Estero Development Report

Volume 5, Number 3
Issued July 2005

Edited by ECCL--the Estero Council of Community Leaders
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

August Opportunities for Citizen Participation In Protecting Estero's Quality of Life

First Half Permitted Housing Units Approach 1,500

During June Lee County issued building permits for another 190 housing units in Estero worth $43,419,422 exclusive of the value of the land under the housing units. The County’s reported figures for commercial development in Estero understate Estero’s totals because the permit for the $2 million Navona Condominium Tower parking deck located in the Estero section of The Colony in Pelican Landing was included in the total for Bonita Springs.

The following table shows how the first six months of 2005 compares with the same period during the prior five years:

The 1,465 housing units permitted during the first six months of 2005 exceeds the second highest year, 2001, by 275 units, or 23% and last year’s six month total by 669 units or 84%. The permitted value of these units, excluding land, exceeds the second highest year, 2001, by $115,389,115, or 63%. This year’s total building value falls only $11.1 million short of the total for the last two years combined.

The major contributors to these enormous increases are the following six communities: Bella Terra, Villagio, Osprey Cove, Rapallo, Meadows and Belle Lago.

The average building value of $203 thousand almost equals 2004 in spite of the fact that the percentage of single family homes is 24% lower.

REMINDER: The residential building value understates the cost of each residence because it excludes the value of the underlying land.

Estero Property Tax Base
Grows by $860 Million This Year

Estero's 2005 property tax base grew by a record $860 million. This increase is almost $240 million larger than our previous high growth period in 2002. This year’s increase is larger than Estero’s total property tax base just six years ago. With this year’s housing starts being far ahead of all prior years and Estero’s commercial growth just getting underway we would predict that Estero’s 2006 property tax growth will easily exceed $1 billion.

The Lee County Tax Appraiser's preliminary 2005 data shows Estero’s property tax base to be $4.2 billion. That value is about 10 times what it was nine years ago in 1996 and nearly four times as large as 5 years ago, in 2000.

As a result of this growth Estero’s tax base is now:

• about 4 percent greater than the City of Fort Myers,
• 37 percent greater than the City of Fort Myers Beach, and
• less than 1 percent smaller than the City of Sanibel.

Coconut Point Town Center
Design Presentation to the EDRC

On July 13th several representatives of Simon Property Group and two of their developers met with members of the EDRC to present their design plans for Estero’s largest retail and mixed use development, the Coconut Point Town Center. The Town Center is a 166 acre parcel on the northeast corner of Coconut Road and US 41. When complete It will consist of three shopping areas – The Market, the Lakefront Shops and The Village.

View an Exciting Video of Simon’s Plans for the Coconut Point Town Center on the web at www.coconutpointretail.com

Simon began the presentation with a five minute video prepared for the International Shopping Center Convention. The following details have been changed since the video was prepared:

• There will be a fountain in the arrival court,
• A dome on the east side of the Village was changed to a tower with a tile roof,
• Some other changes due to changing tenants and their needs.

Simon stressed that the redesign effort emphasized creating a sense of variety by using many Mediterranean features. Applicant used many towers as strong corner elements.

A disk with the drawings of most all of the buildings was provided to EDRC member Joe McHarris who agreed to make copies for the rest of the committee to review.

There will be a mixed use area along the east side of the Village with residential over retail. On the other side of the main street there will also be office over retail. The first floor retail in these buildings is higher than usual giving these two story buildings the appearance of being three stories tall. The view of Main Street is always changing because that road is designed as an arc rather than a straight street.

Simon will be maintaining the buildings and property as these as leased spaces.

Pedestrian level decorations (banding, cornices etc.) are made of precast stucco and stone while those higher up are foam extrusion. The site plan keeps the rear of most of the buildings from public view.

Kosene and Kosene, the developer, and Wakefield Beasley, their architect, discussed the residential portion of the project. Kosene is another Indianapolis, Indiana firm that specializes in urban residential development. They will be developing seven buildings…three along the Main Street and four free standing residential buildings, containing a total of 289 units. Parking for all of the units will be under some of the strictly residential buildings. The project will include 16 floor plans varying in size from 1,000 to 2,400 square feet under air. Units are expected to sell for $250,000 to $500,000.

Some other characteristics of The Residences at Coconut Point are:

• Each unit will have a private balcony,
• All the buildings will use the same color schemes and barrel tile roofs as elsewhere in the town center,
• There will be a clubhouse, pool, spa and exercise area,
• Grillwork, attractive fencing and landscaping will hide the garage areas,
• The maximum height of the buildings is 45 feet making it difficult to add towers; however parapets might be possible.
• The design will hide the mechanical equipment on the roof,
• All windows will be hurricane impact resistant,
• Three bridges will connect the residential/retail buildings to the residential buildings with the under-building parking,
• A question arose as to what people from the Brooks could see. The developer stated that site line studies were done and the nearest residents of The Brooks would not be able to see these buildings,
• The heating and air conditioning system will not require any thru the wall grills and their condensers will be on the roof.

The Simon Property Group continues to work with the Lee County Sheriff to locate a substation in the Village. The Market section of the project is due to open in March 2006 with the balance of the project planned to open in the fall of 2006.

Simon will return to the EDRC to present its signage, landscape and lighting plans when the designs are complete. Simon assured the EDRC that all the designs would satisfy the Coconut Point Design Guidelines approved by the community and County staff. The landscaping plans will include street, building and building perimeter planting plans.

Due to increased construction costs the Muvico Theater has been downsized so that it will now consist of 16, rather than 20, screens and 3,500 seats. About two thirds of the front of the Theater will be screened from view by other buildings. There is a 10 foot walkway between the front of the theatre and the buildings that screen it form view. Simon stated this area would be a secure area and would be used only as a theatre exit. The Simon Property Group will be providing security for the entire project. The EDRC was not impressed by the architecture and design of the Muvico Theater noting that it’s architecture is different than all the other buildings in the project. In addition the EDRC stated that the rear of the theatre needs to be better landscaped. The Muvico representative agreed to return with an architectural plan more in line with the rest of the shopping center and that has been coordinated with the overall Simon design and approved by the Simon prior to resubmission. A detailed landscape plan must also be provided.

2005 – 2007 Roadway Monitor

The following seven roadway projects are scheduled for construction in and around Estero during the next two and one-half years. They must stay on schedule if south Lee County is to avoid even more traffic gridlock over the next several years as Estero’s residential growth rate increases and our commercial growth takes off.

With the help of FDOT and Lee DOT staff this and subsequent EDR reports will identify the key schedule deadlines for each project so that any delays are observed and corrected as soon as possible.

State Projects

US 41 from Old 41 in Collier County to Bonita Beach Road

Construction Underway…Completion Date…August 2005

US 41 from Bonita Beach Road to Old 41 by Pelican Landing

Construction Underway…the completion date for the segment excluding the bridge over the Imperial River is January, 2006 with the bridge segment expected to open in April, 2006

US 41 from Corkscrew Road to San Carlos Boulevard

Construction in the new adopted work program is funded in fiscal year 2009/2010, although Florida DOT along with Lee County and the ECCL are exploring options to advance construction to 2006/2007 when the project will be production ready.

Longer Term FDOT Plans

Today, Florida DOT has $146 million programmed in fiscal year 2007/2008 to six-lane I-75 from Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County to Daniels Parkway in Lee County. $67 million is programmed to six-lane the interstate from Daniels Parkway to SR 80 in fiscal year 2009/2010.

In recent years, Florida DOT has made interim interchange improvements along I-75 to help relieve congestion at interchanges during peak travel times. Minor interchange improvements are now underway at Corkscrew Road. A new interchange at I-75/Golden Gate Parkway is under construction that will provide more direct access to Naples. It is expected to be completed in the summer of 2007. Cost for this new interchange is $26.5 million.

Major interchange reconstruction starts this week at I-75/Alico. This $32 million job rebuilds and improves the efficiency of one of the most heavily used interchanges in Southwest Florida. The contractor expects to finish the job by the end of 2006.

County Projects

Imperial Street from Bonita Beach Road to E. Terry Street

The north end of this segment connects to Three Oaks Parkway at East Terry Street.

Monthly Progress: Many more properties acquired, now over 60% of all Right of way (ROW) properties have been acquired.

Important Challenges: Coordinate the engineering firm that is supporting both the County on this project and the City of Bonita Springs on the East Terry widening project regarding the intersection designs and ROW acquisition at the Dean Street and East Terry Street intersections. Satisfy the South Florida Water Management District’s permit requirements regarding the overpass over the Imperial River.

Three Oaks Parkway from E. Terry Street to Coconut Road

Monthly Progress: Progress has been made regarding the contract necessary to acquire the Centex property, but the contract has not yet been finalized. This is the largest and most complicated ROW acquisition needed for this project.

Important Challenges: Obtain BOCC approval of the mitigation bank to be used for this project. Staff has recommended the Corkscrew Mitigation Bank but two other mitigation banks are competing for the business. The BOCC needs to decide this issue at its August 2nd meeting. Water Management District and Corps of Engineers permits cannot be obtained until this issue is resolved. Thus delay in this decision will delay the bidding process and the project.

Three Oaks Parkway from Corkscrew Road to Alico Road

Monthly Progress: Progress is being made in mitigation negotiations with the Water District and the Corp of Engineers.

Important Challenges: Acquisition of three major parcels from two owners that are necessary for detention ponds required by this project and the Estero Parkway Flyover.

Sandy Lane from Corkscrew Road to Pelican Colony Boulevard

Monthly Progress: Site preparation and clearing continues on the Corkscrew to Williams Road segment since June. Storm sewer installation continuing on the Coconut to Williams Road segment.

Estero Parkway from Three Oaks Parkway to Ben Hill Griffin

Monthly Progress: Right of way acquisition now 85% complete.

Important Challenges: Mitigation negotiations with the Water District and the Corps of Engineers must be completed before the project can be permitted. All available road contactors have more work than they can handle so competition for new projects is limited. In addition the County will soon have 5 or 6 projects ready to bid. Not all of them can be bid at the same time. Thus some will be delayed, and the costs are likely to be higher, because the supply side of the market is so limited.

Latest Concurrency Management Report

Each summer Lee County Department of Community Development publishes a report assessing the “Level of Service” for each road segment in the county, among other public assets. In the report the county uses the most recent traffic counts to grade each road segment’s ability to handle the current traffic. Roads that are handling the traffic best are accorded a grade of “A” and those that are failing will be assigned a grade of “F”.

When the developer of a commercial project seeks a Development Orders (DO) for a project, the County uses the concurrency information and the traffic impact statement for the project to decide if the DO can be approved without causing the adjacent roads to fail. If an adjacent arterial roadway is predicted to fail when the proposed project opens for business, the County can deny the DO and the project cannot proceed until the road is improved.

The recently released report contains information on two Estero road segments that may delay major retail projects that will soon be seeking Development Orders or rezoning. They are:

• The segment of Corkscrew Road between Three Oaks Parkway and I-75. During both 2003 and 2004 this segment received a grade of “D”. Projects under review on this segment include the Embassy Suites, Arizona Pizza, Hampton Inn, a 40,000 square foot medical office building, Classic Car Wash, a 168,000 Lowe’s store, 25,000 square foot of small stores in the Estero Town Commons. In addition traffic on the road will be increased by the fall 2006 opening of the Coconut Point Town Center and several other commercial developments west on Corkscrew Road and south on US 41.

• The segment of Coconut Road between Spring Creek Road and US 41. During both 2003 and 2004 this segment received a grade of “D” although the volume of traffic in 2004 was about 20% higher than in 2003. Traffic on this segment is increasing due to continuing construction in the Hyatt Time-share development; the Colony in Pelican Landing and in Coconut Shores. Future development of the former Weeks Fish Camp property and the JED development on the 46 acre parcel on the northwest corner of Coconut and US 41 may be delayed until this segment or the intersection is improved.

Gulf Coast Town Center
and Widening of Ben Hill Griffin

With the construction of Gulf Coast Town Center at Alico and I-75 the developers are widening Ben Hill Griffin from Alico to one mile south of that intersection. This project is now underway and is expected to be completed in October. The County’s 2020 long range transportation plan calls for Ben Hill Griffin to be six-laned down to Estero Parkway. A substantial part of the impact fees paid by the Gulf Coast Town Center are set aside for this widening project, but traffic conditions do not warrant this expansion today.

The first phase of Gulf Coast Town Center is also scheduled to be completed in October. The stores expected to open at that time are:

• Super Target
• Linens ‘n Things
• Petco
• Babies “R” Us
• Jo-ann Etc.
• Regal Cinema

The second phase, to be opened in the fall of 2006, will include:

• Bas Pro Shops
• Belk, and
• J C Penney.

Lee Memorial Closes on Coconut Point Property

Earlier this month Lee Memorial Health Systems closed on the purchase of 22 acres in the section of Coconut Point that lies south of Coconut Road. The property is located adjacent to the Bonita Community Health Center.

The purchase agreement prohibits Lee Memorial from building more than 30,000 square feet of medical space and more than 100,000 square feet of office or retail space prior to 2009. This restriction would not preclude the development of a free-standing emergency department. Florida law prohibits the development of such facilities until July 2006. If such a facility is to be approved for the site Estero and Bonita residents will need to work with the Lee Memorial to persuade the legislature to provide the necessary legal authority. This facility would permit major emergencies to be handled locally rather than requiring transport to the nearest hospitals about 10 miles away. Alternatively Lee Memorial could use the land and the existing building authority to expand the existing Community Health Center.

Thus this site will not be home to a south Lee County hospital for at least five years. If Lee Memorial wants to proceed with a hospital in 2009 they would need to seek an amendment of the existing Development of Regional Impact (DRI) zoning. According to press reports Lee Memorial’s studies suggest that by 2015 a 200 bed full service hospital may be needed in the area.

AT&T (Cingular) Tower Site
Redevelopment in the Colony of Pelican Landing

Between February 16th and July 1st the Chief Lee County Hearing Examiner heard six days of testimony regarding Cingular Wireless PCS’s, formerly AT&T, rezoning request that would permit a long established cellular site in the middle of The Colony of Pelican Landing to be redeveloped with a stealth tower and 15 single family homesites. During these Hearings the Pelican Landing Community Association (PLCA), WCI, The Colony Foundation and many residents of Pelican Landing and The Colony consistently opposed the proposed development unless it is developed consistent with the standards used in the surrounding communities and supports the communities and their associations in a manner comparable to the support that has been provided by the residents of The Colony and Pelican Landing.

These community leaders and residents will be happy to learn about the following letter submitted to Diana Parker, Lee County’s Chief Hearing Examiner, by Stacy C. Frank, attorney for Cingular:

“The letter is to inform you that New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC (“Cingular”), the Colony at Pelican Landing, Inc., and WCI Communities, Inc. are in the process of resolving their respective differences regarding Cingular’s rezoning application. I have been authorized by each of the parties to request that you issue a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners approving Cingular’s application subject to those conditions attached as Exhibit “A”. In response to the concern expressed by Mr. Hart during the July 1, 2005 hearing, Cingular has agreed to remove the tower no later than December 31, 2006.

If your schedule allows, we are requesting that you expedite your ruling to allow for an early September hearing before the County Commission…”

Exhibit “A”, entitled “Cingular Property Summary Sheet, contains the following major provisions, among others:

        “1. Maximum Building Height – 35 feet…
8. Minimum square feet of living area – 2,400 square feet air conditioned
9. Number of lots – 15…
11. Maintain all existing buffers on the property and provide new buffers as indicated on the master concept plan. The new buffers/streetscape should be consistent with the existing neighborhoods and road way buffers. A berm and wall combination may be used so long as the ultimate height meets the LDC requirements. Buffers/streetscape should include five trees (14 foot in height, 3 ½ inch caliper with 8 foot spread) planted per 100 linear feet and a continuous double staggered hedge, measuring a minimum of 60 inches high (48 inches at installation and maintained at 60 inches high) within one year after the date of planting….

12. The Pelican Landing and The Colony at Pelican Landing Design/Build Guidelines (as may be amended) regarding exterior materials and colors, windows, doors, patios, screened porches, garages, driveways and walkways, exterior lighting, water features, solar panels, accessory structures, landscaping, grading and drainage, walls, fences, hedges and plantings, streetscaping and landscape maintenance will be applicable….

2.    Home sites will be designed to be consistent with a Mediterranean theme,
3.    Existing tower to be removed no later than December 31, 2006.”

ECPP Zoning Reviews

Philip Lee Manufactured Homes

On July 11th attorney Charles Basinet, representing the owner of this business, presented a proposal to the ECPP to rezone the old fire station site, north of Broadway on east side of US 41, from public to commercial and combine it with the existing manufactured homes sales area to the south. The Panel had strong reservations about the seven deviations that were requested since they undercut the Estero Community Plan’s provisions on setbacks and landscaping. The Panel was especially opposed to permitting these deviations to apply to uses other than the existing manufactured homes sales use since the other uses should not need deviations uniquely appropriate for mobile home sales. The ECPP and the community questioned the continuing need for three entrances off of US 41. Basinet indicated they would explore how the deviations could be applied only to the existing use; how one of the entrances could be eliminated; how some of the requested uses could be eliminated and how more creative landscaping and buffering could be implemented along US 41.

Halfway Creek CPD

Also on July 11th at the ECPP meeting two planners and two owners of this 10 acre US 41 lot between the entrances to Fountain Lakes and Marsh Landing presented plans for a 112,434 square foot storage/office/retail facility. They indicated that the Halfway Creek wetlands will remain as wetlands and that the two proposed buildings will be on the Fountain Lakes/ northern end of the property.

The proposed three story self-storage building will not look like a self storage facility, but more like an office building, similar to the high end storage facilities the developers have built in Naples. The only deviation being requested is for less parking than would normally apply to commercial projects inasmuch as storage facilities do not generate much traffic and require much parking.

The developers proposed a two story retail/office building at the rear of the property. The Panel suggested that in the interest of the nearby Fountain Lakes residents, it would be desirable to limit this building to one story. The developers indicated that the uses of that building were uncertain and they will come back when they have something more concrete.

The developers also indicated that they would be willing to eliminate the US 41 entrance to the property if they could be assured an entrance through the Fountain Lakes entry road. The entire area will be included in a CPD, thus providing some protection that the included preserve and southern upland area would not be developed in the future. The developers hope to improve drainage in Halfway Creek by removing the exotic plants and trees and by the design of their drainage system.

Proposed Zoning for Unnamed RPDs

South of Corkscrew on the East Side of Three Oaks and an Unnamed RPD/CPD on the Southwest Corner of Corkscrew and Three Oaks

Also on July 11th Banks Engineering presented a proposal for ASCOT Development to rezone 47 acres on the southwest corner of Corkscrew and Three Oaks for 376 residential units and 13.4 acres of neighborhood commercial development. The ECPP pointed out that the proposed density would far exceed Lee County’s limit for areas such as this of six units per acre. The developers responded that the higher density is needed to support the smaller, non-big-box, stores that are planned for the commercial area. The Panel also questioned why the proposal provides only a 25 foot setback from the Estero River instead of a 50 foot setback as has been proposed on some other projects fronting the river. The developer’s engineer replied that the project would meet the existing County standards for protecting the Estero River and that the river is viewed as a big selling point for potential purchasers of the residential units. Chairman Noethlich indicated that while he is concerned about density he was inclined to be flexible if that was what was needed to avoid having a big box constructed on the corner. The residential was proposed as two and three story buildings.

The same developers proposed development of another 26 acres directly across Three Oaks Parkway for 192 multi-family housing units also located along the banks of the Estero River. Issues raised by the Panel and the community included:

• Density,
• Building height,
• Appearance of the buildings backing up to Three Oaks Parkway,
• The need for appearance standards that apply to both projects,
• The rectangular shape of the large lake, and
• The setback from the river.

Arizona Pizza at Estero Interstate Commerce Park

On July 13th the developers of this project presented their proposal for a 3,680 square foot sit down and carry out restaurant to the EDRC for the second time. The proposed restaurant would be located just west of the Tires Choice facility on the north side of Corkscrew just west of I-75. As its name implies Arizona Pizza is a southwestern US firm. This restaurant would be their first in the southeastern United States. The proposal includes an outdoor dining area and shared parking with the adjacent Tires Choice store.

At the July 13th meeting the applicant addressed comments received during their June presentation. The applicant amended their plans in the following ways:

• Added a tiled pitched roof,
• The north elevation was changed to correspond to the front façade,
• Added stamped, asphalt pavement in the turn-around area and rounded the corners in this area,
• Added more Mediterranean details to the architecture, removed the glass block from the chimney and added some stone next to the entrance,
• Added scrub dwarf palmettos to the top of the banks of the detention area,
• Added more plantings along the lot lines and along Corkscrew Road; however, the lot lines still need more plantings to satisfy the type A buffer requirements.

During the review the EDRC made the following additional suggestions:

• Applicant stated they had revised the landscape plans to include plantings that are at least 45 gallon size, 14 foot high, 3 inch caliper and 5-6 foot spread trees; however, this was not included in the specifications presented to the committee. Only the 9 parking lot trees complied. Applicant agreed to change all trees to meet these specifications,
• The Committee felt that the diagrammatic plan that was presented does not meet County code or the Corkscrew Overlay intentions. The landscape plan must show where the individual plants will be planted. Applicant agreed to revise the plan.
• The project design does not meet the 75% native plant County landscape requirement,
• The dumpster enclosure must be enclosed with plantings per a pending LDC change,
• The Committee asked for more information on the roof materials such as the name and whether it is a standing seam metal roof,
• The plan included an asbestos chimney that would be used for the wood oven. Committee recommends that this chimney be enclosed.
• The Committee questioned the combination of a railing and an abutting wall on the south elevation. The railing is in front of the outdoor dining. The committee felt the Applicant should use one or the other – railing or wall. The developer stated that he used a railing as he needed a gate for fire emergency purposes, but agreed to research the issue further.
• The applicant indicated that he planned to mount rain curtains around the outdoor dining area. The Committee urged that these curtains not be the plastic type that blows in the rain/wind. Applicant stated he was also investigating a roll-down type which fits into a track. The Committee liked that idea better.

Finally, the developer agreed to take the following actions:

• Change all trees to the recommended specifications,
• Develop a plan that will show where the individual plants will be planted,
• Enclose the dumpster with plantings,
• Change the awning over the coolers to a metal pan roof. The applicant agreed to return to the EDRC for a third time in order to resolve these issues.