Estero Development Report

Volume 2, Number 4

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

 

Estero Development Activities during August 2002

 

September Opportunities for Citizen Participation

In Protecting Estero's Quality of Life

 

Date

Time

Event

Location

Tuesday, Sept. 3rd

6 p.m.

Roadway Landscape Advisory Committee Meeting on Use of the $2 million Landscape Funding Increase

County Community Development Building, Conference Room 3A, 1500 Monroe Street, Ft. Myers

Thursday, Sept. 5th

5:05 p.m.

Board of County Commissioners First FY 2002-03 Budget Hearing

Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Ft. Myers

Tuesday, Sept. 10th

7 p.m.

Estero Fire District Budget Hearing

Fellowship Hall, Estero United Methodist Church

Thursday, Sept.19th

5:05 p.m.

Board of County Commissioners Final FY 2002-03 Budget Hearing

Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Ft. Myers

Tuesday, Sept. 24th

9:30 a.m.

Board of County Commissioners Consideration of Parks and Recreation Plan for the Estero Community Park.

Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Ft. Myers

Tuesday, Sept. 24th

6:00 p.m.

Estero Community Planning Panel meeting

Fellowship Hall, Estero United Methodist Church

Tuesday, Sept. 24th

7 p.m.

Estero Fire District Budget Hearing

Fellowship Hall, Estero United Methodist Church

Wednesday, September 25th

5:30 p.m.

Estero Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours

Bonita Chop House (formerly The Ship Restaurant)

Wednesday, October 2nd

9 a.m.

Continued Hearing -- Miromar Design Center Rezoning

Hearing Examiner's Hearing Room, 1500 Monroe St., 2nd Floor, Ft. Myers

 

County Financial Assistance for Estero's Priority Needs--- On August 5th the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met as their Management and Planning Committee and discussed at length a staff recommendation to increase funding for Roadway Landscaping by $2 million during the fiscal year starting October 1st. Although no vote is taken at these meetings it was clear that a majority of the Board supports the proposal.

 

As a result the following day the County's Roadway Landscape Advisory Committee (RLAC) was briefed on the proposal and proceeded to establish a sub-committee to recommend to the BOCC how the added money should be spent. The Estero Roadway Landscape Committee consisting of ECCO, the Estero Chamber of Commerce and most of our major developers were invited to attend the sub-committee meeting and contribute our suggestions.

 

On August 20th the RLAC sub-committee on the spending increase met for the first time. The sub-committee permitted our delegation to make a presentation on our plan for intensified core roadway landscaping of (1) Corkscrew Road between US 41 and I-75 and (2) Three Oaks Parkway from Williams Road to Corkscrew Road. This plan, depicted on five large graphics, greatly intensifies the number of trees planted in the medians, adds trees in the Right of Way (ROW) along the roadside, where possible, and, in cooperation with adjacent landowners, would add plantings on private property at high visibility intersections. When implemented this plan would add about $670, 000 in roadway landscaping to these two roads. The County is already planning to spend about $355,000 for landscaping on these two segments during the next year.

 

The subcommittee extensively debated the following alternative approaches to spending the additional $2 million:

 

 

Our proposal appealed to several members of the committee for the following reasons:

 

 

In the end the sub-committee decided to recommend that the full RLAC allocate the $2 million to the following uses:

 

 

It is expected that such an allocation will distribute these funds fairly throughout the county. If not the RLAC will, no doubt, make adjustments to bring about that result.

 

On Tuesday, September 3rd the full RLAC will meet to discuss the sub-committee's recommendations for spending the $2 million. In the meantime the Department of Transportation has agreed to study our drawings in order to help our landscape architects identify the roadside planting sites that can be properly maintained. They have also encouraged us to present an improved set of drawings to the RLAC at their September 3rd meeting. Our Landscape architects are now upgrading the plans so that we can make an outstanding presentation at this important meeting.

 

On Tuesday, August 27th the BOCC approved an amendment to the County Capital Investment Program (CIP) increasing the proposed budget for the roadway landscaping program by $2 million for the upcoming fiscal year. The entire budget, including the $2 million addition, will be the subject of two public hearings during September prior to adoption by the BOCC before the new fiscal year begins on October 1st.

 

Simon Suncoast (now "Coconut Point") Mixed Use Development (on the east side of US 41 from Williams Road to the Bonita Springs Boundary)--- The Hearing Examiner's report does not resolve the Estero community's concerns about the adequacy of the road network needed to support this major project and all the other growth occurring in the area. The Hearing Examiner would permit the 1,800,000 square foot retail part of the project to be constructed according to the following schedule:

 

Date

Square Footage Permitted

Estimated Occupancy Date

Upon Zoning Approval

400,000

October 2004

January 1, 2003

800,000

January 2005

January 1, 2004

1,200,000

January 2006

January 1, 2005

1,800,000

January 2007

 

The Hearing Examiner's report states: "The Applicant has testified that it would be anywhere from one year to eighteen months from the time the Applicant receives its permits to the time the 400,000 square feet of retail uses will be open for business." In the above table we have been more generous and have assumed that it will take the developer 24 months for permit approval, project design, engineering and construction. In addition the Hearing Examiner would allow permits to be issued earlier if certain road improvements, located miles from Estero, have been started prior to these dates. County staff indicates that all of these projects will be start within the next several months, thus permitting all phases of the project to be permitted quite soon. Under the Hearing Examiner's approach, the status of road improvements surrounding the project would have no affect upon the phased development of the retail center.

 

In addition the Hearing Examiner would permit all of the other parts of the project to be permitted immediately. They are: 300,000 square feet of office space, 600 hotel rooms, 1,000 multi-family housing units and a 200 unit assisted living facility.

 

In January 2005, when 800,000 square feet, or 44%, of the retail center could be opened for business the following eight local road projects are expected to be under construction or still in the planning stage and acquisition stage:

 

6 lane widening of US 41 from south Old 41 to north Old 41

4 lane Three Oaks Parkway from Bonita Beach Road to Coconut Road

2 or 4 lane Sandy Lane from Corkscrew Road to Old 41

4 lane widening of Three Oaks Parkway from Alico Road to Corkscrew Road

4 lane widening of Old 41 from Rosemary to north US 41

6 lane widening of US 41 from Corkscrew Road to San Carlos Park

4 lane Koreshan Boulevard from Ben Hill Griffin to Three Oaks Parkway

6 Lane widening of I-75 through all of Estero

 

The added traffic produced by the January, 2005 Coconut Point retail opening will compound problems produced by:

 

 

In addition the four lane construction work on Three Oaks Parkway between Alico Road to Corkscrew will add to the traffic problems on the four lane US 41 between Corkscrew Road and San Carlos Park. This problem will be intensified by the failure of both Three Oaks and Ben Hill Griffin to provide continuous north-south service (not all segments will be completed by that date).   

 

 

 

One year later in January 2006, when 1,200,000 square feet, or 67%, of the retail center could open for business and again in January 2007, when all 1,800,000 could be open for business, the following Estero vicinity roads are not expected to be completed:

 

4 lane Three Oaks Parkway from Bonita Beach Road to Coconut Road

2 or 4 lane Sandy Lane from Corkscrew Road to Old 41

6 lane widening of US 41 from Corkscrew Road to San Carlos Park

6 Lane widening of I-75 through all of Estero

Widening of I-75 ramps at Corkscrew Road

 

Without a fully operational 4-lane Sandy Lane and with the discontinuities on Three Oaks Parkway, traffic on US 41, now 6 laned from north Old 41 to Corkscrew Road, will be intense.

 

The Hearing Examiner recommends that the Developer be responsible for financing $14.6 million of roadway improvements. He further recommends that these funds may be used to help finance (pipeline) the following road improvements and numerous intersection improvements:

 

 

With respect to Sandy Lane the report continues: "Consistent with the County’s long-range plan for Sandy Lane as a 2-lane collector and the County’s standards for collector roads, no more than 125 feet and no less than 100 feet of right-of-way and 2 lanes of construction will be eligible for credits against the proportionate share obligation. The reasonable cost of providing the railroad crossing between Williams Road and Corkscrew Road will be eligible for credits against the project’s proportionate share obligation.  If the Developer chooses to build more than 2 lanes, it will be at the Developer’s sole expense."

 

This recommendation creates two problems:

 

1.      by providing no funds for the construction of Sandy Lane from the south boundary of the project to Old 41 it forces all southbound Sandy Lane traffic to US 41 at or above the north entrance to Pelican Landings; and

2.      by providing no funds for four-laning Sandy Lane it greatly reduces the potential for Sandy Lane to provide relief for US 41, for Three Oaks Parkway through The Brooks and for project construction traffic.

 

In addition to these traffic problems the Hearing Examiner's reports do not adequately address signage, building setbacks and heights, lighting, and several appearance and buffering issues. ECCO and the Estero community groups most directly affected by all these issues plan to work with the County, the City of Bonita Springs and the Developers to remedy these problems before the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meets to approve the zoning and DRI Development Order conditions for the project on October 21st.

 

Estero Community Planning Panel (ECPP) Activities--- the ECPP met three times during the month of August completing the following work:

 

 

Estero's 2002 Permitted Housing Unit Growth--- during the month of July another 115 housing units, with a total building value of $20.6 million, were permitted for Estero.

 

During the first seven months of 2002 a total of 915 housing units were permitted for Estero, down from 1,122 last year and 1,399 in 2000. Most of the decline has been in multi-family housing units. Five hundred thirteen (513) single family homes have been permitted in Estero thus far this year, up from 462 last year but down from 629 in 2000. During the same period housing units in buildings with 3 or more units has declined from 744 in 2000 to 536 in 2001 and 334 this year.

 

In spite of the 19 per cent year to year decline in housing units permitted thus far this year, the total building value of all housing units fell by less than one percent. The increased proportion of single family homes and higher housing prices are offsetting the decline in the number of new housing units. Estero's average housing unit building value thus far this year is up 23 % from last year and 11% from 2000.

 

For the first seven months of the year Estero constituted 24% of the total building value for all housing units permitted throughout unincorporated Lee County, and was approximately double that of the City of Bonita Springs.

 

Estero Community Park ( Centrally located between Corkscrew and Williams about 1 mile east of US 41) Progress Report--- On August 6th the county officials responsible for the design and construction of this 65 acre park presented two alternative master plans for the remaining 55 acres to the citizens of Estero. Each plan contains the same features including, but not limited to, recreation center with covered outdoor stage; two soccer fields; playgrounds for different age groups; a water park; skate park; horseshoe and bocce courts; a 5K cross country course; a large central lawn; bike/walking trails; picnic pavilions; a dog park and a 9 hole disc golf course. The Estero citizens attending the meeting preferred the following features: an oval central lawn; an entrance with a roundabout; and separate active and passive recreation sections within the park.

 

The two plans may be viewed on the Parks and Recreation Department section of the Lee County website www.lee-county.com. The county and its planners will now amend the plan and present it to the BOCC for their approval in late September or October. Public testimony will be permitted at that meeting. Thereafter the park will be designed; three additional public meetings will be held late this year or early 2003 to discuss various park design issues, including the size and design of the recreation center; and construction will begin--probably next spring.  

 

Estero Median Roadway Landscaping and Lighting Update

 

The University Overlay--Ben Hill Griffin & Corkscrew Road east of I-75--- this project will soon become the second jewel in Estero's roadway landscaping plan. It is our northeastern anchor similar to the manner that the Brooks anchors the southwestern sector of our roadway landscaping plan.

 

The project was slowed by the discovery of high iron content and low water pressure in the project's test irrigation wells. As a result the irrigation system had to be redesigned, more test wells drilled and new permits obtained. During September and October the County and its project manager, Lodge Construction, will prepare bid documents; advertise for bidders; and evaluate and select contractors. Construction is expected to begin in November with plant installation being completed in February or March 2003.

 

The landscape design will provide the corridor with median landscaping well above the County's "core" landscaping standards, with more mature trees and other plant materials being planted more intensively.

 

Corkscrew Road from Sandy Lane to Corkscrew Woodlands--- During September, Lee County will begin installing "core" median landscaping on this important segment of Estero's "Main Street". The irrigation and plantings should be installed in about three months. If the community and its developers can access some of the additional $2 million being budgeted by the County for roadway landscaping this year, additional plantings will be installed along this roadway next year.

 

Estero  Road Improvement Progress

 

US 41 from North Old 41 to Corkscrew Road--- during September FDOT will conduct a public meeting to discuss the widening and resurfacing plans for this road segment with Estero and Bonita businesses and residents. Construction will begin during the later part of the month. The road design includes five foot sidewalks on each side of the road and six foot shoulders for bike riders. The construction contract provides incentives for the contractor to complete the job ahead of schedule.  Recent traffic counts for the road showed that an average of 41,500 vehicles per day passed the Old 41 terminus. 

 

 

 

Some of Estero's Pending Rezoning Proposals

 

Corkscrew-River Ranch (Northwest Corner)Commercial Planned Development--- On August 12th  David McKee reported to the ECPP on changes made to the Corkscrew River Ranch CPD as a result of his July 24 meeting with the Panel:

 

There were several significant problems with the site plan as modified:

 

McKee said he will confer with the owner to see if he will agree to eliminate some of these uses. He will furnish the Panel with a copy of his meeting report to be submitted to the County and consider the Panel's suggestions before final submittal.

 

Park Circle CPD--- On August 12th Charles Basinait and Gary F. Muller presented this project to the ECPP. The project site is on the north side of Corkscrew Road between Country Creek and Kristen Woods, an approved mixed use project located on the northeast corner of Sandy Lane and Corkscrew Road. Zoning for this project would authorize the owner to construct one 12,750 sf two story Office/Retail building on a 1.17 acre site.

 

Dan DeLisi noted that if the site plan were approved by the ECPP as submitted it would raise credibility issue for the ECPP because it deviates from the set back requirements recently approved by the County. The location of the building on the site will depend upon the location of the interconnection with Kristen Woods. Efforts will be made by the developer to work with the owners of Kristen Woods to relocate their interconnect road so that the building could be moved forward with parking in the rear. This would permit the project to comply with the setback requirements of the Corkscrew Road Overlay District recently added to the Land Development Code.

 

In addition to the entrance through Kristen Woods the site plan contains an entrance off Corkscrew Road on a little used existing road that does not have a turn lane. Basinet will furnish the Panel with a copy of his county required meeting summary for review and comment before submitting it to the county.

 

Koreshan Skilled Nursing Home--- On August 19th Doug Widner and Dale Johnson presented a zoning amendment to add a 24 bed Alzheimer’s wing to the previously approved 155 bed Koreshan Skilled Nursing Home Facility now under construction on the north side of Williams Road just west of US 41. The facility is a one story building with large buffers on the north and west sides adjacent to residential developments. The new wing will begin construction shortly after the existing facility is completed. The traffic generated by the project is expected to be less than would have been generated by the 155 bed hospital originally approved for this site. 

 

The developer indicated that they are willing to pay their proportionate share of the cost of landscaping the US 41 median and of maintaining it even though they do not front directly on US 41.

 

Estero Pointe CPD (approximately ¼ mile north of the intersection of US 41 and Coconut Road on the west side of US 41 in front of Marsh Landing) --- Also on August 19th Greg Stuart, of Stuart and Associates, presented a rezoning application for the Estero Pointe CPD that would change the zoning from Agricultural to 95,000 sf of retail and office. The project will consist of two small retail tracts on the north and south ends of the property and two central tracts that would be used for office development.

 

The application would preserve 35-ft of native vegetation in an area that would buffer a portion of the Marsh Landing boundary in depth from 60-ft to 145-ft. To implement a “Village” concept for the property the plan provides for residential units above the commercial space. The recent amendments to the LDC encourage this kind of development while Lee county requirements have historically made this combination of uses quite difficult.

 

 

 

Officers of the Marsh Landing homeowners association raised concerns about the potential for the inter-connect road near the rear of the property and adjacent to Marsh Landing causing possible loitering and lighting problems. ECPP Chairman Noethlich indicated that the Panel will work with the homeowners association to ensure that their concerns are addressed by the developer.

 

In addition serious objections were raised about a number of the proposed uses: service stations, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, car washes, package stores, parcel and express services and rental and leasing establishments. Stuart promised to supply the ECPP with a copy of the meeting summary he is required to file with the County.

 

Plaza del Sol CPD (northeast corner of Corkscrew and Three Oaks) --- Finally on August 19th Tracy N. Bean, Zoning and Land Use Coordinator of Bean, Whitaker, Lutz & Kareh, Inc. presented an amendment to the existing commercial zoning of Plaza Del Sol CPD project. If approved the amendment would:

·        relocate a lake from the highly visible southwest corner of the property to the back of the property,

·        increase the number of tracts, mostly outlots, from 7 to 9,

·        add 50,000 square feet of retail space in order to provide a large parcel for a potential buyer.

 

Bean indicated that the property owners have a development order that permits them to clear some of the property and install some of the infrastructure. Chairman Noethlich emphasized the Panel’s desire for a consistent architectural theme for all the property and that this section of Corkscrew Road, including this property, not become a gasoline or fast-food alley. The panel pointed out that the proposal, as presented, would permit a fast food restaurant on each of the nine parcels.

 

The developer replied that the tone for the project would be set by the bank that will anchor the corner if the requested change is approved by the county. Strong opposition was also expressed to the request for a free standing bar or cocktail lounge. Such a request is inconsistent with the Estero Community Plan. Finally, it was suggested that the project site should have only one Corkscrew Road entrance instead of the two sought by the developer. Bean indicated that they will review the list of possible uses in view of the objections and send the Panel a revised list.

 

Cascades Amendment--- On August 27th Harry Sleek, Senior Vice President, Levitt and Sons updated the Panel on the latest plans for the Cascades adult (55 or older) single-family community being built between Koreshan Boulevard and East Broadway, about 1/2 mile east of Three Oaks Parkway. Levitt has acquired the Sunny Grove Nursery property located just southeast of the Cascade site and just north of Country Creek. The zoning amendment would add this property to the development resulting in a 20% expansion of the project's site. This acquisition will greatly reduce truck, other traffic and noise on East Broadway. Present zoning for the Cascades prohibits access to the Cascades from Broadway except for emergency vehicles. This amendment retains that limitation.

 

The amendment also replaces the multi-family housing units planned for the northwest section of the site with zero lot line detached villas. Thus, the project will ultimately contain 700 single-family homes and no multifamily units. A 40-foot wide buffer with a 5-foot berm and a 6-foot wall will be installed along Koreshan and a 6-foot wall will separate the Cascades from Rookery Pointe. The panel and the audience were supportive of the proposed changes.

 

New Proposed Development Projects

 

Ginn Company Proposes Major Project East of FGCU--- as reported in earlier editions the Ginn Company, an Orlando based developer, is assembling about 5,400 acres of land immediately east of FGCU. Virtually all of the land is in the County's Density Reduction Groundwater Recharge (DRGR) Area -- an area that supplies one third of the county's drinking water. The DRGR designation was established by the county in the late 1980s and restricts housing density in the area to one residential unit per 10 acres.

 

The proposed project would include: 1,400 housing units (or about 3 units per acre), four golf courses, some hotel rooms and office and commercial space. In order to encourage FGCU support for this density increase, Ginn has agreed to donate 100 acres to the University; swap another 215 acres located close to the University campus; build some new roads for the University; donate $7.5 million toward construction of a school of engineering and contribute another $2 million to help operate that school in its early years.

 

The developer hopes to convince the BOCC that the project will be better for the DRGR property than continued use for farming and mining and by limiting the area covered by impervious materials to 500 acres, or about 10%, of the area. The developer's engineers argue that the land has already been heavily scarred by past mining and farming activities. The land contains 1,273 acres of quarries, 2,258 acres that has been used for farming and 1,875 acres infested with exotic plants.

 

In 2000 the BOCC approved construction of 10 golf courses for the DRGR area with tight construction and operations guidelines and a requirement that no houses would ever be built on them. Thus far the Bonita Bay Group has sought zoning for 6 courses (one has been approved) and Ginn recently received approval for one 27 hole golf course on over 400 acres of this project site.

 

 

It is estimated that it will take at least two years for this project to work its way through the approval process, no matter how it ends up. Inasmuch as some of the property is located in Estero the developer will undoubtedly be making several presentations to the ECPP and the Estero community during the next couple of years, but is unready to do so now.