Singer and businessman Jimmy Buffett and his partners hope to build two new hotels as part of the One Particular Harbour Margaritaville development taking shape on Perico Island.
The changes to the original planned development agreement for the project at 12300 Manatee Ave. W. are so significant,they require that the proposal go back through the city approval process. The Bradenton Planning Commission unanimously approved the changes on July 18 and the city council will consider it on Aug. 8.
According to the application submitted to the city, developers now want to build a five-story, 101-room hotel and a separate three-story, 30-room hotel.
“The five-story will be more of the main hotel associated with the resort, pool and restaurant,” said Darenda Marvin, a planner for the development team led by Minto Communities, Buffet’s Margaritaville Development and most recently Floridays Development Co.
Floridays was selected in April to build the first Margaritaville and LandShark Bar & Grill on Florida’s west coast at the site.
“The other building is Fisherman’s Retreat with 30 rooms,” Marvin said. “The idea with that one is that if you came with more of a group and wanted more space, you could stay there. It’s not the condominium type of units we’ll have in the main hotel and it will offer more space.”
Changes to the original site plan include reducing the amount of retail space that was first proposed, from 17,600 square feet to 1,520 square feet. There were originally going to be two restaurants on site, but that has been reduced to one with seating available for more than 300 people.
Marvin said upon city approval, “Permits are already under review and they will be able to get moving on construction fairly soon.”
A third building, the Ship’s Store, is currently under construction at the 187-boat slip deep-water marina, which is nearing completion, as is a boat storage building.
While all under the umbrella of Minto Communities, the resort is a project separate from the Harbour Isle residential development well underway. The 220-acre Harbour Isle will feature 686 residences when complete.
One Particular Harbour Margaritaville will be located along Manatee Avenue West, on the approach to Anna Maria Sound.
The Florida Department of Transportation plans to eventually replace the existing Anna Maria Island bridge between Perico Island and Anna Maria Island with a 65-foot-high span.
Marvin said there has been no discussions about what kind of impact, if any, that would have on the resort.
“It’s a little different situation than what’s being similarly proposed on Cortez Road,” Marvin said. “DOT has all the right of way but it’s a limited right of way that comes pretty far west. We’ll have to see what DOT ultimately presents, but I don’t believe there is any reason for concerns.”
The design for the new bridge has been ongoing and while FDOT has been actively engaging the island communities as recently as June, there is no funding approved for construction.
FDOT also claims that the entrance to the bridge won’t change significantly to what exists today.
When constructed, the new bridge will be built 100 feet to the south of the existing drawbridge to keep traffic moving back and forth to Anna Maria Island without interruption.
Kelly Clark, director of communications for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, called the new resort a win-win for Manatee County.
“Any new accommodations to Manatee County is going to help tourism,” Clark said. “We’re excited because we have a lot of new bed stock coming in and being developed. You have the Legacy at IMG, Spring Hill Suites in downtown Bradenton and now this one, which gives tourists more options, which is something we really like about our destination.”
Clark said with the variety of rentals that are available, “It’s a good variety of options. It’s not just big hotels. We have rental homes, condos, flag hotels and unique resorts. And that’s three new hotels on the mainland being built, so we aren’t just talking about Anna Maria Island, we are talking about Bradenton. One of the things the CVB wants to focus on is that we aren’t just a beach destination. We have so much more to offer.”