Estero Community Planning Panel
and Estero Design Review Committee

Recipients of the
David  Graham  Award  for  Excellence  in  Development

2009: Simon Property Group for “Main Street and Lake Front at Coconut Point”

Simon Property Group is the winner of the third annual David Graham Memorial Award for Excellence in Development for its Main Street and Lake Front at Coconut Point. The award was presented by the Estero Community Planning Panel and the Estero Design Review Committee at the spring meeting of the Southwest Florida Council of the Urban Land Institute on June 22, 2009 at the Embassy Suites in Estero.

Jack Lienesch, Chairman of the Planning Panel, noted that Coconut Point is an inventive, cutting edge, vertically integrated mixed-use project including retail, restaurants, entertainment, residential hotel and office.  It is clearly a one-of-a-kind development and a real benefit to Estero. Coconut Point has attracted visits from developers from across the country.  As Coconut Point went through the approval process, Simon Property Group presented to many groups: homeowners’ associations, civic associations, chambers of commerce, etc.  They promised and have carried out design criteria implemented by a design review guideline and enforced by their own design review authority.  This was a precursor to the Estero Community Planning Panel and the Estero Design Review Committee.   Simon continues to work with the EDRC as the development continues around the periphery of the main shopping area.  Simon Property Group can be very proud of the architecture overlay created for the entire 482-acre Coconut Point project.

Tom Schneider, an executive vice president at Simon, who was responsible for driving the Coconut Point project, had some thoughts on this award:  "This award named in honor of David Graham means a lot to me personally because I had a lot of respect for David. He was very active in the community and was involved in all of the infrastructure improvements that made Estero what it is today. David was always willing to work hard and build a consensus for anything that needed to get done for the community." 

"I'm proud of how Coconut Point looks and what it's become for the community - a community gathering spot." 

Tom also spoke about the Main Street and Lakefront areas of the project as being unique. The Main Street, of course, is an active street scene with a boulevard and residential and office space above the retail. It is certainly an urban environment. The Lakefront, on the other hand, is designed to be a casual destination, developed in a first-class way, complete with Brazilian hardwood on the pedestrian and vehicular bridges. 

Lienesch also commented that “Simon Property Group has made Coconut Point a magnet in Estero for visitors from all over.  It is appropriate that our third annual David Graham award is presented to their company in recognition of its efforts to make Estero as attractive as our community planners want it to be.”

2008: Bonita Bay Group for The Brooks

On May 22, 2008 Kitty Green accepted the second annual David Graham Memorial Award for Excellence on behalf of Bonita Bay Group for the Brooks Development. The David Graham Memorial Award for Excellence in Development highlights those completed developments in the community that have raised the bar in Estero and exemplify who David Graham was as a leader and developer. The award is given to one developer per year, who has completed a project of exceptional merit in the Estero community.

The 2008 award committee feels that the Brooks development has created a new standard in Estero, one that has proven difficult to match for other developers. Their transformation of AG-2 land to four residential communities and adjacent commercial properties is exemplary. But beyond that, Bonita Bay Group restored an historic flow way that had been disrupted for decades, created two major arterial roads where there were none, landscaped these roads in a manner that never could have been contemplated by the county, and finally agreed to maintain such landscaping in perpetuity. Altogether, a remarkable achievement.

The award was presented at the Urban Land Institute meeting at the Three Oaks Banquet Center in Estero, Florida by Jack Lienesch of the Estero Community Planning Panel.

2007: Wallace Homes for Rapallo at Coconut Point

On May 23, 2007 Jim Wallace accepted the first annual David Graham Memorial Award for Excellence on behalf of Wallace Homes for the Rapallo at Coconut Point residential development. The award was presented by Neal Noethlich of the Estero Community Planning Panel at the Urban Land Institute meeting held at West Bay Club.

Jack Lienesch (ECPP), Tom O'Dea (EDRC), Neal Noethlich (ECPP), Jim Wallace and Gordon Lyons (EDRC)	Neal Noethlich presents the award to Jim Wallace for Rapallo.

.