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Parents and developers press county to speed approvals for Little Oaks Daycare in Parrish
Summary
Applicants and residents urged the Board of County Commissioners to clear permitting hurdles for Little Oaks Daycare in Parrish, while staff said a change in the 69th Street speed limit—outside staff authority—may be required before the county can sign off.
Applicants and parents seeking to open Little Oaks Daycare in Parrish pressed the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 14 for help moving the project through permitting after more than a year of design reviews and requests for design exceptions.
In public comment and during board discussion, supporters described long daycare wait lists and safety concerns at the 69th Street East and Buffalo Road intersection where the facility is proposed. "We're flooded with wait lists—160 kids and I'm not even open," said Lacey Perry, identifying herself as the operator, during public comment. She said the center would also offer VPK and expects strong local demand.
County staff told the board that most design exceptions and technical issues can be handled administratively, but a reduction to the posted speed limit on 69th Street East is not a staff-level approval and would require the board's action. Denise Grier, staff, said the site driveway would be about 122 feet from Buffalo Road and does not meet the county's driveway spacing standard. "The speed limit is the one item that we cannot override and that you would need to vote on," Grier said.
Several commissioners expressed sympathy and urged a faster process. Commissioner Amanda Ballard asked staff to brief the board and said the item likely should be on a future land use meeting so the full board could consider options. Commissioner Saddiq and others asked staff to identify administrative thresholds that could be adjusted to speed up approvals for small, community-serving developments. Commissioner Bearden expressed frustration at perceived inconsistency in how safety and design issues are treated across projects.
Staff recommended a briefing to summarize what has transpired, what staff can approve administratively and what requires board action; Miss Knapp said staff would prepare to brief the board and attempt to place the matter on the next land use meeting agenda. No formal vote or final approval of the daycare project occurred at the Jan. 14 meeting.
Why it matters: County land-development rules and traffic standards can limit small, neighborhood-serving projects such as daycares; local officials and applicants sought a faster, clearer path to approvals while balancing traffic and safety rules. Going forward, staff will prepare a briefing and the board signaled it wants to consider whether procedural or threshold changes could shorten timelines for projects that meet community needs.
Next steps: Staff will produce a briefing summarizing the project's history, the items staff can approve administratively, the items that require board action (including speed-limit changes), and options for moving the application forward. Commissioners requested that the matter be placed on a forthcoming land use meeting agenda for fuller consideration.
