Estero Development Report
Volume 3, Number 11
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.
April
Opportunities for Citizen Participation
In Protecting
Estero's Quality of Life
|
Date |
Time |
Event |
Location |
|
Saturday,
April 3rd |
|
|
Grand
Ballroom of the Hyatt Coconut Point Resort |
|
Monday,
April 5th |
|
BOCC
Hearing on The Reserve of Estero Rezoning |
|
|
Monday,
April 5th |
|
BOCC
Discussion of Estero's US 41 Widening
Acceleration Loan Proposal |
|
|
Tuesday,
April 6th |
|
|
Shadow
Wood Country Club |
|
Tuesday,
April 6th |
|
Roadway
Landscape Advisory Committee Meeting |
|
|
Wednesday,
April 7th |
|
City
of |
Bonita
Springs Utilities Board Room, |
|
Monday,
April 12th |
|
Estero
Community Planning Panel Meeting Hearing on (1) The Galeria at |
Marsh
Landing Clubhouse |
|
Tuesday,
April 13th |
|
Estero
Fire Rescue District Board |
Estero
United |
|
Wednesday,
April 14th |
|
Estero
Design Review Committee review of the Coconut Point Design Standards |
The
|
|
Friday,
April 16th |
|
ECCO
Council of Community Leaders Meeting |
Marsh
Landing Clubhouse |
|
Monday,
April 26th |
|
City
of |
Bonita
Springs Utilities Board Room, |
|
Thursday,
April 29th |
|
Estero
Chamber Business After Hours |
|
Index
|
Page |
Subject |
|
1 |
Calendar |
|
2 |
Commercial Corridor
Projects Under Construction or Soon To Be Started |
|
2 |
Public Projects Underway or
Getting Started This Year |
|
3 |
Permitted Housing Units
Continue Growth |
|
3 |
"Village with a Vision"
Report |
|
4 |
Coconut Point Progress
Report |
|
5 |
Other Projects in Process |
|
6 |
Coconut
Road Wal-Mart Status Report |
|
8 |
Koreshan
Wal-Mart Progress Report |
|
10 |
The Widening of US 41 |
|
11 |
|
Commercial Corridor Projects Under Construction or
Soon To Be Started -- All the zoning
and development orders approved during the last three years signaled the start
of a future construction boom in Estero's commercial corridors. As the following
list indicates at least eighteen (18) projects are either recently completed, underway
or will begin construction later this year along US 41 or
Estero Commercial Corridor Construction Projects
Started in 2003 & 2004
|
Project |
Start-up Date |
Estimated Completion Date |
|
Corkscrew Palms-Buildings 1, 2 & 3 |
December 2002 |
September 2003 |
|
Eckerd Drugs at |
May 2003 |
November 2003 |
|
Bank of |
July 2003 |
January 2004 |
|
|
September 2003 |
March 2004 |
|
Chevron Gas Station -- |
September 2003 |
March 2004 |
|
Colonial Bank at Grande Oak S/C |
August 2003 |
April 2004 |
|
Rick Johnson Tire & Auto |
January 2004 |
April 2004 |
|
Tires Plus |
December 2003 |
April 2004 |
|
Miromar Outlets Mall -- Phase 4 |
July 2003 |
June 2004 |
|
Chevron Gas Station -- Grande Oak S/C |
March 2004 |
September 2004 |
|
Galloway Ford |
January 2004 |
September 2004 |
|
|
March 2004 |
September 2004 |
|
Estero Fire Rescue Station at Coconut Point |
April 2004 |
October 2004 |
|
Bank at Plaza del Sol ( |
June 2004 |
December 2004 |
|
|
June 2004 |
January 2005 |
|
|
February 2004 |
August 2005 |
|
|
May 2004 |
October 2005 |
|
Embassy Suites @ |
June 2004 |
October 2005 |
Public Projects Underway or Getting Started This Year
-- In addition seven (7) public
improvement projects are recently completed, underway or soon to be started in
Estero. They are:
|
Project |
Start-up Date |
Estimated Completion Date |
|
Corkscrew Road Landscaping -- US 41 to Three Oaks |
December 2003 |
March 2004 |
|
|
May 2004 |
August 2004 |
|
US 41 Six-laning from Old 41 to |
September 2002 |
September 2004 |
|
|
June 2004 |
September 2004 |
|
Estero Fire District Coconut Point Station |
April 2004 |
October 2004 |
|
|
November 2004 |
February 2005 |
|
|
January 2004 |
April 2005 |
Permitted Housing Units Continue Growth -- During January and February 248 housing units with a
building value of $46.2 million were permitted in Estero. The following table
shows how this performance compares with the prior four years:
|
Year |
Total Annual
Housing Units |
Number of Housing
Units |
Building Value of
Units |
|
2000 |
2,088 |
329 |
$48,765,104 |
|
2001 |
2,104 |
289 |
48,480,038 |
|
2002 |
1,500 |
191 |
35,231,265 |
|
2003 |
1,425 |
376 |
58,389,930 |
|
2004 |
|
248 |
46,184,756 |
Thus the current year ranks
below Estero's two big growth years (2000 & 2001) and last year (2003) but
above 2002 in both the number of housing units permitted and in the building
value of those units. The numbers of units in January and February 2003 are
inflated by the large number of permitted units in Villagio during February. It
is also worth noting that the building value of housing units permitted in
Estero this year is up significantly from the 2000-01 period
(From $157,350 to $186,200).
The building value of housing
units permitted in Estero continues to exceed that of the City of Bonita
Springs. During the first two months of the year the building value of Estero's
residential permits exceeded Bonita's by 44%. Although commercial investment in
"Village with a Vision" -- The "Village with a Vision" program is an
educational program designed to inform Estero residents about Estero's history,
its recent growth and development, our collective efforts to manage that growth
and the issues we must deal with today and in the years to come. Thus far this
year 1,023 Estero residents have attended the first nine Village with a Vision
programs - an average of 114 per presentation. A community wide
presentation is planned for the Ballroom at the Hyatt Coconut Point Resort on
Saturday, April 3rd and another large crowd is expected to attend
the Shadow Wood at the Brooks presentation on April 6th. Our thanks
go out to Carlos Cabrera, Cynthia Metzger and the Hyatt Resort staff for their
generous contribution of facilities and support of their fellow Esteroans.
Communities that still have
not scheduled a Village with a Vision presentation may still do so. The
evenings of April 13th and 15th and April 26-29 are still available
before "the season" ends. Interested communities should contact Jim
Ramsburg at 949 0362.
Coconut Point Progress Report -- On January 27 the Simon Property Group announced some
of the tenants that will occupy part of Coconut Point's town center. This phase
will consist of 40 to 50 stores containing 600,000 square feet of retail space
surrounding a 15 acre lake. This is Simon's "Community Center" with a
scheduled opening date of October 2005. Some of the larger stores in the
Community Center will be Best Buy, T J Maxx, Sports Authority, DSW, Petsmart
and Ross Dress for Less. The balance of the Community Center will be occupied
by smaller stores and restaurants. None of these stores will look like the ones
you have seen elsewhere around the country nor will they be configured as they
are in your typical shopping center.
The "Village" that will be designed around a main street concept will
be an exciting, mixed use project along an active street anchored by Dillard at
the south and the lakefront at the north. The lake will be surrounded by restaurants
and a boardwalk. Over the retail on
30,000 square feet of condominium office and a hotel. The announced anchors in
this phase are an 180,000 square foot Dillard's and a 93,000 square foot Muvico
twenty screen theatre. In addition the
All of the buildings in the
Zoning for Coconut Point requires the developers to prepare appearance standards
for the entire 483 acre site that must be approved by the County. The developers
will present the appearance standards to the Estero Design Review Committee
(EDRC) at their April meeting. In addition the Council of Community Leaders has
formed a Committee to review the standards and to work with the EDRC, the developers
and County staff to ensure that they are consistent with the appearance
standards established by the community for other commercial projects during the
last several years.
Site preparation for both the Community Center and Town Center is scheduled to
begin with some mass grading activity in May with the heavier site work in the
early Fall. Construction of the Community Center is scheduled to begin in
September with
Construction of
Other Projects in Process
The following projects have
recently passed some significant milestones or announced new plans:
FGCU
South Housing Complex -- According
to press reports the University recently contracted with TKW Engineering to
provide engineering and project management services for a 4,000 student, 80
acre South Housing Complex. The contract includes construction of a new south
entrance to the University and the two roads leading to the campus from
The Lakes of Estero -- D.R Horton, a national home builder headquartered in
Arlington, Texas has purchased the 82 remaining units in The Lakes of Estero
and has taken over marketing of this 102 unit single family housing project
located immediately east of Estero High School at the corner of River Ranch
Road and Williams Road.
Potential Rezoning of the
If Winton's plan is accepted
by the community, the County and the owner of the property only three
businesses would share the site as opposed to the eight authorized by current
zoning. Since the property is located in an Interstate development zone the
likely use under present zoning is fast food, gas stations, motels and other
interstate service facilities. The appearance of the property would be greatly
improved by the proposed change and the project traffic would be greatly
reduced.
About 18-20 months will be
required for the rezoning process. The applicant will again meet with the ECPP
if the plans for the parcel are accepted by the property owner. Winton asked
for support from the Panel to substantiate the financial outlay required to
hold the property while it undergoes the rezoning process.
Winton expressed a desire to
purchase the entire 20-acre parcel including two outlots which would occupy
approximately one and a half acres each.
The remaining 45% of the acreage would be allotted to water management
and green space.
Neal Noethlich, ECPP Chair,
cautioned that auto dealership outdoor display requirements could create a problem
regarding compliance with the Estero Community Plan. Mitch Hutchcraft, a member
of the Panel, expressed concern over the potential of traditional car
dealership signage and outside promotional devices. Winton responded his dealership would reflect
the character of the Community Plan in its display and landscaping. The Panel
voted unanimously to support the proposed change.
The zoning request is for six
parcels on a 38 acre site extending along
The ECPP reacted favorably to
the mixed use aspects of the development and agreed to work with the developer
to help achieve this goal. The project is designed to complement the
Corkscrew Three Oaks CPD -- The ECPP also heard a presentation by the Bonita Bay
Group for a small retail and office development on 1.63 acres on the southwest
corner of
Coconut Road Wal-Mart Status Report
On February 11th
Wal-Mart presented architectural and landscaping plans for a proposed 208,000
square foot super-store on the northwest corner of US 41 and
As a result over 100 people
attended the EDRC meeting and joined the Committee in raising numerous
objections and suggestions for Wal-Mart (see last month's edition). Subsequently
Wal-Mart submitted revised plans to the EDRC responsive to many of the
suggestions for improving the appearance of the superstore and its site, but
not reconfiguring it as was repeatedly suggested at the meeting.
On Friday, February 13th
Wal-Mart met with County staff for an informal pre-filing meeting regarding
their DO application for the site. County staff informed Wal-Mart that they
considered the proposed development plan for the eight commercial parcels they
planned to use for the store to be inconsistent with the zoning for those
parcels. Wal-Mart’s proposal for the site would build the superstore on a
combination of a large 13.4 acre parcel, 7 outlots and the land designated for
internal roads. The parcel Wal-Mart would not use for the store is an 11.2 acre
parcel at the west end of the property that is zoned for “light industrial” use,
with a residential backup alternative. This parcel must be rezoned if it is to
be used for retail purposes.
Subsequently Wal-Mart
explored developing another DO that would overcome the County's reservations
about the one they presented to the EDRC and county staff. On March 24th
the County formally informed Wal-Mart that the DO amendment that they had filed
was not consistent with the zoning on the property and was therefore rejected.
Wal-Mart has three options:
As we go to press Wal-Mart
has not indicated which option they will choose.
On March 15th
Wal-Mart conducted a public meeting with the Marsh Landing community after
several meetings with the leaders of that community that borders the Wal-Mart
site on the north. Wal-Mart's presentation contained several changes responsive
to the concerns of the Marsh Landing leadership. However, the 100 Marsh Landing
residents attending the meeting had many questions about the store and how they
would be affected by it.
Residents of several other
surrounding communities have asked Wal-Mart to hold a meeting in their
communities. In addition the community has offered to arrange a single large
meeting at the
During this period the
leaders of nine surrounding communities and some local businesses have decided
to employ an experienced Lee County land use attorney to identify issues that
could be used to prevent Wal-Mart from developing a superstore on this site or
to require Wal-Mart to rezone the site so that the store and its surrounding
property would be developed consistent with community desires.
If Not Wal-Mart, What?
This large 46.36 acre parcel
of property was zoned in 1998 to contain two development areas…a 31.95 acre
retail/commercial tract and a 14.41 acre limited light industrial tract. The
retail/commercial tract is divided into 8 parcels…7 outlots ranging size from
1.27 acres to 2.5 acres and a large 13.44 acre parcel. The light industrial tract
contains one parcel of 11.17 acres. The zoning authorizes the property owner to
build up to 250,000 square feet of retail space and 50,000 square feet of
office space on the retail/commercial tracts and up to 200,000 square feet of
light industrial on that tract.
Among the 72 permitted use
categories applicable to each of the seven outlots are: automobile service
station; bar or cocktail lounge; car wash; convenience food and beverage store;
lawn and garden supply stores; package store; repair shops; fast food
restaurants; vehicle and equipment dealers. Unlike our more recent zonings that
are no limitations on the number of outlots that may be used for service
stations, fast food restaurants etc. The four outlots along US 41 could be
developed as a fast food, gasoline alley.
In addition to these outlot
uses the large retail/commercial parcel can be used for the following uses:
Boat parts, rental, repair and service and sales stores; building material
sales; bus station/depot; golf driving range; helistop; hotel/motel;
mini-warehouse; nightclubs; vehicle and equipment dealers; and warehouses.
Zoning for this parcel permits 95 categories of uses such as these few that we
have enumerated. Without rezoning this parcel could be used for 100,000 to
120,000 square foot "big box" or strip center or a boat or automobile
dealer.
In addition to many of the
above use categories zoning for the 11.16 acre light industrial parcel includes
the following uses among the 55 use categories listed in the zoning ordinance:
factory outlets; government maintenance facility; manufacturing of apparel
products, electrical machinery and equipment, food and kindred products;
leather products; lumber and wood products; measuring, analyzing and
controlling instruments, novelties, jewelry, toys and signs, rubber and plastic
products; mobile home dealers; processing and warehousing and research and
development laboratories.
Should Wal-Mart not purchase
the property there are many authorized, but undesirable, uses of each parcel
within this property that would require only one public meeting with the EDRC,
the filing of a report on that meeting with County staff before the County
would be legally required to issue a Development Order and construction could
begin.
Koreshan Wal-Mart Progress Report
If the zoning and
Development order (DO) applications are approved by the County, Wal-Mart will
be able to construct a 208,000 square foot super Wal-Mart on the northeast
corner of
On February 12th
the Wal-Mart Committee of the Estero Council of Community Leaders met with
Wal-Mart's representatives and experts for a briefing on the zoning and
Development Order (DO) applications found "sufficient" by county
staff. In addition to the briefing, Wal-Mart addressed in detail the 37 issues
contained in "Wal-Mart Issues Raised by the Community", dated July
12, 2003, that was submitted to Wal-Mart when they made their presentation to
the ECPP. As its title implies the issue
paper incorporates all the questions and concerns raised by Estero residents at
several community meetings on the proposed project.
At this meeting, Wal-Mart
addressed all the issues raised by the community, committed to substantial
concessions and agreed to change their zoning application accordingly. Major commitments
made on February 12th are as follows:
Eliminated their request for outdoor displays and sales
Eliminated their request for outdoor storage
Significantly incre