Ground Breaking Environmental Project on Anna Maria Island, Celebrates It’s Past and It’s Future!
The Historic Green Village is a new retail/professional complex currently being developed in Anna Maria, on Pine Avenue. Plans call for the Green Village to be home to a medical center, cafe, gallery and other retail-oriented shops. The Village consists of over 8,000 square feet of buildings, including three historic buildings dating as far back as 1911.
‘Old’ Florida-style cottages are currently being remodeled and re-engineered to create a beautiful, environmentally friendly development. Most notably, the Village will be powered only by solar and green technology, including ground-source heat pumps, to provide electricity and water. The Island architecture and green technology combined provides a tropical setting that preserves the past and celebrates the future of Anna Maria Island.
The majority of the project, including the cafe, beautiful gardens and public restrooms will be open to the public in April 2011, in line with the Centennial Celebrations of the historic City Pier.
To attract rich people from Tampa and St. Petersburg, George ‘Will’ Wilhelm Bean, of the family of the first settlers in Anna Maria, had a dock constructed at the foot of Pine Avenue in 1911. It ran 776 feet out into the deep waters of Tampa Bay, enabling steamers to make daily stops. He also created a gift shop with shells. The end of the pier was covered with fish every day and visitors could see hundreds of fish thrashing about in the crystal clear waters. Fishing is still one of the most popular pastimes on the island for both Islanders and visitors.
After stepping off the City Pier, the wealthy Victorian visitors would stroll along Pine Avenue, which took them through to the other side of the island. Along the way, they would pass Will Bean’s cottage, where they could not miss the flock of colorful peacocks strutting around a pond where a fierce alligator lurked. The wonderful, native trees that lined the whole stretch of the avenue eventually disappeared as more development took place.
However, Pine Avenue is now the home of the Historic Green Village, and the developers plan to play homage to what was an essential part of Anna Maria history. Re-cycling and thus preserving some of the wonderful old buildings as part of the project, and native and beautiful landscaping to bring back a flavor of what the Victoria visitors would have seen many years ago.
It is anticipated that Anna Maria Island, will play host to an increased number of visitors during this time, as The City Pier remains one of the Top 3 attractions within the area. Anna Maria Vacation rentals, the most popular type of accommodation on the Island, are already busy, so early booking is recommended in these Anna Maria rentals to ensure you don’t miss out on this wonderful historic event, in one of the most beautiful parts of Florida’s Gulf Islands.
