Pope Ranch rezoning continued after hours of stormwater and evacuation concerns

Manatee County commissioners continued a contested proposal for a 217‑acre rezoning and general development plan known as Pope Ranch on May 8, after hours of testimony about flood risk, stormwater design and evacuation capacity.

Applicant counsel and a multidisciplinary consultant team from Atwell and Kimley‑Horn presented a clustered single‑family detached plan for 440 units (2.02 du/acre) and detailed stormwater modeling. Engineer Brian Jackson said the design was upgraded to use NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall values and that the project included expanded floodplain compensation areas, a county flowage and access easements for Gamble/ Campbell Creek, and raised finished floors. "The project will improve the local stormwater conditions," Jackson said, adding the plan would be designed to NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall totals and provide 13.75 acres of floodplain compensation, more than required by code.

Multiple residents and neighborhood groups said the parcel sits in a hydraulically complex part of the Gamble Creek watershed and urged denial or delay until county‑level watershed modeling and reservoir management questions are resolved. Speakers described flooding during the 2024 storm season and asked the county to require independent peer review of the applicant's hydrologic model. Several residents urged the county to prioritize larger regional fixes first — clearing creek channels, restoring reservoirs and defining long‑term operation plans — before permitting new subdivision acreage that will increase impervious surface.

Transportation staff said access via Rutland Road would require turn lanes and additional analysis at the final‑site‑plan stage, and the schools office provided a preliminary capacity estimate (school impacts would be analyzed again later in the process). After public comment and deliberation, commissioners voted 5–2 to continue the item to no‑date‑certain; staff will return with requested additional technical clarifications and responses to county reviewers' questions.