Volume 3, Number 6
Issued October 2003
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
November Opportunities for Citizen
Participation
In Protecting Estero's Quality of Life
|
Date |
Time |
Event |
Location |
|
Tuesday,
November 4th |
6:00 p.m. |
Roadway
Landscape Advisory Committee Meeting |
County Community Development Building,
Conf. Room 3A, 1500 Monroe St.,
Ft Myers |
|
Wednesday,
November 5th |
9 a.m.
|
Hearing
Examiner Hearing of Cascades at Estero Rezoning |
County Community Development Building,
2nd Floor Conf. Room, 1500 Monroe St.,
Ft Myers |
|
Thursday,
November 6th |
7:30 p.m. |
Estero
Bonita Republican Club discussion of Sandy Lane with Bonita Councilman Wayne Edsall |
Pelican
Landing Clubhouse
24501 Walden Center Drive
(behind
the Pelican Landing Shopping Center) |
|
Friday,
November 7th |
1:30 p.m. |
Smart
Growth Symposium |
FGCU,
Student Union Ballroom |
|
Monday,
November 10th |
2 p.m. |
Estero Civic Association--speake rCounty Commissioner John Albion |
The Estero
Country Club at The Vines |
|
Monday,
November 10th |
6 p.m. |
Estero
Community Planning Panel Meeting -- Longwood Villas
Amendment; |
Marsh
Landing Clubhouse |
|
Tuesday,
November 11th |
6:00 p.m. |
Estero
Fire Rescue District Board Meeting |
Estero
United Methodist Church-- Founder's Hall |
|
Wednesday,
November 12th
|
5 p.m. |
Estero
Design Review Committee review of: Tires Plus; Galloway
Ford; Coconut Point Medical Center;
Rick Johnson Tire & Auto; |
The Perry Room of The Vines Country Club |
|
Thursday,
November 13th |
6 p.m.
|
Estero
Real Estate Review (Admission Fee Required) |
Hyatt
Coconut Point Hotel & Resort |
|
Friday,
November 14th |
2 p.m. |
ECCO
Council of Community Leaders Meeting |
Marsh
Landing Clubhouse |
|
Thursday,
November 20th |
8 a.m. |
Water
Quality Training Session
(Admission
Fee Required) |
Florida Gulf Coast University |
|
Thursday,
November 20th
|
5:30 p.m. |
Estero
Chamber Business After Hours, speaker Tom Schneider, The
Simon Property Group |
Hyatt
Coconut Point Resort and Spa |
|
Monday,
December 1st |
9 a.m. |
Hearing Examiner Hearing Estero Community Park Zoning |
County Community Development Building,
2nd Floor Conf. Room, 1500 Monroe St.,
Ft Myers |
|
Monday,
December 8th |
6 p.m. |
Estero
Community Planning Panel -- Sandy Lane Alignment Study Presentation |
Marsh
Landing Clubhouse |
·
Index
·
During the last
several years we have reported on literally hundreds of development
projects in Estero. In the past most of them have been at the zoning
stage. As reported last month about 80% of all of our commercial
corridors and a very high percentage of our residential land have
now been zoned.
The next stage of
the development process for each parcel of land is the Development
Order (D.O.) stage. That's where our Estero Design Review Committee
(EDRC) gets involved in reviewing the design and appearance of the
site plan, architecture, signage and landscaping. A good example of
that was last month's report on the EDRC's review of the
Wal-Mart
superstore proposal. The County's Community Development department
must approve each DO and the related building permit before
construction can commence.
Thus in the
future more and more of the community meetings required of
developers in Estero will be in conjunction with the EDRC. If you
want to see what Estero is going to look like in a few years, and to
influence that look, you should attend the monthly meeting of the
EDRC at the clubhouse at The Vines on the second Wednesday each
month.
In this report we
discuss some of the projects that made progress at one of the three
stages of development this month.
Developments Seeking Zoning
As reported last month
Wal-Mart presented a revised development plan to the EDRC on
September 10th and received numerous suggestions for
improvement from the committee and the public. In response to those
suggestions during October Wal-Mart transmitted another revised plan
to the EDRC. These changes will be discussed by the EDRC at their
meeting on Wednesday, November 12th starting at
5 p.m.
at the clubhouse at The Vines.
The EDRC's
comments and suggestions at this meeting will be used by the
Estero
Council of Community Leaders Wal-Mart committee as they prepare for
discussions with Wal-Mart later in the rezoning process.
The residential project now call
Bella Terra was formerly zoned
as the Habitat. The original zoning would have permitted
construction of about 2,350 housing units on over 1,000 acres along
the south side of Corkscrew Road about one mile east of
Wildcat Run.
The primary changes in the proposed
zoning eliminates the golf course; allocates more land to open space
and reduces the number of residential units by 400, with more
emphasis on single family or duplex homes and less on multi-family
units.
The added open space will help the
developer satisfy environmental limitations imposed by this property
which is immediately adjacent to the Density Reduction Groundwater
Recharge (DRGR) area. The developers are also seeking permission to
dig retention lakes to a depth of 30 feet rather they 20 feet. The
land extracted from these lakes will provide them the fill they will
need for the site. Blasting is being used to build 23 lakes.
The existing zoning permits 100,000
square feet of retail space and 20,000 square feet of office space.
The developers plan a 45 foot clock tower as the project identifier
near the entrance off of Corkscrew Road adjacent to the commercial area. The clock tower height may require
a deviation if it is determined to be in the Corkscrew Overlay.
Site preparation in now underway with
the first model homes expected to be opened early next year.
The developers of this project, Estero's second largest commercial
development, are closely related to the developers of
Coconut Point Town Center.
The property is located on 102 acres on the east side of US 41
between
Williams Road
and the
Corkscrew Village Shopping Center.
If approved as requested it will contain 550,000 square feet of
retail space, 120,000 square feet of office, a 150 room hotel and
150 housing units.
The development combines 9 parcels of
land with 6 owners into a unified project that uses many Estero Plan
and Main Street Overlay principals and is designed to compliment the
Coconut Point Town Center immediately to the south. Thus almost 3 miles on the east side of
US
41 in Estero will have a consistent, attractive architectural and
landscaping appearance.
The centerpiece of the project is a
large 15 acre lake that will be viewed from both principal
entrances. The four lane Sandy Lane extension between Corkscrew Road and Bonita Spring's
northern boundary will pass through the rear of the property. Sandy Lane will link the project to the 65 acre
Estero Community Park to be constructed just east of the site over the next several years.
The developers hope to obtain zoning
approval for the project by next summer and to begin construction in
about 3 years.
On October 20th
the Board of County Commissioners approved the zoning for the
Estero Town Center project. This 33 acre project is located on the southeast corner of
Three Oaks and Corkscrew Road and consists of a maximum of 265,000 square feet of retail space.
The anchor parcel on this project could contain a big box with as
much as 180,000 square foot of retail space. The zoning was approved
for the property owner, Dwight S. Baird Jr. Trust, inasmuch as the
prospective developer, the Courtelis Corporation, decided not to
proceed with the project. The change in applicant did not change any
of the provisions of the zoning that had been negotiated with the
ECPP.
The former
developer made a strong effort to zone the property in accordance
with the Corkscrew Road Overlay which requires, among many other
things, all buildings fronting on Corkscrew to be up close to the
road with the parking in the rear. In addition the zoning contains
an extensive set of Design Guidelines that will ensure that all the
purchasers of outlot parcels will use compatible architecture and
landscaping. The former developer participated extensively with the
ECPP in the development of "big box standards" that, when adopted by
the BOCC, will apply to all big box developments within Estero.
Developments
at Design Review
The Estero
Design Review Committee (EDRC) recently reviewed the design for
Estero Park Commons, a 102,250 square foot commercial project on the
west side of the entrance to the upcoming
Estero Community Park,
Corkscrew Palms Boulevard. The entrance is on the south side of
Corkscrew Road just west of the three Mediterranean office buildings now under
construction.
This
Mediterranean office project with up to 28,000 square feet of
neighborhood retail is being developed by the McGarvey Corporation,
developer of the attractive Riverside Park,
located in front of Bonita Bay just north of the Imperial River.
The EDRC
generally approved the appearance of the project but made the
following suggestions for improvement:
- The existing oaks and sabal palms need to be
preserved/relocated per the approved zoning resolution,
- The plan should allow greater pedestrian access into and
throughout the site. There needs to be access to or from
Corkscrew Boulevard to the buildings and an adequate system of linkages to the buildings
within the site. Pedestrian linkages must be made to each building
and across closed drainage areas where the walkways cross detention
areas,
- Use larger-than-code-minimum trees along the property access
drive, and
- Create naturalistic “clumps” on the berm along
Corkscrew Road (rather than a straight row of trees) and use them to compliment and
enhance the preservation of the existing oaks.
Approved Developments Making Progress
This Project was
formerly known as the "Simon Suncoast Mall". It is Estero's largest
mixed use project potentially consisting of 1.9 million square feet
of retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space, 600 hotel
rooms, 200 assisted living units and 1000 housing units located
along the east side of US 41 from the Bonita Springs northern border
to Williams Road, over 2 miles to the north.
Oakbrook
Properties, the developer of this 483 acre mixed use project, and
their major partner, the Simon Property Group, have been making
considerable progress in the year since the property was zoned.
Throughout the year they have been negotiating a Development
Agreement with the County that would specify when and how the road
impact fees paid by the developers will be used.
Oakbrook has
agreed to sell a significant amount of additional land to Simon. As
a result the Simon Property Group will own a large area extending
north from Coconut Road.
During November
the developers will begin to publicize the designs that will be used
on some of the properties that are further along in the planning
process.
The Simon
Property Group will make two presentations regarding their project
during November:
- On November 13th
they will make a presentation to the Estero Real Estate Review
sponsored by Stephanie Miller Select Real Estate and
FGCU, and
- On November 20th
Tom Schneider, Simon's Senior VP of Development will address the
Estero Chamber of Commerce' Business After Hours.
It should not be
too much longer before the developers will be ready to disclose some
of their future retail tenants.
Oakbrook
Properties has been focusing most its attention on developing the
area north of the Simon property and extending up to Williams Road.
The majority of this land will be one or more residential
developments. Some announcements about this area should be
forthcoming soon with site preparation expected to start next
spring.
According to press reports since sales efforts began 16
months ago The Cascades has sold 300 of 603 housing units planned
for the community. The Cascades is located on the south side of Koreshan Boulevard midway between US 41 and Three Oaks Parkway.
The project is in the process of acquiring another 34.3 acres
adjacent to the property for construction of up to 120 additional
homes.
According to press reports
94 housing units have been sold in the five months since the
Mediterranean style project's sales office opened in late May.
Villagio is a 514 unit multi-family housing development located
along the east side of Three Oaks Parkway just south of Koreshan Boulevard.
In addition to the housing units the development will contain a
commercial center, "Centro Villagio", catering exclusively to its
residents. Thus far this year, Royal Palm Communities, the
developers of the community, have applied for over 200 housing
permits.
According to recent
press reports Colonial Homes, developer of
Colonial Oaks, sold 90 of
the 99 homes planned for the development in 14 months. Colonial Oaks
is located on the west side of Three Oaks between Corkscrew Road and Williams Road.
This
partnership recently paid $5 million for the commercially zoned 36
acre site on the northwest corner of Koreshan Boulevard and Three Oaks Parkway.
The partnership plans to develop a mixed use entertainment/retail
complex on the property. The development will likely get underway
after the Koreshan "flyway", the extension of Koreshan over I-75 to
Ben Hill Griffin, is complete in 2005 or 2006. The flyway will
provide a short, direct link from the area to
Florida Gulf Coast University.
Last month we reported that Lee
County School District's plan to 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 was in jeopardy due to a legal
dispute between the property owner and his former real estate
broker. Fortunately the problem has been resolved and the District
has now closed on the purchase of the property. The School District will soon begin the permitting process with the Army Corps of
Engineers. After that is complete the District will decide what
grades will be served by schools located on the site. It is
anticipated that the schools constructed on the site will open for
class in time for the 2007-08 school year.
Each month
during "the season" the Estero Civic Association hosts prominent
Local, County and State speakers in order to inform Estero residents
about important Estero issues and to address resident's questions
and concerns. The meetings are listed in the EDR calendar, are
publicized in the press and all Estero residents are invited to
attend.
On October 13th
the Association heard presentations by County Comm. Ray Judah and
Mary Gibbs, the director of the County's Community Development
Department. As she has done for several years, Mary Gibbs reviewed
the Estero area development projects that the county has reviewed
during the last year and those that are now pending.
Comm.
Judah
discussed many County issues of importance to Estero residents with
special emphasis on the construction of Sandy Lane directly to Old 41 in Bonita Springs.
County Comm.
John Albion will address the Association at
2 p.m.
on November 10th at the Estero County
Club at The Vines. The
Vines community recently changed the name of their golf course to
the "Estero County Club".
On October
27th the residents of
Lighthouse Bay successfully convinced the Bonita Springs City Council to return a
proposed 149 foot communications tower to the City Zoning Board for
consideration of a modified proposal early next year. Over 100
Lighthouse Bay residents attended the Board meeting and an earlier Zoning Board
meeting. The Zoning Board had voted 2-2 on a motion to approve the
tower. The revised proposal is likely to be some form of "stealth"
tower, possibly in the form of a Light House. The applicant was
directed to meet with the community to develop the alternative
proposal.
The tower would
be located just south of this Estero community and would be visible
from many of the homes in the community. The engineering firm
representing the residents and the community testified that
extensive berming had been install along the border of the community
next to the proposed tower location in order to obscure a Bonita
Springs Utilities water tank that is adjacent to the tower site.
Community
residents would have preferred that the applicants find another
location for the tower and were supported by two Bonita Springs council members. However, this provision was not included in the
final resolution.
This result could
not have been possible but for the excellent organization of the
Lighthouse Bay community. An extensive petition drive accompanied the high turnout
for the meetings. The Estero Council of Community leaders supported
Lighthouse Bay in their efforts.
Late in September the
BOCC approved an Interlocal agreement with the City of Bonita
Springs that allocated the $14.7 million in road fees that will be
paid by the developers of Coconut Point over then next couple of
years. The agreement allocated over $2 million to the widening of
Old 41 between its northern terminus with US 41 down to Terry
Street, but nothing for extending Sandy Lane from the north border
of Bonita Springs to Old 41 as has been planned by the county since
1995.
Representatives
of the Pelican Landing Board of Directors, about 90% of which is in
Bonita Springs,
and the Estero community testified about this deficiency and urged
the BOCC to commit itself to this road segment being built as soon
as possible. The Pelican Landing Board has adopted a program in
support of a direct extension of Sandy Lane to Old 41 from the Coconut Point project. Commissioners
Judah
and Albion indicated their support for the road being constructed directly from
the Coconut Point project boundary to Old 41.
During October
Commissioner Ray Judah appeared before several forums in Estero and
Bonita Springs to discuss the issue in depth, indicting his support and his
expectation that both the County and the City would eventually share
the cost of the extension.
Late in October
Cella and Associates, the County's Sandy Lane Alignment Study
consultants, requested an opportunity to present their
preliminary findings and alignments to the Estero Community
Planning Panel at their December 8th meeting at 6 p.m.
in the Marsh Landing Clubhouse. This will be a very important
meeting for the Estero community, especially the residents of The
Brooks,
Pelican Landing and all surrounding communities. Please plan
to attend and advise your friends and neighbors about this important
opportunity for you to reduce traffic congestion in your community.
The County plans
three public meetings, one of which is likely to be in conjunction
with a Bonita Springs City Council meeting, also in early December.
After these meetings the alignment will be amended and discussed at
a public workshop. Finally, the proposed alignment will go to both
the City Council and BOCC for approval.
from Corkscrew Road to San Carlos Park
Last
month we reported that Regional FDOT officials approved submitting
an application for right-of-way funding of this segment from the
State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) which was recently funded by the
Florida Legislature for the next two fiscal years. If the
application is approved, 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 filed the application in late September. The final decision of
State FDOT is expected in mid-November.
If the project is
not approved the Estero community will work with Commissioner Judah,
county staff and Estero's development community to seek county
approval of a low-interest loan to the state with the interest to be
paid by the private sector.
On October
28th the BOCC voted to increase road impact fees by 22%,
reflecting the increase in road costs over the last three years,
when the rates were last adjusted. County staff had asked the BOCC
to consider a 44% increase that would have added the ability for the
county to help finance state road construction costs should the
state not be able to build these roads in a timely manner. The
county has the responsibility for ensuring that the road network,
both county and state, is adequate to support each development they
approve for construction. The Estero Council of Community Leaders
testified in support of the higher rate in the hope that it would
increase the flow of highway funds necessary to accelerate our three
critical road projects:
- Three Oaks Parkway,
- US 41 (see above), and
- Sandy Lane.
County DOT staff indicated that if the higher rate were passed that the segment
of Three Oaks from Coconut Road to Terry Street might be accelerated by one year. The Community Leaders will
continue to work with the county to accomplish this objective.
In the month of
September, 125 additional housing units were permitted in Estero
with a total building value of almost $20.5 million. In addition,
about $3 million of commercial building value was permitted during
the month.
During the first
nine months of 2003, 1,255 housing units were permitted in Estero
with a total building value (exclusive of land) of $190.6 million.
The following table shows the pattern for the first 9 months
during last four years:
|
Year
|
Number of Units Permitted
|
Building Value of Permitted
Units
|
|
2000 |
1,710 |
$235,690,871 |
|
2001 |
1,748 |
266,468,382 |
|
2002 |
1,124 |
190,366,447 |
|
2003 |
1,255 |
193,968,479 |
The table shows
the decline caused by the tragedy of
September 11, 2001
and the subsequent partial recovery in the number of housing units
permitted. The small increase in building value from 2002 to 2003
reflects the increase in the share of multi-family units and the
weakness in the high-end housing market.
The building
value of residential units in Estero continues to make a major
contribution to the Unincorporated Lee County total. Through the first nine months of 2003 Estero contributed 20%
of the total for that large area. When compared to Bonita Springs,
Estero continues to produce far more new housing. Through the first
nine months of 2003 the building value of residential units
permitted in Estero was more than twice that of the City of Bonita
Springs.
