Meeting Minutes

ESTERO DESIGN
REVIEW COMMITTEE

Public Meeting
April 11, 2007
5:00 P.M.
The Estero Recreation Center
9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd.

Meeting Time:                        5:00 P.M.
 
Members in Attendance:        Tom O’Dea , Gordon Lyons, Nancy Cohen,
Al O’Donnell, Jim Wallace, Gerald Simons,
Joe McHarris, Bill Prysi
 
Chaired By:                            Tom O’Dea
 
Minutes By:                            Ramona Thomas
 
Meeting called to order.
 
Approval of the minutes of the March 14th meeting was called for. A motion to approve the minutes was made, seconded and carried unanimously. Minutes were approved with no changes.

Coconut Pointe Update:

Presentation by Tom Schneider
 
Tom Schneider presented Hyatt Place, a 5-story, 108 room hotel located on 3.5 acres on US41 north of Coconut Road at the Coconut Point Mall.
 
Comments included:

• EDRC was to review all out parcels of the Coconut Point Mall.
• The hotel looks modern and out of place with Coconut Point.
•  The shed looking roofs are out of character with the building design.
• The portico share design looks like a shed roof, more modern than Mediterranean.
•  Recommend putting columns instead of posts to hold up the portico share, possibly timber columns.
•  Like the towers, did good job breaking up the buildings.
•  Some Architects liked the contrast of the shed roofs.
•  Present prospectus with landscaping to include adequate buffering of the portico.

Tom Schneider presented preliminary plans for Wachovia Bank located north of the Hyatt on US41 at the Coconut Point Mall.  Landscape plan is not available yet.
 
Comments included:

• Concerns about the drive through which takes up a lot of the land, will need lots of landscaping to buffer.
•  The colors of the building should be closer in value.
•  Concerns about the ATM not being located on the building and being in the parking lot, make sure the ATM is on the building.

Tom Schneider presented preliminary plans for The Diamond District located on US41 north of the mall entrance and the lake, which has not been approved by their review board.
 
Comments included:

• Concerns about the signage, located on preliminary plans.

Tom Schneider and Theresa Artuso of Hole Montes presented landscaping plans to address concerns about the buffering for the backs of the buildings along Via Coconut Point.  The plans include approximately 35 additional trees, consisting of slash pines, cabbage palms and Palatka hollies that have been planted and some potential shrub areas.

Comments included:

• No under planting, recommend adding green buttonwood 3-10 gallon adjacent to the building.
•  Paint the backside of the superstructures that are visible above the flat roofs. These could be faux painted as tile roofs with a wall below, and the walls could have painted columns with shadows to give it some perceived depth.
•  There is a blank area on plans with no landscaping. Tom Schneider will get with Jim Wallace and Gordon Lyons within 2-weeks about additional plantings in the flow away.

Tom Schneider confirmed he will get the following items to the EDRC for review:

• Hyatt prospectus view, with the detail of the posts and landscaping for buffer.
•  Hips of roofs on Hyatt.
•  Landscape plans for Wachovia Bank and details on the ATM.

Applicant: Spring Hill Suites

Location:  Coconut Trace across from Coconut Point Mall on US41
 
Fee:                                Paid
 
Presented by:                Scott Beauchesne, Hole Montes
 
Discussion:
 
Scott Beauchesne and Jim Kosluchar from Hole Montes, Brad Guarino from J.E.D. of Southwest Florida, Inc., and Stewart Hempel from Mayse & Assocates presented preliminary plans for Spring Hill Suites by Mariott, a 4 story, 150 room hotel located at Coconut Crossing.
 
Comments included:

• Early schematic design looks good, lacking detail on the towers.
•  The bandings are chunky and with the 220 ft length the 3 horizontal color bands accents the length of the building.  Recommend a vertical color variation to break it down.
•  The columns on the portico are massive and not working with the building design.
•  Eave of the overhang on towers are too wide and where the building bumps out should be carried to roof.
•  The ends should articulate same design as the building, the railings and portico share should be better integrated with color and design of the building. 
•  The proposed glass in the portico, the concern is the glass would change the overall look of the portico in relation to the building.

The landscape plan includes predominately native plants with a cluster of cabbage palms at the corners of the building.  The detention area buffer has black olive trees and cabbage palms.
 
Comments included:

• Recommend using Washingtonian palms at the corners of the building instead of cabbage palms or increase the height of the sables.
•  Estero overlay on internal landscaping consists of shrubs and ground cover only, no sod on internal land of the parcel.
•  With parking area islands, canopy trees require 20 feet width of islands, cannot use as canopy trees, only general landscaping.
•  Use tall Washingtonian palms instead of sable palms, increase number to 5 instead of 3, and use 12 foot clear trunk on royal palms.

Jerry Masters, resident from Coconut Shores had concerns about the buffer from Marsh Landing of the existing trees in the preserve, the trees are sparse and would provide little buffering.
 
EDRC recommended adding 7 – 9 tall sable palms for additional buffer from Marsh Landing.
 
Scott Beauchese and his team will come back to the next meeting with the recommended changes and a new rendering for the committee’s review.

Applicant: Coconut Trace

Location:                       Coconut Trace between US41 and Lynden Drive
 
Fee:                                Paid
 
Presented by:                Barry E Jones from Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt, Inc. and Dan Maxwell from 361 Group out of Texas
 
Discussion:
 
Barry Jones and Dan Maxwell presented preliminary plans for Panda Express, a 26,000 sq. ft. building with retail on the first floor and offices above, located in Coconut Trace between US41 and Lynden Drive.  The first tenant, Panda Express has 1 floor with the rest of the building having 2 floors.
 
Comments included:

• Recommend changing flat roof line to break down into more elevated sections.
•  Stairs to second floor are not covered, may have to be covered.
•  The glazing appears to be sitting on the ground; all the front doors have no canopy or roof overhang.
•  The low portion of the building bangs into the tall building with no transition.
•  Recommend using color variations to break up the length of the building.
•  Concerned about buffer along US41, embellish buffer to incorporate height of building, possibly straightening the sidewalk and adding Washingtonian palms in the islands.

Barry Jones and his team will come back for next month’s meeting with the recommended changes for review by the EDRC.

Old Business:

The EDRC is concerned about the Walgreens sign, it is not in accordance with Estero signage requirements and was not brought back to the EDRC for review.
 
Tom O’Dea will write a letter to the county informing them of the unanimous request of the EDRC regarding the concerns of the Walgreens sign not being in compliance with the signage requirements and not coming before the committee for review. A copy of the letter will be sent to the representative of Walgreens and the developer of the plaza.
 
The Stoneys sign on Corkscrew and (Stoneybrook) Ben Hill Griffin may not be permitted.  Gordon Lyons wrote a follow up letter to the county about the sign.
 
Meeting adjourned.
 
Next Meeting:                         Next EDRC Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 at the Estero Park Community Center.