Bradenton unveils $30M City Park project to revitalize neighborhood and connect community

Bradenton City Park moves forward

Bradenton is about to break ground on a project that will unify downtown, the Village of the Arts and the area surrounding LECOM Park. FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon reports. 

BRADENTON, Fla. - For the city of Bradenton, there has long been a missing connector to not only downtown, but to the Village of the Arts and the area that surrounds LECOM Park. 

Gene Brown, the mayor of Bradenton, said a groundbreaking next month will be the key to connecting the community. 

The backstory:

A chain-link fence at the corner of 9th Street West and 13th Avenue West currently marks a quiet corner of Bradenton, but city leaders say it will soon become the heart of a major neighborhood transformation.

Brown said City Park, a $30 million revitalization project designed to enhance the area surrounding LECOM Park — the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates — and bring long-awaited amenities to the local community.

Big picture view:

While the project expands facilities for the Bradenton Marauders and the Pirates, its primary mission is to serve the residents of the Rogers Gardens neighborhood.

"My goal is: How do we engage a neighborhood that has felt like it hasn’t been engaged or really cared about," Brown said. "Anytime you can help a neighborhood have more things to do in walking distance, it only expands it."

Planned features for City Park include new baseball fields and a football field for the Police Athletic League, a splash pad, playground and a Miracle League field. Along with a new community center located by G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School for year-round engagement. 

"You might have a cornhole tournament, concerts, start up things, Miracle League field. You are going to have a playground for that neighborhood by Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary, and one of the big things that will help the neighborhood is a community center will be built by Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School to engage that neighborhood 12 months a year," Brown said. 

Local businesses are ready for the additional foot traffic. Just outside the future park’s footprint sits Blur Studios, a massive barbershop. 

What they're saying:

Owner Brian Gutierrez says the area has undergone a major shift to get to this point.

"This area was not the best area; we trespassed a lot of people to get to this point," Gutierrez said.

Despite the beginning challenges, the future looks bright. With Blur Studios already serving over 10,000 people a month, manager Johnny Cardenas expects the afternoon traffic to grow as the park becomes a destination for concerts, cornhole tournaments and local events.

Courtesy: City of Bradenton

City Park will also bring expanded parking for baseball games and local events. 

What's next:

City Park will be completed in stages. Construction will begin in May, and if all goes well, the entire project could be finished by 2028. 

"It’s not just only baseball fields," Brown said. "It will be a community center of type, and for a walk-up neighborhood — and that’s what you want."