pickleball and tennis facilities at other locations in the county.

County moves forward with Bradenton Area Convention Center upgrades

Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with an estimated $48 million investment in planned upgrades to the Bradenton Area Convention Center that will follow interior decoration modeled after the Marriott hotel under construction next door. The hotel is expected to open for business in January.

The option was the more expensive of two possibilities presented to the board, coming in at about $5 million more than alternate decoration schemes.

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Planned upgrades include a multipurpose ballroom that could accommodate hundreds of guests, improve floors and walls in the existing main arena, an air-conditioned walkway that connects to the 252-room Marriott Hotel, and changes to parking layouts.

Parking garage needs spark talk of more downtown Bradenton development

Manatee County is pressed for time to address safety concerns at its downtown Bradenton parking garage found by an engineering report last year, but commissioners expressed a desire to capitalize on the opportunity to re-develop the space.

Commissioners discussed options for the construction of a new garage to replace the failing structure on Tuesday, and have directed staff to hire a consultant to evaluate potential development options for the property beyond the necessary parking garage components.

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They left staff with a laundry list of priorities, including a need to engage with the city of Bradenton, to review options for potential public-private partnerships for the project, government office space, potential for residential uses, and a possible economic impact study.

"And the most important part, money," Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. "If you can come back to us with general price points... We know have $30 million in the bank, that's a starting point."

Impact fees under review

Manatee County commissioners voted Tuesday to begin the complex process of changing the county's longtime impact fee system, which has been used locally for 36 years to help fund infrastructure improvements that become necessary as development progresses and the local population grows.

The county assesses impact fees for transportation, parks, public safety, law enforcement facilities, and the expansion of the county-operated public library system.

On Tuesday, commissioners indicated changes to that system could be coming soon after County staff presented findings from a study conducted by consulting firm Benesch that showed the county's current impact fee rate is not generating enough funding to keep up with many infrastructure needs.

They voted unanimously to acknowledge the study and voted 5 to 2 to direct to engage with outside stakeholders from the development industry and other organizations for input. Commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge and James Satcher voted in opposition to the motion.

"There is nobody that doesn't like impact fees more than me," Rahn said. "I think it's a regressive tax... I think it ultimately hurts the public and the ability to have affordable housing."

Commissioners also voted unanimously to allow staff to begin the process of replacing the transportation concurrency system used by the county with a mobility fee system instead. Concurrency means that transportation infrastructure must be in place "concurrently" with development impacts.

They directed staff to present progress to commissioners at a future meeting for review before engaging with local residents for public input on any proposed changes.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee County news: Premier and Bradenton convention center upgrades