Bradenton Beach may get a boost from a new neighbor.
City attorney Ricinda Perry, at a March 1 city meeting, discussed developments surrounding an offer from developer Shawn Kaleta to finance an upgrade of a city-owned parking lot on Church Avenue near the Bradenton Beach Marina, 402 Church Ave.
When asked if Kaleta’s willingness to remodel the city lot was due to his purchase of the nearby Bradenton Beach Marina and what discussions Perry might have had with the developer, Perry wrote in a March 1 text to The Islander, “(Kaleta) said he has no idea what he wants to do with the marina. Dry storage isn’t super lucrative for him. Commercial wet slips are.”
She continued, “When we walked the area, he said he was cleaning up stuff all over the marina and freshening up landscaping. He asked if (the city) was planning to do anything with (the Church Avenue parking lot) and I told him CRA has a parking plan from Colliers, but no money to improve it at this time. He said he’d pay for it. That’s all I know at this point.”
Colliers Engineering and Design firm has been tasked to create a dedicated parking plan at 306 Church Ave., an unimproved parking lot.
Perry’s text also said, “Bazzy is staying around to help transition everything.”
The marina has been owned by Alan Bazzy and his family since 1981 — 42 years.
Alan Bazzy’s son, Mike, assumed management of the marina in 1996 and has been instrumental in the Bradenton Beach Area Merchants.
There have been no other public details about the marina sale from the parties — Kaleta or Bazzy — to The Islander, but, based on Perry’s public remarks, the property already has changed hands.
Kaleta told The Islander “no comment” in mid-January when the sale reportedly transpired and again March 1.
Bazzy has not returned a Jan. 13 phone call from the Islander.
