Subsequently, on October 22, 2015, a workshop was held, with invitations extended
to tenants, stakeholders, private landowners in proximity to the Port, public agencies,
and the general public to hear their thoughts about current Port operations, their
views of the future, and their ideas about port-related opportunities for the land
adjacent to the Port, particularly in the PDEZ. To kick off this public workshop,
which was attended by many representatives of the private sector, the consultant team
delivered a power point presentation that summarized milestones at the Port over the
past 20 years, discussed market assessment findings and forecasts for the Port's primary
commodities, and then spoke to a strategic vision for the Port's future, including
several development scenarios for land within the Port's boundaries as well as opportunities
for the PDEZ.
When the workshop was open to public comment, as in the previous work session, several
PDEZ landowners and members of the Port Authority Board engaged in a discussion of
issues relating to investment and funding of infrastructure in the PDEZ, including
a connector road through the PDEZ as well as water, sewer, and stormwater utilities.
Among the points raised were the means of identifying such funding, whether through
a CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) or non-ad-valorem tax approaches, and the need
to take a solid plan to Tallahassee in pursuit of funding. Board members emphasized
their desire both to see port-related development on properties in the PDEZ, and to
enable all neighboring landowners to sell their properties for port-related purposes
if they want to do so. They further agreed that the concept of a connector road should
be included in the master plan update as a means of pursuing funding and that, as
a county road, the connector would not have to go through a lengthy and costly project
development and environment (PD&E) study. One potential east-west corridor, Buckeye
Road, was acknowledged to present major challenges. The consultants suggested that
it would be desirable to create an entity among the PDEZ landowners to encourage support
for additional funding through public private partnerships.
In response to queries about distribution center concepts, such as those in Savannah,
Georgia, the consultants replied the Savannah model would no longer be effective because
of changed market conditions. They noted, however, that large local distribution centers
are being built in the region and that the area to Manatee's south, that is, the area
identified as Southwest Florida, is enjoying significant growth, an indicator of distribution
center potential. Following workshop adjournment, one-on-one discussions were held
on the topic of the needed connector road and potential local development agreements.
