Estero Community Planning Panel

Minutes of Public Meeting #107 – July 20, 2009
Estero Community Park, Estero, Florida

Panel Members Present: Jack Lienesch, Chairman, Estero Civic Association;  Dan DeLisi, Estero Development Community; John Goodrich, ECCL; Greg Toth, Estero Development Community ;  Lin Welch, Estero Chamber of Commerce , Recording Secretary: Bill Brown, ECCL
 
Public Participation: Lienesch called the meeting to order at 6:04 PM.   Brown reported that the meeting notice appeared in the News-Press on July 8th and The Naples News Events Calendar and Esterofl.org websites. The notice was posted at the South County Regional Library, Realty World of Estero, the Colonial and Wachovia Banks.
 
Secretary’s Report: Lienesch distributed minutes of the May meeting.  Goodrich: Motion to accept minutes.  Toth: Second.  Accepted unanimously. 
 
Treasurer’s Report:  Due to the absence of the Treasurer Bev MacNellis, Lienesch reported  that she had told him that there had been no income or expenditures since the last report when there was a balance of $629.16 in the Community Planning Panel account on deposit at Colonial Bank.  Toth: Motion to accept the previous report as current. Welch: Second. Accepted unanimously.
 
PRESENTATION: Plaza Del CPD Amendment to Parcel G – Stacy Hewitt, Banks Engineering. The amendment would add to permitted uses on Parcel G at the Estero Medical Center development Assisted Living, Continuing Care Facilities and Independent Living Units. This property is immediately to the East of the existing medical building in the development on the NE corner of Three Oaks and Corkscrew.  There are no specific plans for building any of these facilities as yet. Provision is made for pedestrian and parking interconnects. The proposed amendment will require a public hearing by the hearing examiner. Toth, Welch and DeLisi all indicated they had no problem with the proposed amendment. Goodrich expressed the hope that we do get such facilities. Lienesch summed up the discussion by saying that the Panel is totally supportive of the amendment.
 
ECPP: Lienesch announced that the 2009 David Graham Award was presented to the Simon Property Group for their development called “Main Street and Lake Front at Coconut Point”  on June 22 at the Spring meeting of the SW Florida Urban Land Institute.  Jamie Grofik, Mall Manager, accepted the award for Simon.  The July 11th edition of the Bonita and Estero Life had a picture of the ceremony showing David’s wife participating in the award ceremony.
 
Lienesch also reported on the Midtowne Estero suit against the County for rejecting their zoning request which the Panel opposed.  The petition was filed on April 17th and the most recent activity was on July 9th.
 
Action on signage language is awaiting the return of Tom O’Dea in September.
 
ECPP Financial Situation. The Panel and EDRC have not received any financial support from the County for several years. It was decided that in lieu of County support the Panel will follow the EDRC practice of charging developers a $100 fee for their first appearance on any new zoning issue or anything that requires a public hearing. Lienesch will draft a change to our website documents to show this new fee structure. Repeat presentations on the same development will be assessed a smaller fee.
 
Lienesch also noted that Neale Montgomery wants to meet privately with panel members and representatives of the Vines to discuss proposed changes to the Wal-Mart development at Estero Boulevard and U.S. 41.  Jack will try and coordinate calendars in early August to facilitate this discussion.
 
The Estero Fire Marshall Phillip Green expressed concern with inadequate infrastructure east of Interstate 75 on Corkscrew Road. He is particularly concerned with low water pressure and the lack of fire hydrants needed to fight brush fires. The County policy is to rely on developers to pay for hydrants which means there are no hydrants in undeveloped areas to fight brush fires. He is seeking support to change this County policy.
 
Meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM.  
 
NEXT MEETING: 6:00 PM, MONDAY, August 17TH, ESTERO COMMUNITY PARK.