ESTERO COMMUNITY PLANNING PANEL

Minutes of Public Meeting #106 – May 18, 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; Erik Dickens, ECCL;  Lin Welch, Estero Chamber of Commerce , Recording Secretary: Bill Brown, ECCL;  Treasurer: Beverly MacNellis, ECCL. 

Public Participation: Lienesch called the meeting to order at 6:04 PM.  Fourteen participants were present.  Brown reported that public notices of the meeting appeared in the Fort Myers News-Press and the Bonita Daily News websites.  Notices were posted on the Internet in the Estero Development Report and the community Web site, www.esterofl.org.  Notices of the meeting were posted in the South Regional Library, Realty World, the Colonial and Wachovia banks.

Secretary’s Report: Lienesch distributed minutes of the March meeting.  DeLisi: Motion to accept minutes.  Goodrich: Second.  Report accepted unanimously. 

Treasurer’s Report: MacNellis reported a current balance of $829.16 in the Community Planning Panel account on deposit at Colonial Bank.

PRESENTATION: Variance request on International Design Center sign – Neale Montgomery of the Pavese Law Firm and Jerry Schmoyer, Vice President of Miramar Development. Montgomery explained that the variance requested is to elevate the height of the existing billboard from 30 ft. to 50 ft. so that the sign will be visible above the sound barrier wall recently installed by FDOT.  Johnny L. Limbaugh, Director of the FDOT Southwest Area Office explained that the wall was installed to help minimize sound for Stoneybrook. Toth suggested that it would be good to get rid of the billboard type sign and get a more attractive design; Schmoyer replied that cost is a problem and Montgomery said the present zoning allows only for a billboard. Tom O’Dea, Chairman of the Design Review Committee said that this is a matter that should be considered by the Design Review Committee.  He pointed out that the present sign is an eyesore and to add another 20 ft. would make it more so. Lienesch pointed out that while the sign is being redesigned structurally to meet the new code standards it could be redesigned architecturally to make it more aesthetic.  DeLisi: Motion that the Panel agrees to County approval of the subject variance, but it would like the Design Center to work with the Design Review Committee to improve the appearance of the sign. Welch: Second.  Motion approved unanimously.

Lienesch inquired from Montgomery as to the status of the Estero35 project on US41 North of Ben Johnson and behind the post office to Broadway. She replied the developer had an improved design. She said they would first consult with the residents of the adjoining residential area and then would bring the proposal back to the Panel.

ECPP:  Midtowne Estero has taken the County Commission to court challenging their rejection of the magistrate’s agreement to which the Panel had objected.  In their petition to the court they take the position that the Estero citizens who spoke against the developer at the County Commission hearing were not experts, therefore unqualified and not credible.  Lienesch indicated that a county attorney reported that the contractor who provided the site work for the property last Summer in advance of the new FEMA requirements was not paid as of April of this year and has filed suit to foreclose its construction lien. Toth indicated the all the big box people he has spoken to indicated that the kind of “right-in” “right-out” traffic pattern proposed in this project would make building a big box there unacceptable to them.

        David Graham Award for 2009 will be presented at the ULI Spring meeting on June 22.  Publicity and press releases are being worked on.

        Signage language activities. Tom O’Dea, Al O’Donnell and Jack Lienesch met with Mary Gibbs and Pete Eckenrode to discuss the County’s continuing inability to comply with the Panel’s and the Design Review Committee’s interpretation of the Estero Sign provisions.  O’Dea reported that it was agreed to study the problem and that the County would need documentation from Estero to make their position clear. DeLisi suggested that the Code needs to make it clear that sign permits need to go to the Design Review Committee.  Chapter 33 of the Land Development Code can be amended to ensure the language is consistent with our vision for signage.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.  

NEXT MEETING: 6:00 PM, MONDAY, June 15^TH, ESTERO COMMUNITY PARK.