MANATEE COUNTY — Roughly 1,800 to 2,000 homes are built in Manatee County each year, mostly in areas east of Interstate 75 such as Parrish and Lakewood Ranch.
Meanwhile, what is considered the county’s “urban core” — much of which dates to the 1950s and 1960s — experiences scant new development and noticeable decline, such as vacant or partially empty strip shopping centers.
On Thursday, the Manatee County Planning Commission took the first step toward encouraging redevelopment along six “urban corridors” in the unincorporated area: Tamiami Trail, 15th Street East, 53rd Avenue West (State Road 70), Cortez Road, Manatee Avenue West and First Street (U.S. 41).