Bradenton City Hall land sale may generate more than $650 million for the area's economy

BRADENTON, Fla. - The building that houses Bradenton City hall and the police department is up for sale.

"The excitement is out there. When there is 26,000 views, you know people are interested," said Mayor Gene Brown.

The four-acre of land sits on a prime spot, sitting along the Manatee River with an appraised value of $10.46 million dollars.

"We are going to see if people are very interested in it. We know the approximate value. We know now through our economic consultant what we have here," said Mayor Brown.

Economic consultants hired by the city said a mixed-use of retail, hotel, commercial and residential housing would generate $656 million dollars in regional economic output. A plug-and-play tool allows city council members to see the economic impacts from different uses for the land.

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"The goal is to put this property back on the tax roll," stated Mayor Gene Brown.

Mayor Brown is excited about new opportunities for the city.

"We actually are hoping more people bring less traffic downtown because you have more amenities, more restaurants, more businesses will be downtown so people may truly work, play and never have to live in their car," he said.

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It would build an urban core that has been missing with plans that could reshape and form Bradenton's future.

"We will have the opportunity to see what’s out there. Then the council will go through it, discuss it and figure out what’s the next steps. We do know that August 15 is the deadline," said Mayor Brown.