After a contentious public debate that lasted more than nine hours, Manatee County officially voted to deny a plan for a new housing community in East Bradenton.
A housing developer requested a rezone of 56 acres of agricultural land near Zipperer Road, north of State Road 64 East. While commissioners stopped this project, they also delayed a decision on a nearby project that could bring 99 homes.
Among commissioners’ main concerns were drainage, traffic safety on Zipperer Road and an existing cell phone tower that would be taller than allowed in a residential neighborhood. Residents also showed up in large numbers with concerns about traffic safety and the fear of losing Zipperer Road’s canopy trees…