Proposed building would include hotel, storage and offices

A Bradenton developer is proposing to build a combination hotel, storage facility and office complex at the northern portion of Palmetto off U.S. Highway 41.

The proposed Palmetto Gateway Centre would be located on about 17 acres at 3300 U.S. 41, near the Bayshore Inn motel.

Daryl Brown, the developer of the project, said about 120,000 square feet would be devoted to a Store N More self-storage facility. Another 17,000 square feet would be devoted to office space, Brown said. Brown is also proposing construction of a 90-room hotel at the location.

"I would call it mid-priced. In other words, it's not a Ritz-Carlton but it's not low-end either," Brown said. "It's generally intended to appeal to the traveler and those who would be using the conference and convention center in Palmetto."

A hotel operator has not yet been identified, Brown said.

Along with a car wash, Brown also plans to construct 65, 1,000-square-foot recreational vehicle condominium units at the rear of the property, he said.

"The concept," Brown said, "is to appeal to a large segment of people that have the large RVs, where they can pull in to a completely high-security, well-maintained area, clean out their holding tank, wash off their unit if they want to, press a button and pull into their own concrete garage. They would park it there when they're not using it. I think there's a tremendous need for this kind of usage."

The portion of the U.S. 41 corridor near the proposed site has been barren of significant development for some time.

Just last week, it was announced that the Bayshore Inn motel, long considered an eyesore, had been acquired for $2.5 million and was about to undergo improvements.

While realizing some may get the wrong impression of a self-storage site coming to the area, Brown, who has built two other Store N Mores in Manatee County, insists that the project, if approved, will be an asset to the area.

"We plan to build something that will be a beautiful entry into Palmetto from the north that everyone can look to and see as a very beautiful landmark for that community," Brown said. "That's the intent. The storage facilities we build don't look like storage facilities. They look like a college campus or an office building."

Brown anticipates the planning department making a decision on his site plan and request for zoning change from medium neighborhood commercial to planned development within roughly two weeks.