Volume 2, Number 9
Issued January 2002
Edited by ECCO--the Estero Concerned
Citizens Organization
For further information, to provide
information or to add names to our mailing list,
Email Don Eslick at
doneslick@worldnet.att.net or call him at 949-4050
·
February Opportunities for Citizen
Participation In Protecting Estero's Quality of Life
|
Date |
Time |
Event |
Location |
Monday,
February 4 |
9:30 a.m. |
Indigo Isles Zoning Rehearing by the
Board of County Commissioners |
Board Chambers 2nd Floor,
2115 2nd Street, Ft Myers |
Monday,
February 4 |
9:30 a.m. |
Cope Animal Clinic Zoning Decision by
the Board of County Commissioners |
Board Chambers 2nd Floor,
2115 2nd Street, Ft Myers |
Monday,
February 4 |
6 p.m. |
Estero Community Planning Panel Meeting |
South Lee Regional Library |
Saturday,
February 9 |
10:00a.m. to noon |
Public Workshop on Proposed Community
Plan Land Development Code Recommendations |
Pinewoods School Cafeteria (on
Corkscrew Road about 1 mile east of I-75) |
Monday,
February 11 |
2 p.m. |
Estero Civic Association |
Wildcat Run Clubhouse |
|
Wednesday, February 13 |
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
Estero Chamber of Commerce Business
After Hours--featuring FGCU President William Merwin as
guest speaker |
Miromar Lakes
|
|
Wednesday, February 20 |
9:30 a.m. |
Hearing Officer Hearing on the
Stoneybrook Commercial Project |
Community Development Building, 2nd
Floor, 1500 Monroe Street, Ft Myers |
(located between Williams Road and Corkscrew Road just east of
the railroad tracks)
About 150 Esteroans attended the first
public meeting on the design of the remaining 55 acres of this
65
acre park that was held on Wednesday, January 9, 2002. After a
introduction by County staff a consultant for the County Parks and
Recreation Department asked each person in attendance to indicate
what they would most like to have in the park. These suggestions
were listed on large sheets posted in front of the room. After this
process was complete all in attendance were asked to select the four
suggestions they liked best and to record this preferences by
attaching stickers to an area next to the suggestion listed on the
wall.
County staff and their consultants are using this information to
develop a conceptual plan for the park and will present that plan at
the next Public Hearing to be held on Thursday, March 7th at the
South Lee County Library. Public input on the plan will follow the
presentation-- so mark your calendars now for this important
meeting.
The Board of County Commissioners unanimously and
enthusiastically voted final approval of the
Estero Community Plan
on January 10. On January 23rd the County transmitted the Plan
amendment to the state Department of Community Affairs for their
issuance of a "Notice of Intent". They must respond no later than
March 4, 2002. Thereafter the public has 21 days to contest the
amendment. Therefore it is estimated that Lee County staff will
begin using the plan for development review purposes about the end
of March.
Meanwhile the Estero Community Planning Panel and its consultant,
Vanasse and Daylor continued to develop changes in the County's Land
Development Code that will give many of the concepts in the
community plan the force and effect of law.
At its January 14th meeting the Panel took the following actions:
- Reported that the South Lee County Regional Library has agreed
to provide space to file panel, county and consultants’ documents of
importance to the panel’s activities and thus of interest to the
Estero community,
- Requested panel consultants, Vanasse/Daylor, make the
Estero
Community Plan accessible to the public through its website,
www.Vanday.com.
- Received proposed land development code provisions that would
establish a "Corkscrew Main Street Overlay District" from the
panel's consultants,
- Decided to schedule a Public Workshop in order to provide the
community with an opportunity to comment upon and suggest
alternatives to all Land Development Code recommendations that the
Panel is considering for submittal to the County for their approval
this Spring and Summer. This workshop has been scheduled for
Saturday, February 9th, 10 a.m. to noon, in the cafeteria of
Pinewood Elementary School located on the south side of Corkscrew
Road about 1.5 miles east of I-75. Please attend. Your input is
important. It will affect the appearance of our commercial
corridors.
and Mixed Use
Development (on the east side of US 41 from Williams Road to Coconut
Road )
The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council approved
the DRI (Development of Regional Impact) assessment report for
this
project at its meeting on January 17, 2002. Much of the discussion
at the meeting concerned the shortage of low and moderate income
housing and the deficiency of the current housing requirements for
developments that employ low wage workers.
The next step in the approval process for this major project is
the Public Hearing by a Lee County Hearing Examiner. This hearing
began on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 and concluded on Thursday,
January 31st after the attorney for the developer asked for a
continuance. The Hearing Examiner continued the Hearing until March
19th. During the opening phases of the Hearing the principal issue
concerned a condition for approval in the County report that would
deny the developer building permits for the commercial part of the
project if certain road projects that would support traffic caused
by the project were not under construction at that time the permit
was sought. The developer argued that such a provision had not been
required of other mall developers; that they had no control over the
timing of road's construction; and that uncertainty about when the
mall could be occupied would impair their ability to lease the
property.
The developer had made a counter-proposal to the County shortly
before the Hearing which the County had rejected. Both sides
indicated a willing to further discuss the issue. The parties were
scheduled to meet on Friday, February 1st after the continuance was
approved by the Hearing Officer.
Once this hearing is completed, the Hearing Officer will submit
his report. The matter will then be scheduled for consideration by
the Board of County Commissioners. Meanwhile, the State Department
of Community Affairs will complete its review of the County's
Comprehensive Plan required by the development some time in early
March 2002, whereupon the County has 60 days to resolve any
differences and adopt or reject the amendment. Thus, final approval
of the development could be completed by May of this year.
As with all zoning matters, it is the conditions attached to the
approval that are critical. In this case the developers, the county
and the state have made great strides in both planning and funding
required road improvements. An estimated $200 million in road
improvements in support this project are currently planned for the
next three years. Key road segments impacting Estero include four
laning Three Oaks Parkway from Bonita Beach Road to Alico Road; 6
laning of U. S. 41 from Corkscrew Road all the way to South Old 41;
accelerating the 6 laning of 41 from Corkscrew to San Carlos Park;
and completion of Sandy Lane from Corkscrew south through the
development and eventually to Old 41. All of these segments are now
scheduled for completion within the next three years except for U.
S. 41 between Bonita Springs Road and North Old 41, which was
recently delayed by the Governor's cutback of a grant program that
was to fund this improvement next year. It could be restored by the
current session of the legislature.
Factors which could delay construction of these roads include: to
right of way acquisition difficulties and environmental and other
permitting problems that typically occur before construction begins.
Establishing conditions that provide incentives for the county and
state to complete this expanded roadway network before the mall
opens is in the best interest of all -- the developer, the county,
the state and the community.
We would also recommend development of an early warning system
based upon monthly status reports from both Coconut Point and the
managers of the key state and county road construction projects.
Then, if there is slippage in any phase of this road construction
network it would be detected early, publicized and remedial action
promptly taken.
We predicted the number of
residential units permitted in Estero and throughout unincorporated
Lee County would fall dramatically in December due to the imposition
of school impact fees on all housing permits issued on or after
December 1, 2001. Only 34 residential units were permitted in Estero
during December, off from 132 for the same month last year.
In spite of the impact of September 11th, housing units permitted
in Estero in 2001 still exceeded the total for 2000. The number of
units increased from 2,088 to 2,104, while the value of these
buildings (excluding the land) increased by $33.5 million or 11.5%.
This increase was achieved despite of a 37% year to year decline in
housing units permitted from September through December, (764 units
in 2000 to 484 units in 2001).
Amazingly the 4,192 housing units that were permitted in Estero
during the last two years exceeded the total number of housing units
that existed in Estero at the end of 1999.
Throughout 2001 the total value of housing units permitted in
Estero exceeded the total for Bonita Springs by 70. On the other
hand the value of Bonita's commercial development permitted during
2001 was about 70% higher than Estero's total. But the bottom line
is that the total value of all development permitted in Estero
during 2001 exceeded Bonita by 37%.
For the year, Estero produced almost 30% of the building value of
all residential units permitted throughout unincorporated Lee County
and 26.3% when commercial building permits are included. Obviously,
Estero is the engine that produces much of the County's growth in
property tax, building permit and impact fee revenues.
(on east side of 41 midway between Corkscrew Road and Broadway)
On January 9th Lee County Hearing
Examiner Sal Territo recommended rezoning approval with some minor
conditions for this small parcel (1.139 acre site) from commercial
(C1-A) to Commercial Planned Development (CPD) to permit a maximum
of 21,000 square feet of commercial retail/office uses including an
animal clinic and kennel (without outdoor runs) not to exceed 35
feet in height. County zoning staff recommended approval with a
requirement that Estero Court, a dirt road leading to the rear of
the property, be paved prior to the construction of the project.
As reported last month ECCO presented testimony before the
Hearing Officer expressing concern about several features of the
application. ECCO's testimony and that of the representatives of the
Estero United Methodist Church noted that this property is one of
only two small properties along the east side of 41 between Broadway
and Corkscrew Road that would not be part of a large development or
be developed by the Estero Fire Rescue District. The Church now owns
virtually all the property from Broadway south to the Cope site.
South of the Cope site the
College of Life (formerly Koreshan
Foundation) owns all the land between Corkscrew Road and County
Road. Next to that large parcel a new fire station is now under
construction just north of County Road -- one parcel removed from
the rezoning site. Thus this stretch of 41 has the potential for
greatly improved appearance. However the small parcels in the
middle, including the Cope property, need to be developed and/or
redeveloped to conform with the goals of The Community Plan.
After the hearing, ECCO met with Dr. Robert Cope's
representatives to see if it would be possible to modify the
rezoning request to eliminate some of our concerns. They indicated,
as did Dr. Cope at a subsequent meeting, that their plans for the
site primarily consisted of an animal clinic of 3 to 4,000 square
feet and a lesser amount of space for one or two related enterprises
like an animal grooming shop, a pet food store or a facility serving
food and refreshments to persons waiting for their pets. They
further indicated that they are committed to attractive buildings
with good architecture, landscaping and buffering
Throughout the discussions, ECCO stressed that Dr. Cope's planned
uses for the property could be fully supported and would be
consistent with The Community Plan. However, Dr. Cope's request for
authority to build up to 21,000 square feet of buildings on this
small site is a far cry from his announced plan of 5,000 to 6,000
square feet. Each 200 to 300 square feet of building requires
another parking space depending on the intended use of the facility,
thus reducing any opportunity for green space and landscaping above
and beyond the county minimum setback requirements.
Should Dr. Cope not implement his plan for the property and sell
the property, under the proposed zoning the new owner could
implement a very intense project that would consist almost
exclusively of building and parking lot. This is
ECCO's concern on
behalf of the community.
Dr. Cope listened to our suggestions, accepted our contact
information, but did not indicate any interest in negotiating
changes in the zoning request. Thus after the Hearing Examiner's
recommendation was released ECCO contacted the County zoning staff
member assigned to the case seeking his assistance in setting up
another meeting with Dr. Cope or his representative. This resulted
in an inconclusive telephone conversation with Dr. Cope.
ECCO then
developed a proposal for amending the rezoning request that would
address our major concerns and conveyed them to County Zoning staff
for transmittal to Dr. Cope. Thus far we have not received a
response from Dr. Cope regarding this proposal. The matter will be
considered on Monday, February 4th by the Board of County
Commissioners. Unless Dr. Cope agrees to an amendment to the
rezoning comparable to our proposal we will be forced to ask the
Board to reject the request.
Land clearance has started on the
9.6 acre site at 3850 Williams Road that will be the location of the
Hospital's 155 bed skilled nursing facility. The facility will be
built about feet 350 west of the intersection of 41 and Williams
with buildings not to exceed 65 feet in height.
Estero Median Roadway Landscaping and Lighting Update-- The
appearance of a community's commercial corridors plays a major role
in the perception of that community. Roadway landscaping and
lighting are important contributors to the appearance of those
roadways. For this reason Bonita Springs has committed $1 million to
roadway landscaping along U. S. 41 when it is widened to 6 lanes in
Bonita during the next few years. In addition the City of Bonita
Springs is planning to spend another $440,000 for decorative street
lights along US 41.
A recent article in the News Press states: "City Manager Gary
Price wants to make Bonita stand out from North Naples and
Estero….Price said the lights and landscaping will give Bonita a
distinctive look. It's going to provide us with an identity." The
people of Estero have been saying the same thing at our Community
Planning Workshops and ECCO has been working on roadway landscaping
issues for a year or more.
As an unincorporated area Estero's implementation of a roadway
median landscaping program is more difficult than for a well funded
municipality. We have no City Council that can budget and
appropriate the money to pay for these improvements. We must work
with the existing Lee County and State roadway landscaping and
lighting programs--and both of them are just getting off the ground.
The Lee County median landscaping program for new roads provides
a "core program" of major trees and sod at county expense. The
county also will pay the operating and maintenance expense and
perform this service for these plantings over the years. The county
also has a modestly funded, competitive program for median roadway
landscaping on existing county roads. If a community wants to
upgrade this landscaping with bushes, flowers and other planting the
property owners along the roadway must pay for the costs of the
plantings, their installation and their operations and maintenance.
The State of Florida has now begun to fund roadway landscaping on
new or widened state roads like U. S. 41. Under this program the
state provides $200,000 per mile and works with the local government
(in Estero this means Lee County) and the community to design and
implement the project. This is about the same amount of money that
the County's "core" landscaping program provides.
The Florida Department of Transportation evaluates the need for
lighting based on the nighttime accident on each segment of new or
widened state road. If the segment qualifies for lighting the state
will contribute the $1,650 cost of each standard "cobra" street
light toward the cost of decorative street lights chosen by the
local government and the community. The local government, the
property owners and the community must pay the balance.
The County, State and Metropolitan Planning Council also have
relatively small grant programs that may help with the acquisition
and installation cost of roadway landscaping and lighting projects.
Status of Existing Estero Roadway Landscaping and Lighting
Projects
Estero currently has two completed roadway landscaping segments.
By far the longest (about 4 miles) and best are the segments of
Coconut Road and Three Oaks Parkway through The
Brooks. These
medians are about 40 feet wide and beautifully landscaped from side
to side. In addition the frontages on both sides have large,
attractively landscaped berms. The roads are lighted with modern,
attractive light standards located in the medians. This project is
the southern anchor of Estero's emerging system of landscaped
boulevards.
The second completed segment Corkscrew Road between U.S. 41 and
Sandy Lane. This median is landscaped primarily with large trees and
sod. It is supported by a maintenance agreement with the property
owners along the segment.
Landscaping and Lighting Projects to Be Implemented During 2002
By the end of this year three additional segments of roadway
landscaping and lighting should be complete. By far the largest of
this year's projects---and the northern anchor to the Estero's
emerging "boulevard system"-- is the University Overlay Project from
Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin Boulevard south to Corkscrew Road
where it turns west to I-75. Ultimately it will also include a
segment of Koreshan Boulevard, now in the design phase that will
extend from I-75 east to Ben Hill Griffin just south of the entrance
to Florida Gulf Coast University. These medians will be nicely
landscaped with major trees, some bushes and sod surrounded by
nicely landscaped berms. Seven wells are being dug to provide the
necessary irrigation. Ongoing operations and maintenance will be
provided by the adjacent landowners. The lighting standards will be
Federal Green in color, topped by decorative scroll arms creating a
much more traditional appearance than The
Brooks' lighting.
The next largest roadway landscaping project this year is the
"core landscaping" of Corkscrew Road from Sandy Lane east to
Corkscrew Woodlands. The bidding process on this project is expected
to begin shortly. The project will consist of clusters of canopy
trees along the center of the median. Hopefully this installation
can be augmented in years to come with the cooperation of the
property owners and developers of the street. As property owners
along this segment seek zoning approval, ECCO will seek commitments
from them for assistance in enhancing the landscaping and financing
its future operations and maintenance.
Estero's third 2002 roadway median landscaping project is the new
nearly one mile segment of Three Oaks Parkway from Williams Road
north to Corkscrew Road. Funds for "core landscaping" of this
segment have been budgeted for this year but no decision has been
made regarding the timing of its installation. ECCO has obtained
commitments from some of the landowners along this road for a
landscaping enhancement program on this segment. Hopefully further
discussions will result in a design that is consistent with, but
less extensive than, The Brooks appearance immediately to the south.
Other Current Roadway Landscaping and Lighting Projects
U. S. 41 from Bonita Springs to Corkscrew Road
The longest (2.85 miles) roadway landscaping and lighting project
now underway (but expected to be completed after 2002) is US 41 from
the Bonita Springs City Limits north to Corkscrew Road. It’s the
segment that must compete with Bonita Springs ambitious landscaping
and lighting plans for US 41 to its immediate south.
To deal with this issue and others associated with the Coconut
Point (Simon Mall) development ECCO met with Oakbrook Properties in
early January. Oakbrook owns the 483 acre parcel that will contain
the Mall and numerous other commercial and residential projects. As
a result of that meeting ECCO received a letter from Ron Dillon,
Vice President of Oakbrook, containing the following commitments:
"…it is our intent to require that all facilities within Coconut
Point meet a high level of architectural and landscaping standards.
The buildings located at the southeast quadrant of the intersection
of U. S. 41 and Coconut Road are good examples of what we envision
for the overall community."
Dillon continues by referring to a "beauty book", dated September
2001 that verbally and graphically describes the appearance
standards that would apply to the entire project. His letter then
states: "Although the matters in the book are still a "work in
progress", it is an indication of the design elements and standards
that will be required for all construction and implementation
through deed restrictions and property owners associations."
"We also discussed the need for landscaping of the U. S. 41 right
of way, from the Bonita city limit to the northern boundary of the
Estero Community Planning Area as part of the widening of US 41. We
would welcome the opportunity to assist ECCO, the Estero Community
Planning Panel and others in lobbying the Lee County and Florida
Departments of Transportation to expend the required funds. It will
also be necessary to create a viable legal entity and mechanism to
insure the maintenance of the improvements."
Subsequently ECCO and Oakbrook Properties convened a meeting of
County, State and Regional Planning officials to begin the process
of planning for the financing, installation and maintenance of
upgraded roadway landscaping and lighting along the Estero segment
of US 41 when this segment is six-laned between this fall and 2004.
Ironically the timing of these two segments has been reversed in
recent months. With the approval of a state grant by a state
advisory committee it was expected that the Bonita segment would be
under construction later this year or early in 2003 while the Estero
segment was scheduled for construction beginning in 2005. But in
January Governor Bush's budget deleted this grant program thus
raising some doubts about this segment moving forward at this time.
On the other hand funding the Estero segment was included in an
economic stimulus program approved by the legislature and signed
into law by Governor Bush last fall. As a result the Estero segment
will begin construction about October of this year, somewhat ahead
of the Bonita segment no matter what happens in the legislature this
spring.
The state of Florida has budgeted about $200,000 per mile for
roadway landscaping on the Estero portion of the U. S. 41 six-laning
project from the Bonita border to Corkscrew Road for the year
2005-06. According to state transportation officials some
consideration has been given to moving up this funding so that it
more nearly corresponds to the new construction schedule. But no
actions have thus far been taken on this issue. This creates a
problem because the existing plans for providing irrigation lines to
the medians for landscaping may not be located properly for the
landscaping design when it is completed, yet the money to pay for
the landscaping design is not yet available. Plans are underway to
ask to the County's Roadway Landscaping Advisory Committee to
approve the use of discretionary roadway landscaping funds for the
design of this project possibly with repayment later from the state.
The state has not provided any roadway lighting funds in its
construction plans for this segment due to the low number of
nighttime traffic accidents on this road in recent years. Apparently
their lighting assessment system does not permit them to anticipate
the increased use that a road segment will experience as a result of
future developments along the road.
Other steps regarding this project that are underway include:
- Seek state approval for modifying the construction plans to
alter the location of water lines in order to best accommodate the
landscape design;
- Investigate alternative sources of irrigation water for plantings
along the segment;
- Determine the best way to organize the necessary support for the
ongoing operations and maintenance of the landscaping and lighting;
- Lobby the State to add lighting to its construction plans as soon
as possible
Koreshan Boulevard from U. S. 41 to Three Oaks Parkway
ECCO has been negotiating with the developer of
Indigo Isles to
limit the density of the project, to enhance the project's
appearance along Koreshan Boulevard and to fund installation and
maintenance of enhanced median landscaping along this road segment.
As part of this process the attorney for the developer has submitted
a revised master concept plan to the county for consideration on
February 4th. That plan incorporates a 40 foot buffer with Type F
(maximum required by the County for any project) and a wall along
Koreshan Boulevard. In addition the cover letter to the County
states:
"I would also suggest the following points contained within my
letter be addressed by condition inserted into the zoning
resolution: 1. The developer of Indigo Isles will participate in a
partnering with other land owners along Koreshan Boulevard and with
Lee County to enhance the core landscaping installed by the County
in the median in Koreshan Boulevard and its maintenance. A
commitment for maintenance will be incorporated into the project's
homeowners documents, which will be submitted and approved by the
County prior to the issuance of a development order for the first
phase."
Since Indigo Isles covers about 50% of the south side of Koreshan
Boulevard between US 41 and Three Oaks, it is an important building
block in the required public-private partnership necessary to
advance the project on the County's existing roadway landscaping
priority list. ECCO, working with County staff, plans to consult
with other landowners and developers along this segment once the
Board of County Commissioners has adopted the requested changes.
Persons interested in working with ECCO on some of these
projects, please call Don Eslick at 941-949-4050.
On January 21st ECCO, The Estero
Civic Association, Estero Fire Rescue and the Lee County School
District met with the developers of
Stoneybrook to review their
request for rezoning to be heard by a Lee County Hearing Examiner on
February 20. Stoneybrook's request would decrease the number of
homes authorized by 265 and increase the amount of commercial to
36,200 square feet and the amount of office to 40,000 square feet.
The commercial and office property is located in front of Pinewood
Elementary School on the south side of Corkscrew Road about 1.5
miles east of I-75. The total area is 21 acres of which 7.6 acres is
a preserve of cypress trees; 1.2 acres will be an Estero Fire Rescue
fire station; and the remaining 12.3 acres are projected for
commercial and office purposes.
Four commercial and office tracts are proposed within the
project. Two of the tracts would permit a Convenience Food store and
a Gas Station. It was the consensus of the group that these appear
to be the most problematic uses from aesthetic, lighting and student
congregation perspectives. We suggested that the parcels fronting on
Corkscrew should be well bermed, buffered and landscaped.
ECCO also
asked that the developer review the Collier County standards for gas
stations that are considerably more stringent than Lee County.
Steven Hartsell, attorney for
Stoneybrook, subsequently sent a
letter to county Zoning staff in which he stated "As Mr. Huenikin
(project manager for U. S. Homes) assured those gentlemen, U. S.
Homes is very much interested in assuring that any development which
takes place at this entrance to the Stoneybrook Community will be
done in an aesthetically pleasing and community-enhancing manner."
It is important to understand that the
Estero Community Plan, when
fully implemented, will require public meetings like the ones with Stoneybrook and Indigo Isles.
ECCO has always maintained that such
meetings will create win-win situations for the developer and the
community.
