Movement afoot on Trail - More downtown Bradenton developments

City's development authority OKs deals along 14th Street West.

By JULIA GLICK
julia.glick@heraldtribune.com

BRADENTON -- Plans to transform Bradenton's rundown main drag into a showpiece are moving forward in fits and starts, with several deals recently OK'd and one large redevelopment plan scuttled.

The recent burst of activity on 14th Street West, also known as Tamiami Trail, comes after decades of decline and years of plodding revitalization.

The city's Downtown Development Authority, charged with remaking the street, accepted a developer's bid Tuesday to buy the city's downtown shuffleboard courts and build 30 town houses there. If approved by the City Council, it would be the first redevelopment project in years undertaken on the Trail, long beset by crime, shabby motels and scores of homeless people.

Last week, the authority purchased the Manatee Inns a few blocks away, and plans to tear it down and sell the land for development. A private developer also bought the Classic Inn nearby and plans to eventually develop it.

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