Estero Development Report

Volume 3, Number 5

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

This Report will soon be available on the Estero Chamber of Commerce Website www.esterochamber.org and the Estero Fire District site at www.esterofire.org

October Opportunities for Citizen Participation

In Protecting Estero's Quality of Life

Date	Time	Event	Location
Wednesday, October 1^st	5:30 p.m.	Communication Tower (next to Lighthouse Bay) Hearing; Bonita Springs City Council	Bonita Springs Utilities Board Room, E. Terry and I-75, Bonita Springs
Tuesday, October 7^th	6:00 p.m.	Roadway Landscape Advisory Committee Meeting	County Community Development Building, Conf. Room 3A, 1500 Monroe St., Ft Myers
Wednesday, October 8th	5 p.m.	Estero Design Review Committee review of	The Perry Room of The Vines Country Club
Wednesday, October 8th	9 a.m.	Hearing Examiner Hearing of Cascades at Estero Rezoning	County Community Development Building, 2^nd Floor Conf. Room, 1500 Monroe St., Ft Myers
Monday, October 13^th	6 p.m.	Estero Community Planning Panel Meeting; North Point Project Zoning Hearing	Marsh Landing Clubhouse
Tuesday, October 14^th	5:05 p.m.	BOCC Final on Road Impact Fees	Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, 2^nd Floor
Tuesday, October 14^th	6:00 p.m.	Estero Fire Rescue District Board Meeting	Estero United Methodist Church -- Founder's Hall
Friday, October 17^th	2 p.m.	ECCO Council of Community Leaders Meeting	Marsh Landing Clubhouse
Monday, October 20^th	9:30 a.m.	BOCC Hearing on Estero Town Center Zoning	Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, 2^nd Floor
Thursday, October 23^rd	5:30 p.m.	Estero Chamber Business After Hours, speaker Rep. Carol Greene	Miromar Lakes Beach Club

Index

Page	Subject
1	Calendar
2	The Retail/Commercial Development of Estero
5	Planned State/Federal Roadway Improvements
8	Roadway Landscaping
10	Other Infrastructure Improvements
10	Wal-Mart Rezoning
12	Recent Estero Growth Statistics

The Retail/Commercial Development of Estero

Recent History --- Until 1997 Estero had no significant commercial development, office or retail. During the last seven years the following commercial projects have been under development in Estero:

Walden Place

The Brooks Grande Plaza

Hyatt Coconut Point Resort & Spa

Albertsons Center

Corkscrew Village Shopping Center

Miromar Discount Shops

Teco Arena

Grande Oak Shopping Center

These projects and the other small ones that have been built occupy about 10% of all of Estero's commercially usable property.

The Potential for Future Retail/Commercial Development --- Estero is likely to become southwest Florida's third major regional shopping area for the following:

• Estero's location midway between Ft. Myers and Naples is ideal for merchants that want to serve both customers of that area with a third store and for those merchants that want to serve customers from both cities from the middle, and
• Estero has a significant number of large vacant parcels of land suitable for large retail developments. There are 36 large parcels of property along US41 and Corkscrew Road in Estero containing 1,465 acres of land, most of which will ultimately be developed commercially.

About 500 acres of this land has been zoned commercial for many years, often by land speculators with "bubble plans" that permit a large array of retail uses, some of which are undesirable. During the last two years another 600 acres of the land has been zoned retail, commercial or mixed use, by developers with far clearer plans for how the property will be used. Another 150 acres of land is currently undergoing zoning, leaving only about 215 acres to be zoned in the future.

Recent zoning decisions indicate that Estero will have two areas of intense retail development and two smaller primarily retail development areas. The smaller areas are:

• US 41 north of the Estero River to the northern border of the community,
• The intersection of Koreshan Boulevard and Three Oaks Parkway.

In addition Estero's Main Street, Corkscrew Road between Three Oaks and US 41 will contain some neighborhood retail as part of several smaller mixed use developments.

Caution: Zoning establishes the upper limits on the amount of space that can be developed on a parcel of property. Most developments do not use all of this authority. Consequently the following information somewhat overstates the amount of retail development that will actually occur in these areas.

Estero's Largest Concentration of Retail Activity will be located on US 41 between Corkscrew Road and the Bonita Springs boundary, just north of the Sanibel Steakhouse. This three mile stretch of road contains 14 properties, 12 of which are now zoned. The owner of one of the two properties that is not zoned has made an application to have it zoned through the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process for larger developments. The zoning of that property should be completed in 2004. The final property that is not zoned contains only 10 acres.

The following figures assume that the DRI zoning request is approved as presented and that the unzoned 10 acre parcel will be zoned for the average amount of commercial space per acre, or 80,000 square feet.

Zoning of these 14 parcels of land would permit the following development to be constructed in this area:

· Retail 2,925,000 square feet (sf)

· Office 915,000 square feet (sf)

· Other Commercial 1,190,400 square feet (sf)

· Housing units 1,580

· Hotel rooms 1,175

The area will be anchored by the Coconut Point Town Center being developed by Oakbrook Properties and the Simon Group. However, as the following table indicates, Coconut Point will probably represent only about half the total development of the area.

Type of Development	Non- Coconut Point Development	Percentage of Total In the Area
Retail	1,125,000 sf	38%
Office	615,000 sf	67%
Other Commercial	1,190,400 sf	100%
Housing Units	380	24%
Hotel Rooms	575	49%

At present about 575,000 square feet of commercial has been constructed in this area, or about 12% of the total authorized.

Estero's Second Large Concentration of Retail Activity is now being developed around the intersection of I-75 and Corkscrew Road. This area, which extends from Three Oaks Boulevard on the west to Ben Hill Griffin on the east, contains 8 large parcels of property. Seven of the 8 parcels are now zoned, three of them in the last year. The unzoned parcel has begun informal discussions with the ECPP and will soon be seeking county zoning approval. The estimated square footage for this parcel is based upon the preliminary indications from this property owner's representatives.

Zoning of these 8 parcels of land would permit the following development to be constructed in this area:

· Retail 2,238,000 square feet (sf)

· Office 30,000 square feet (sf)

· Other Commercial 20,000 square feet (sf)

· Hotel rooms 720

At present about 480,000 square feet of commercial has been constructed in this area, or about 20% of the total authorized.

Overview and Conclusions

Now that most of Estero's commercial corridors have been zoned it is clear that Estero will experience exceptional retail and commercial growth over the next decade and beyond as it becomes the region's third shopping complex.

When the smaller commercial areas are added to the two regional centers described above, current and likely zoning would permit nearly 10 million square feet of retail space, about 1.3 million square feet of office space, nearly 2 million square feet of other commercial uses and about 2,000 additional hotel rooms. As previously indicated only about 10% currently exists.

The ECPP and the Estero Design Review Committee (EDRC) Estero has been actively managing this growth through:

· the adoption of a community plan, related Land Development Code changes and overlay zoning districts designed to establish appearance standards and compatibility requirements ;

· public community meetings with all developers before they file their zoning and development order applications; and

· negotiations with many developers to ensure satisfaction with the higher standards that the County has adopted for Estero.

Finally, the coming explosion of retail/commercial investment underscores the need for concurrent expansion of our road system. Thus the need for our continuing efforts to accelerate the completion of Three Oaks Parkway and US 41 as well as the construction of Sandy Lane.

Planned State/Federal Roadway Improvements

Last month the Estero Development Report summarized Lee County's 5 year road program for the Estero area. This month we provide a partial report on the State/Federal road construction program for Estero and a partial summary of the overall Estero road-building program. FDOT has provided us with some basic information on the state/federal projects, but we have not yet received up-to-date cost and construction timing estimates.

Major State/Federal Road Projects Programmed for Estero During the Next Five Years --- FDOT has programmed and funded seven major road projects for the Estero area during the next five years, through June 2008. Five of them impact roads located wholly or partially within the boundaries of Estero. The other two will indirectly benefit Estero by enhancing our residents' ability to travel to adjacent communities.

Unlike the county road program, all of these projects are road or intersection widening projects. Consequently, they will create far more construction traffic over the next few years.

The five projects that are scheduled for design, permitting, right-of-way or construction by 2008 and will directly benefit Estero are:

· Six-laning of US 41 between Bonita Springs and Corkscrew Road to be completed next summer;

· Design, permitting and right-of-way acquisition for US 41 between Corkscrew Road and San Carlos Park;

· The ramps at the intersection of I-75 and Corkscrew Road will be reconstructed and widened next year and additional right-of way for further expansion will be acquired in 2005;

· Six-laning of I-75 between Bonita Beach Road and Corkscrew Road will start in 2007; and

· Six-laning of I-75 between Corkscrew Road and Daniels Parkway will start in 2007.

The total cost of these projects will be over $100 million. We will have more specifics on this in next month's report.

The two projects that will reduce travel times for Estero residents are:

• Six-laning of US 41 between the north end of Old 41 to Bonita Beach Road, already underway, is expected to be completed in late 2005;
• Six-laning of US 41 between the south end of Old 41 to Bonita Beach Road, already underway, is expected to be completed in late 2005.

Sandy Lane

Sandy Lane is two lane road between Corkscrew Road and Broadway, just east of the railroad tracks near US 41. When construction begins on the Coconut Point Town Center, probably next year, a four lane segment of Sandy Lane will also be constructed between Corkscrew Road and the northern boundary of the City of Bonita Springs with a connection to US 41 immediately east of Pelican Colony Boulevard, the northern entrance to the Pelican Landing community.

On September 23^rd the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Bonita Springs allocating the road impact payments to be made by the developers of the Coconut Point Town Center between the County and the City. That agreement provides the City of Bonita Springs with $2,184,000 to be used to widen Old 41 between the northern end of Old 41 and Rosemary Drive. The agreement also states that "The City accepts $2.184 million as full mitigation for the impacts created by development of Coconut Point DRI".

However, the Agreement provides no funding for the extension of Sandy Lane from the northern boundary of Bonita Springs directly to Old 41, as included in the County's long range road plan since 1995. The Agreement begs the issue as to how Coconut Point Town Center shoppers will get to the newly widened Old 41 from the Center. Without the Sandy Lane extension they will have to use already overcrowded US 41.

After the meeting our two south Lee County Commissioners Albion and Judah expressed support for extending Sandy Lane directly from Coconut Point to Old 41.

Additional Evidence on the Need for the Sandy Lane Extension

Also in September the Transportation Impact Statement (TIS) for the North Point DRI (see article elsewhere in this edition) became available. The study prepared for the developers of this major project estimates traffic on all Estero and Bonita Springs roads in 2008. Because of State rules applicable to these studies, the study assumes that Three Oaks Parkway between Coconut Road and Terry Street and Sandy Lane will not be in use. This is likely to be the condition from late 2005 until 2007 or 2008, at which time this segment of Three Oaks becomes operational.

The North Point DRI traffic study estimates that the four lanes of these segments of US 41 are now carrying the following amount of traffic (measured by the number of average annual daily trips…AADT):

Bonita Beach Road to W. Terry Street 43,900

W. Terry Street to North Bay Drive 38,200

Old 41 to Coconut Road 43,100

In 2008 the North Point Traffic Study forecasts the following number of AADTs for the following US 41 road segments (by then 6 laned) excluding the traffic that would be generated by North Point if it is approved as requested:

Bonita Beach Road to W. Terry Street 50,775

W. Terry Street to north Old 41 57,320

Old 41 to Pelican Colony Boulevard 97,332

Pelican Colony Boulevard to Coconut Road 97,904

Coconut Road to Fountain Lakes Boulevard 58,228

The results of this study clearly indicate three things:

• North-south traffic will soon be exploding as the commercial expansion of Estero commences,
• A direct extension of Sandy Lane between the Bonita Springs boundary and Old 41 is a crucial link in our area road network, and
• The substantial traffic relief provided by Old 41 south of the "bottleneck" and by Three Oaks Parkway north of this area.

The opening of Three Oaks between Coconut the E. Terry Street in late 2007 or 2008 will relieve the bottleneck for a while. The segment of Three Oaks between Williams Road and Coconut Road is forecast to carry 32,987 vehicles per day in 2008 by the North Point TIS.

US 41 between Corkscrew Road and San Carlos Park

Last month we reported that local FDOT officials recommended that the Regional FDOT Office apply for right-of-way funding of the segment from the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) which was recently funded by the Florida Legislature for the next two fiscal years. During September FDOT's regional decision-makers decided to apply for SIB funding of this project in spite of the fact that SIB funding has always been used for project construction, not right-of-way, which is what now needs to be funded on this project. If successful right-of-way acquisition for this segment of US 41 could be started in the fall or winter of 2004, 18 to 21 months earlier than the present funding schedule permits. Regional FDOT must file the application by the end of September with the final decision to be made by State FDOT executives in mid-November.

The Koreshan Flyover

The design of the extension of Koreshan Boulevard east from Three Oaks Parkway to Ben Hill Griffin Boulevard is now 60% complete. This four-lane, one mile segment will complete the "Western Entrance to the University" from US 41. The alignment was recently approved by the BOCC. The segment includes an overpass over I-75 that will permit the future widening of that road.

The design will soon be submitted to the Water Management District and the Corp of Engineers for permit approval, a process that is expect to be completed in 2005. Acquisition of right-of-way is not considered a problem because there are only three landowners and all are cooperative. Construction completion is expected in 2006.

Roadway Landscaping

Corkscrew Road from Sandy Lane to Corkscrew Woodlands Boulevard --- The "core" landscaping of Corkscrew Road was installed earlier this year. An additional $150,000 of trees and sod will be added late this year or early next year in accordance with the County's "intensified core landscaping" plan. The design of the next phase has been completed and the county is in process of reviewing a contract amendment with the firm that installed the initial plantings.

Three Oaks Parkway from Williams Road to Corkscrew Road --- the design for this 4/5's mile segment is 90% completed while the design of the irrigation system is 30% complete. This road will also be landscaped using the county's "intensified core landscaping" criteria. Thus about $200,000 of trees and sod will be installed starting late this year or early next year with installation expected to be completed in the spring of 2004.

Koreshan Boulevard between US 41 and Three Oaks Parkway --- The 90% design of this segment recently was revised because of the narrowness of the median and changes in turning lane needs as development along the road proceeds rapidly. The county plans to present the new design to the developers and land-owners that have agreed to pay the first year's maintenance costs to gain their approval of the changes. After that meeting the project will be bid and installation will begin, probably early in 2004. About $300,000 of trees and sod will be planted on this 1.85 mile segment.

US 41 from Bonita Springs to Corkscrew Road --- the landscaping design of this 3.5 mile segment is 60% complete while the irrigation design is 30% complete. The design has been held up pending design of the expanded turn lanes required by the Coconut Point Town Center project which will be constructed along the east side of this road. Once these designs are complete the county and local civic groups will meet with property-owners along the segment that have contracts with billboard companies to negotiate as much relief from the statutory "clear zones" accorded these signs in order to maximize the amount of plantings that can be installed along this road after its construction is completed in mid-2004. The state has allocated $704,000 to landscaping for this road segment. To date $60,000 has been made available for the landscaping design.

Three Oaks Parkway from Alico Road to Corkscrew Road --- the conceptual landscape plans for this long segment were presented to the County Roadway Landscape Advisory Committee at their meeting in September. ECCO urged the designer to coordinate the design of this road with the designs for Koreshan Boulevard, Corkscrew Road and Three Oaks Parkway beyond Corkscrew Road. This segment will be landscaped after the road has been four laned, probably late in 2006 or early in 2007.

Koreshan Boulevard from Three Oaks Parkway to Ben Hill Griffin Boulevard --- The County has employed a consultant to design the landscaping that will be installed along this new road once it is constructed in 2006. The portion of the road that is east of I-75 is located in the University Overlay area and is expected to be landscaped like Ben Hill Griffin has recently been landscaped.

Corkscrew Road from Ben Hill Griffin to Bella Terra (formerly The Habitat) --- The Corkscrew Road Service Area (CRSA) Board discussed landscaping this road segment at their September meeting. They plan to landscape the medians of this road after it has been widened to four lanes. No timetable has been set for the widening and the landscape design has not yet been authorized.

Corkscrew Road -- I-75 Interchange --- In 2002 the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) awarded Lee County DOT $200,000 for landscaping this intersection and the intersection at Daniels and I-75. The project connects the landscaping recently installed on both the east and west sides along Corkscrew Road. The County is in the process of contracting with a firm to prepare a design that can be used at all the I-75 intersection in Lee County, including Corkscrew Road. However this project may be delayed because FDOT last year received special Federal funding that they have generously allocated to interim interchange improvements at this intersection. Construction of these improvements will begin next summer. FDOT has budgeted funds for additional right-of-way, but not construction, needed for further intersection improvements at Corkscrew. Their present plans call for landscaping this intersection in nine years (in 2012) after the more extensive intersection improvements have been completed. ECCO plans to discuss with FDOT ways that the Corkscrew Road portion of this project can be completed earlier.

Other Infrastructure Improvements

Estero Community Park --- On September 30^th the BOCC approved an amendment to the contract with J.L. Wallace, Inc. for the initial site-work for the Community Park. This phase of the project will cost the County about $195,000. The Wallace firm is the construction manager for the Park. Approval of this contact will permit Wallace to begin to clear the site, remove the exotics that have grown up on the site, install fencing to protect the tortoises and install silt and tree protection fencing. This work is expected to begin by the end of October to be followed by the first phase of construction. Construction will include the 37,000 square foot recreational center, which is expected to be completed by April 2005.

Possible Regional Park in East Estero --- Press reports indicate that the County Parks and Recreation Department is considering construction of a regional park in Estero on the south side of Corkscrew Road about 8 miles east of I-75. The county currently owns several hundred acres at this location called the Flint Pen Strand. The park would not be pursued for at least five years when the Ten Mile Canal Linear Park is completed. John Yarborough, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said that the park, although not certain, "it's very likely".

Three Oaks School Site Acquisition Doubtful --- In February Lee County School District announced that it would acquire a 76 acre site for several schools on the east side of Three Oaks Parkway just east of the Villages of Country Creek community. Due to a legal dispute between the property owner and his former real estate broker the $5.8 million deal is in jeopardy. In the meantime the district is still negotiating for purchase of a 10 acre site next to the Estero Community Park. This land is being conveyed as part of the Coconut Point Town Center project.

Wal-Mart Rezoning

During September, Wal-Mart filed their application for rezoning the 33 acre site on the northeast corner of Koreshan and US 41. They would like to use the property to build a 208,000 square foot superstore and about 20,000 square feet of retail in two outlots. The application has been reviewed by County staff and in a letter dated September 19, 2003 it was found to be insufficient. The developer has 60 days to provide the county with the information requested in this letter. A second sufficiency review typically follows before county staff and the developer begin discussions on the issues raised by the project.

Meanwhile, on September 10^th, Wal-Mart presented its proposal for the site to the Estero Design Review Committee (ERDC). The ERDC raised numerous questions and made many suggestions regarding the development plan, particularly the landscaping component. A summary of the ERDC comments and suggestions follows:

• The EDRC suggested that Live Oaks be used over Laurel Oaks to reflect a more adequate buffer to adjacent uses and that the developer verify that a Southwest Florida seed source has been used for the Laurel Oaks. The use of Laurel Oaks around retention ponds is o.k.
• The proposed plan states that it provides minimum code trees but the documentation neither meet the intent articulated by the Applicant nor the renderings presented. The Committee found the Applicant’s landscape plan to be unacceptable.
• Larger oaks (minimum 45-gallon trees suggested) for north and east berms.
• The proposed plan does not meet county minimum Building Perimeter Landscaping specifications (not even close) and was not acceptable to the Committee.
• The EDRC suggested additional Sabal Palms on the north and south sides of buildings with staggered heights and greater density of Sabals in order to better buffer between the building and the adjacent Vines Community.
• The EDRC suggested an increase in density of Live Oaks along the north berm (both sides of wall) to achieve the intent articulated by the Applicant and shown on the rendering.
• The Committee does not support the use of Magnolias in the parking lot. It suggests that Shady Lady Black Olive, Mahogany and/or Live Oaks should be planted instead.
• The EDRC suggested that a larger variety of shrub plant materials be used on the project (only 6 shrub types are shown on the plan).
• The Committee requested that the Applicant provide sidewalks in all medians of the parking lot leading to the building. One bay of parking could be eliminated by providing a five foot wide walkway between each parking median leading to the building while still providing more than the County required parking. The Committee’s opinion is that this is necessary for the project to achieve the necessary pedestrian linkages defined by the Estero Overlay.
• The Committee strongly felt that the importance of public safety through the use of adequate pedestrian circulation far outweighs the need for parking that exceeds county standards. More adequate use of pedestrian linkages within the site is necessary.
• The EDRC suggested that Ash/trash receptacles be installed in medians close to pedestrian walkways.
• The committee suggested that fountains be added to the rear and north-side lake(s) for noise abatement for the surrounding residential communities.
• The Committee was pleased with and supported the revised architecture, especially the 8’ wide covered walk across the full front of the building.
• The public asked about trucks, noise, etc. Applicant indicated that it is making efforts to better abate all sound produced by the project.
• The public requested taller walls around the truck bays. The Applicant indicated that they would look into building the truck-bay walls two feet higher than specified.

The Estero Council of Community Leaders has appointed a Wal-Mart sub-committee to study the developer's application and documentation, to discuss all issues with county staff and to prepare a draft position paper to be used for discussion with the developer and county staff.

Recent Estero Growth Statistics

In the month of August, 97 additional housing units were permitted in Estero with a total building value of almost $16.9 million. In addition, about $2.2 million of commercial building value was permitted during the month.

During the first eight months of 2003, 1,130 housing units were permitted in Estero with a total building value (exclusive of land) of $173 million. The following table shows the pattern for the first 8 months during last four years:

Year	Number of Units Permitted	Building Value of Permitted Units
2000