Hunters Point Resort & Marina may be the next new development in line for Cortez.
Cortez Road Investments and Finance Inc. proposed a site plan in early May and, after a few engineering calculations, it’s destined for the Manatee County review process.
Sarasota developer Marshall Gobuty said he’s been tweaking the plan for years.
Combining the old with the new, he’s taken the original name of the village to propose a cluster of “net zero” homes on 13.72 upland acres on Cortez Road West about a block from the Cortez Bridge.
The preliminary plan shows 86-97 RV lots, 60 villas, a marina, clubhouse, hotel rooms, tiki huts, a 40-seat restaurant and retail stores.
The development also includes 5.01-acre of submerged lands, canals that horseshoe the property.
Hunters Point includes the existing H&H Marina at 12444 Cortez Road, its 37 slips plus 12 new slips.
Gobuty said he expects to build 148 cracker cottages, ranging 400-800 square feet, starting at $250,000. Outdoor-living space increases some of the homes to 1,000 feet, he said.
Designs call for homes with the “most energy efficient” plumbing, HVAC systems and appliances, certified with a Leadership in Environmental Engineering and Design platinum rating.
“This has got me crazy excited. This product doesn’t exist. It should revolutionize the building industry,” Gobuty said.
And he’s ready for “the worse-case scenario” as far as a future Cortez Bridge replacement, he added.
He’s seen the latest Florida Department of Transportation bridge designs, including a possible 65-foot fixed-span bridge. He says Hunters Point is designed accordingly.
District 1 DOT traffic access manager Nathan Kautz expects the developer to submit site approvals for two direct accesses on Cortez Road West.
The land is one of only a few undeveloped parcels along Cortez Road West.
Last year, Gobuty and Eric Grimes partnered on the $10 million purchase of a 17.8-acre tract from Peter and Eva Thurell and son-in-law Christopher Avre of Sweden.
They promoted an upscale RV-park concept, but those plans fell by the wayside and the partners “parted amicably,” Gobuty said.
The developer hopes Hunters Point fits in with the Cortez fishing village, saying he was inspired by Thurell’s vision of cracker cottages.
The developer is presently promoting sales at an ongoing project, Mirabella, in Bradenton.
Nearby on the north side of Cortez Road West, the future development of Peninsula Bay is approved for 1,950 homes on 360 acres with a 12-year build-out.
Lake Flores is county-approved for 6,500 units and 2.4 million square feet of commercial space on 1,291 acres, east of 86th Street and south of Cortez Road West, near Cortez. A 20-year build out is expected.
Also near Cortez, Aqua By The Bay, between El Conquistador and Sarasota Bay — not yet county-approved — is planned for 2,894 units and 78,000 square feet of commercial.
interested in information around and on the AMI.