$31 million workforce community to bring nearly 200 units to Bradenton

BRADENTON — A $31 million workforce housing project broke ground earlier this month in Bradenton with a promise of sustainable living.

The Met, or Metropolitan, is a new community being built by Pearl Homes. The community will bring 199 units of workforce housing that’s expected to be complete next summer, according to a statement. The development is located in downtown Bradenton, at 1405 14th St. W. 

Pearl Homes says The Met is a “new urbanist, workforce community geared towards sustainable, modern living.” The site is where the former Manatee Inns were located. 

The community will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom units next door to the Village of the Arts, the city’s live-work art community. 

Pearl Homes says it will pursue LEED certifications, and the community will utilize solar panels and on-site battery storage technology, as the amenities and features of the building will aim to reduce tenants' overall cost of living.

Pearl Homes acquired the property last year following a successful bid to the Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency. Pearl Homes has sustainable and workforce housing projects underway in the Sarasota-Bradenton area and at other locations throughout the region and California, according to the release. 

Pearl Homes CEO Marshall Gobuty founded the company in 2015. It also developed the LEED-Platinum active adult community Mirabella in west Bradenton. The community prioritized sustainable development on a production scale, earning the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest recognition for sustainability in development.

(This story was updated to reflect the correct value of the project.)