Palmetto seeks to refresh community while keeping hometown feel

New projects aim to refresh city of Palmetto

The city of Palmetto has long been known for its agricultural history, but many have considered the area a pass-through as drivers go to Anna Maria Island or even on to Sarasota and now city leaders are working to refresh the area. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

PALMETTO, Fla. - The city of Palmetto has long been known for its agricultural history, but many have considered the area a pass-through as drivers go to Anna Maria Island or even on to Sarasota and now city leaders are working to refresh the area.

Their goal is to keep the small hometown feeling so many love, while bringing improvements that will keep visitors coming back.

The backstory:

Palmetto is recognized as the oldest city in Manatee County.

"A lot of times throughout our history we have been a pass-through," said Mayor Daniel West.

Palmetto Mayor Daniel West is working to make his city stand out.

"I think people are stopping and taking note of what they see along the riverfront along the Manatee River. It’s a beautiful area. We have always loved it and we think that they will too," he said.

With the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency, the city is working to keep Palmetto's history while updating the area's infrastructure and amenities.

"We also have a lot of different projects underway, like our downtown main street project. That will be a complete street in the near future. We also have some developments on Riverside Drive that we are trying to get to the finish line so they can get started," said Mayor Dan West.

Dig deeper:

A number of projects are underway, including a refresh of the Palmetto Women's Club and plans for additional housing, more options for dining and shopping and opportunities to help long-term businesses.

"With our business and storefront grants, we don't want people to sell out and leave. We want to be able to help them with some of these aesthetic renovations for their buildings, so they can stay up to date as to the zoning and compliance and code," said Rowena Young, the executive director for the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency.

An open house was held to showcase what the Palmetto CRA is doing and can do for the community.

That includes ensuring generational houses stay within families.

"Doing the residential rehab is to make sure people can stay living in their properties, so the investors or the sharks don’t come in and to be able to buy up their property because they are so desperate to rebuild," said Young.

A lot of things are happening within the city, and Mayor West said there will be improvements for generations to come.

"People have found the little paradise that we call Palmetto and we love it and we want to see it grow. We want to see it become something that people really enjoy," said Mayor West.

What's next:

Mayor West said they are also working on a rebranding of the city.

Mayor West said some things will change, but others will stay the same.

The city hopes to attract the attention of people as they drive through the area.