As part of a 22-acre plan for 531 multi-story “upscale” apartment units, the City of Bradenton is agreeing to give away 5-acres which has been the home of Glazier Gates Community Park for over 70 years. Represented by attorney Ed Vogler, the development team includes Hatfield Development out of Atlanta (they just completed the partially empty RiversongApartments on the other end of the Bradenton Riverwalk) and NDC Construction. No newcomers to the Bradenton building community, the team indicates that there is no room in their plan for large trees, but will provide “greenspace” between buildings and a small tot-lot for residents. The park contains over 30 trees, including Live Oak, Laurel Oak, Water Oak and Cedars. But the rest of the 22 acres contains many more mature trees that will be bulldozed to allow for building a series of 4 and 5 story apartments. The loss of trees and greenspace will exacerbate the Urban Heat Island effect which contributes to air and water pollution. The loss of trees will mean the loss of oxygen production in the city. The Arbor Day Foundation states that a “mature, leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a growing season as 10 people inhale in a year”. The plan is to remove several hundred trees. On any given day as you drive by the 1000 block of Manatee Avenue East, you will find young families playing on the lawn and playground equipment, teenagers using the basketball courts, people of all ages sitting in the gazebo or find a church picnic in progress under the ancient oak canopy. Here is the description of the park taken directly from the City of Bradenton website: This is one of the City’s largest parks with the most amenities, including a full-sized basketball court (refurbished in April 2013), a tennis court two grills, playground equipment and more. Giant oaks and palm trees provide ample amounts of shade for the playground and picnic tables, and parking is plentiful at the park’s two vehicular entrances off Manatee Avenue East and 10th Street East. The park’s location is desirable for anyone wanting to visit more of Bradenton’s attractions. From 10th Street, views of Sarasota Bay along Riverside Drive are just a few blocks away. The City is planning to move Glazier-Gates Park north and west to join with an expanded Bradenton Riverwalk. The plot of land that will become the new passive recreational park (what no more basketball?) sits on fill dirt 2 feet above sea level with not a tree on it. The former park property would be the site of a portion of the project's housing and 9,000 square feet of proposed retail space. As proposed, the units to be built at the Villages at Riverwalk would be three- and four-story walkups (many of the buildings above parking). The development would be nearly contiguous. According to the site plan and Manatee County property records, a half-dozen lots within the project boundaries are not owned by the developer and will be swallowed by this complex, historic homes among the high-rises. This history of the site dates back to Florida’s First People who settled at the spring just to the east on what is now 14th Street East. The eastern phase 3 will completely surround 2 houses being restored by Reflections of Manatee nonprofit group, houses which are currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Those houses witnessed the 2nd Seminole uprising where residents hid for months in the fortification avoiding the Indian war. Before the Glazier and Gates families settled this area, it was most likely the site of Angola, a Maroon colony of free and escaped slaves. Now that history is going to be bulldozed once more along with the more recent history of families picnicking in the park. Please help us to save the park and require the developer to come up with a better plan that leaves Glazier Gates Park intact on its current site on Manatee Avenue.