Estero Development Report

Volume 5, Number 1
Issued May 2005

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 May 2005

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

Index

Important Zoning and
Design Review Meetings

In June the ECCL and the EDRC will sponsor community meetings regarding an unusually large number of projects. On Monday, June 13th the ECCL will review the following six projects that are in the process of filing rezoning applications with Lee County :

• The Philip Lee Manufactured Homes Sales Center on the east side of US 41 north of Broadway;
• Pelican Sound is seeking County approval to expand its boat storage area along the north side of Williams Road just east of the entrance to West Bay Club;
• Hunt Commercial Development Corporation is seeking County approval for a mixed use development on 30 acres on the west side of US 41 at its intersection with Estero Parkway ;
• An application for a Mini Storage facility on the west side of US 41between Marsh Landing and Fountain Lakes;
• Wilder Corkscrew Road CPD on the south side of Corkscrew Road just west of Corkscrew Woodlands Road ; and
• An application by the Bonita Bay Group for a Commercial Planned Development on the southwest corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Corkscrew Road .

On Wednesday, June 8th The EDRC will review the following projects that are in the process of obtaining County approval of their Development Order applications:

• Walgreen’s in the Paradise Shoppes development on the northwest corner of Williams Road and US 41;
• Arizona Pizza to be located on Corkscrew Road in the Estero Interstate Commerce Park just west of I-75;
• A Chevrolet dealership in the Corkscrew Commerce Park on the southwest corner of the Corkscrew Road/I-75 intersection;
• A large Lowe’s store on the anchor parcel of Estero Town Commons located on the southeast corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Corkscrew Road ;
• The quarterly review of the design of projects being proposed for Coconut Point;
• Barkis Carwash in the Corkscrew Village Commerce Center just behind the Mobil station on the east side of US 41 just south of Corkscrew Road .

All Estero residents are urged to attend and participate in these community meetings especially those who live adjacent to one or more of the projects. See the calendar above for the times and locations of these monthly meetings.

2005 – 2007 Roadway Monitor

Seven roadway projects are scheduled for construction in and around Estero during the next 2 and one-half years. If they don’t stay on schedule we will experience more and more traffic gridlock as Estero’s residential growth rate increases and our commercial growth catches fire. Because commercial growth is outstripping infrastructure growth, the ECCL Transportation Committee has met with State and County Transportation officials to learn about the schedule for each project and the methods that the government’s are using to manage these projects. 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…Completion Date…April 2006

US 41 from Corkscrew Road to San Carlos Boulevard

County Projects

Three Oaks Parkway from Bonita Beach Road to E. Terry Street

Three Oaks Parkway from E. Terry Street to Coconut Road

Three Oaks Parkway from Corkscrew Road to Alico Road

Sandy Lane from Corkscrew Road to Pelican Colony Boulevard

Estero Parkway from Three Oaks Parkway to Ben Hill Griffin

Three Oaks Parkway Funding Progress

During the last couple of month’s the ECCL Transportation Committee has been working with the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce leadership and Transportation Committee to ensure that the $17.4 million shortfall on the two segments of Three Oaks Parkway between Coconut Road and Bonita Beach Road do not delay completion of this vital third north-south corridor roadway project. As a result of this effort on May 18 th the Bonita Springs City Council voted to provide an additional $6,591,000 for the coming fiscal year in order to keep the projects on schedule. County DOT staff is recommending that the County pay the remaining $10.8 million. Lee DOT staff and the BOCC will discuss this funding proposal at the Board’s Management and Planning meeting on June 6 th. The City of Bonita Springs and the County are to be congratulated for their willingness to defer other priority projects in order to fund their share of this vital project.

Potential State Road Funding Increase

The Florida legislature has sent Gov. Bush Growth Management legislation (Senate Bill 630) that includes several new road funding initiatives. One of them, the proposed Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP) may provide Lee County and the City of Bonita Springs with an opportunity to recoup some of the increased cost of constructing the Three Oaks projects discussed above. If signed by the Governor the Trip program will allocate $390 million during the coming State fiscal year beginning on July 1 st. These funds will be allocated to FDOT districts according to a statutory formula. This formula will provide our FDOT District 1 with $53 million during the coming fiscal year. FDOT is still discussing how this money will be made available for the ROW and construction phases of road projects with regional impact. The County and the City of Bonita Springs urged the MPO at its May 20 th meeting to add Three Oaks Parkway to its priority list in order to enhance the chances that these projects might be funded through the TRIP program. The MPO approved this proposal.

Coconut Road to Ft. Myers Beach Bridge Study

The Lee Count y MPO has been asked to study the concept of a bridge from Ft. Myers Beach to the mainland over Estero Bay as part of the development of the 2030 Transportation Plan. The Coconut Road Bridge is one of three alternatives for new bridge access to Fort Myers Beach . All three proposals would require alignments that would go through environmentally sensitive lands. At present the MPO is running this project and its two alternatives through FDOT’s Environmental Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process which, through its Environmental Technical Advisory Team of planning, regulatory and resource agencies, would identify any potential impacts to natural, social and cultural resources, and would raise concerns about these impacts if they are substantial. The results of the ETDM process will provide the MPO with the information necessary to make a well
informed decision about further studying any of the three alternatives during the subsequent Long Range Transportation Plan update.

Estero Development Review Committee (EDRC) Activities

On May 11 th the EDRC reviewed five projects for compliance with Estero’s unique design and appearance standards. Each of them is discussed below:

Walgreen’s at Paradise Shoppes

Walgreen’s is seeking to build a drugstore on the northwest corner of Williams Road and US 41 in the multi-tenant development recently zoned by the Paradise Group. Walgreen’s returned for a second meeting with the EDRC with a plan that was architecturally quite similar to its earlier presentation. It was not well received by the EDRC. The Panel was particularly critical of the long flat roof lines absent any horizontal or vertical articulation and the poor architecture of the rear of the building.

The site plan was revised because the outlot had been reduced in size due to the need for some land to improve the Williams Road —US 41 intersection. The developer’s representative was reluctant to depart from cookie cutter building design and most members of the EDRC did not like that response.

Other issues discussed by the Committee were:

• The rear elevation was not acceptable and does not meet the Estero code
• Provide clear zones in the perimeter landscaping so US 41 travelers can view the store
• Modify the parking islands with additional landscaping
• Add plantings around the south and west sides of the building

Developer agreed to the following changes:

• Separate the loading dock from the rear access road immediately adjacent to it
• Add three sabal palms and one oak tree to buffer the loading dock
• Increase landscaping in the northwest corner of the property
• Add barrel tile roof for the waste area

The developer failed to provide the Paradise Shoppes appearance standards and their signage plans to the EDRC. The EDRC will amend their application requirements so that this will not happen again. The developer failed to have an owner’s representative and an architect at the meeting thus reducing the effectiveness of the meeting. The applicant was asked to prepare a response letter explaining how the EDRC suggestions may or may not be addressed and to return to the Committee one more time with an improved plan.

Lowe’s at Estero Town Commons

In October 2003 the 33 acre parcel on the southeast corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Corkscrew Road was rezoned with two large multi-tenant parcels along the roadways and a large, “big box” parcel in the rear. At that time the project was called “Estero Town Center” but the name was changed at the request of the EDRC when the developer, Kite Development, presented the first phase of the project to them on March 9th. The developers also made a courtesy presentation to the ECPP on March 14th.

In March Kite was seeking a Development Order for two, multi-tenant commercial buildings with a total of 25,600 square feet that would be constructed along Three Oaks Parkway and an internal roadway and infrastructure system.

The two buildings will be built close to Three Oaks Parkway with parking in the rear as required by the Corkscrew Road overlay. They will be designed with colorful Mediterranean architecture on all four sides because the entrances to the buildings are on the side away from Three Oaks Parkway. Since the zoning on the property contains extensive design standards, the appearance of these buildings will set the standard for the entire development, including the “big box”.

The large oak trees on the corner will be retained and uplit at night and the landscaping around the entire site will be installed as part of the initial development order.

On May 11 Lowe’s and Kite Development presented their plans to the EDRC for a 169,000 square foot store including a 33,000 square foot garden center to be located in the southeast rear section of the property. The developers presented a Lowe’s store with a Mediterranean design similar to the design of the Wal-Mart store to be constructed on the northeast corner of Estero Parkway and US 41. That design and plan was the result of 18 months of negotiations between Wal-Mart and Estero community groups.

The developers had designed the project so that it would satisfy the Corkscrew Overlay design standards and the Estero Town Commons appearance standards that are required by the zoning of this project.

The EDRC made the following comments and suggestions:

• Proposed architecture is a welcome start but needs more substantial articulation along the primary roofline
• The building needs additional architectural features to become uniquely attractive and consistent with the surrounding properties
• The structure and features around the garden center need to be strengthened to ensure that its contents are hidden from external view
• Improve the appearance of the truck ports and the rear elevation
• Improve the sound proofing, screening, pallet storage areas and avoid all potentially deleterious impacts on future development to the south
• Improve the pedestrian walkway system to improve the connections with other stores in Estero Town Commons
• Enhance the building perimeter landscaping
• Use taller plant material with staggered heights as vertical accents along the front of the building
• Improve the appearance of the project when viewed from the Three Oaks Parkway entrance
• Add sinuous sidewalks in every third parking lot divider
• Consider placing landscaped islands in parking lots separated by a variable number of parking spaces
• Recommend trees rather than shrubs be planted directly in front of building
• Suggest that keystone or Mediterranean accents be added under arches
• Some members of the EDRC felt the building’s architecture was too modern and needed more classic Mediterranean lines
• The developer agreed to review the architecture of the “truck well” area in order to camouflage the area
• Finally, the developer agreed to redesign the horizontal roofline to reduce the boxy look of the building.

Lowe’s has agreed to return to the June meeting of the EDRC for review of their improved plans.

Arizona Pizza at Estero Interstate Commerce Park

The developers of this project presented their proposal for a 3,680 square foot sit down and carry out restaurant to the EDRC on May 11 th. The proposed restaurant would be located just west of the Tires Choice facility. As its name implies Arizona Pizza is a southwest US firm. This store would be the first in the southeastern United States. The proposal includes an outdoor dining area and shared parking with the adjacent Tires Choice store.

The EDRC made many suggestions for improving the appearance of the project. They include:

• Noted that the Code requires a 30 degree pitched roof for buildings of this size
• Support the applicant keeping their logo as part of the architectural design but asked the developer to add a larger pitched roof area
• Change the southwestern style of the building to Mediterranean architecture as required by the Corkscrew Overlay
• Improve the appearance of the parking side (north) of the building which is rather plain with no windows and covered by a series of shutters. The Estero section of the Lee Code requires the front where people park and the sides of buildings facing roadways to look like building fronts
• Urged the developer to screen the drop off round-about with a wall or landscaping/berm
• Keep the parapet and add corbels, banding, trim and columns to further enhance the appearance of the building
• Replace the glass block on the chimney with colored tile or natural stone
• Recommend using pavers and rounding-out the carry-out/pick-up area in order for it to look more plaza like and be more pedestrian-friendly
• Trees must be minimum 45 gallon, 14 feet high, 3 inch caliper with 5-6 foot spread
• Check the detention area to determine how damp it will be and decide if cord grass or other plantings would be better than sod in order to improve the appearance of this entry area
• Add plantings/flowers, bougainvillea and trellis in the entry area
• The landscape should be redesigned to complement the site and architecture of the building.

The developers agreed to make the following changes:

• Change the design of the chimney
• Review and revise the textures, awnings and materials – especially along the north side of the building
• Adopt a more Mediterranean appearance
• Use pavers and rounding-out the carry out drop off area to be more plaza like in shape and appearance, become more pedestrian-friendly and include a low-berm (12”-18” high with 10 gallon material) to screen the area from Corkscrew Road.
• Add plantings/flowers and bougainvillea by the entrance door
• Revise the landscape plan and make it more compatible with the site and building.

The developers agreed to return in June with their revised plans.

Bella Retail Project

Paul Bella, the owner of the property on the northwest corner of Broadway and US 41, and Matt Robertson of Conceptus Land Architectural Technologies presented a proposal to expand the existing retail on this site by adding five additional storefronts totaling 6,443 square feet. The present tenant on the site is the Healthy Complexion Day Spa. The developers presented renderings that include an excellent Mediterranean design. The EDRC liked the staggered building design and the use of texture in the design.

The EDRC made the following recommendations for improving the appearance of the project:

• Use octagonal roof shapes at both ends of the project
• Change the proposed red color to a shade of brown
• Consider repeating the chimney design
• Enhance the Type D buffer along parking lot
• Use masonry in the signage

Finally, the developer agreed to return in June with his signage plan.

Barkis Car Wash @ the South Estero Commercial Center

The developer of this eight bay self-service car wash made his first presentation to the EDRC on December 8, 2004 . The project would be located on US 41 just south of the Corkscrew Village Shopping Center between the Mobil Gas Station and the storage facility.

When presented in December the plan failed to satisfy several Estero Code requirements. However, after considerable discussion the EDRC recommended approval of the development order with thirteen suggestions for improvement and the developer agreed to return with their changes for further review.

On May 11 the EDRC once again reviewed the Barkis Car Wash proposal and found it to be much improved. After considerable discussion it made the following additional recommendations:

• The applicant proposes purple for the awnings on the vacuum service islands. The EDRC suggested that service islands (kiosks) cannot serve as signs. They should be in same colors as the main building, with awning/canopies the same color as the roof of the car wash
• The proposed pedestal sign does not meet Estero Code requirements, must be a monument design with at least 25% of sign area an architectural feature. In addition the sign must set aside space for the street address with numbers between four and six inches in height.
• The sign must match the architectural style of the building. There should be a significant reduction in size of letters within copy area.
• As with many other projects the tree size minimums should be 14 feet tall, 45 gallon size and 3 inch caliper.
• Recommended full size shade trees (2-3 oaks) along Corkscrew Village Lane
• No more than 25% of all trees may be palms
• Awnings should not be on the building, only on the vacuum islands

The developer agreed to the following additional changes:

• To review the colors and return with new colors that will complement the roof colors
• To prepare a colored elevation of building and present it to the EDRC at its next meeting
• Agreed that signage should complement the building in color and 25 percent must be architectural according to code
• Agreed to relocate live oak trees along Corkscrew Village with minimum size of 45 gallon, 14 foot height and 3 inch caliper
• Review the type of support columns on the vacuum islands especially the possibility of using 4 inch square dark bronze columns.

This project will be reviewed a third time at the June meeting of the EDRC.

May Rezoning Activities

Galleria at Corkscrew CPD

The developers of this project first disclosed their plans to the ECPP in April 2004. They continued to improve on their plans and returned to present their detailed plans to the EDRC on December 8, 2004. The detailed architectural and landscaping plans for the Design Parc are among the most attractive that have thus far been presented to the EDRC and the community.

The developers control over 25 acres on the northeast corner of Sandy Lane and Corkscrew Road that will ultimately be developed as three adjacent projects.

The first project, called "Galleria" is located on 9.9 acres at the western end of the property immediately adjacent to Sandy Lane. This proposal requests 100,000 square-feet of retail space to be developed on four parcels.

The second project, the "Design Parc" will consist of six buildings located on 11.4 acres immediately east of the Galleria project. It is being zoned for 143,000 square feet of commercial space of which no more than 60,000 square feet can be retail space.

The third project will be located on the eastern 4.2 acres and may be used for up to 43,000 square feet of office space. As reported last month this land has been sold to Empire Builders as a site for their corporate headquarters.

The eastern terminus of the property is about 100-feet east of Corkscrew Palms Boulevard. The main entrance to the project on Corkscrew Road is directly across from Corkscrew Palms Boulevard, the entrance to the new Estero Community Park.

Unique to the proposal is a 20-foot deep “water feature” with two fountains which fronts the property along Corkscrew Road and requires a 125-foot setback of the Design Parc buildings from the road, in contrast to all the other buildings on Corkscrew being only 25 from the road right-of-way.

On May 4 th the two zoning applications were heard by Chief Lee County Hearing Examiner Diana Parker. Judge Parker’s two major concerns at the outset of the hearing concerned:

• Ownership of the two large components of the project, the “Design Parc” and “the Galleria”. If the two properties were not under separated ownership they would not be entitled to as much retail space as was being sought. She was assured that the properties have different owners and that adequate ownership documentation would soon be provided.

• The amount and type of retail space being requested. Prior to BOCC approval of the Corkscrew Road Overlay District, the County had opposed retail uses on this segment of Corkscrew. The Corkscrew Road Overlay did not retain this philosophy but limits retail use to some degree by requiring all buildings to be located within 25 feet of the Corkscrew Road right-of-way with most of the related parking to the rear of the buildings. In addition, a condition of the zoning limits the size of many retail uses to no more than 30,000 square feet. Finally, County staff supports both zoning requests as conditioned.

Other conditions agreed to by the developer, the community and county staff include:

• Extensive buffering and attractive architecture on the north side of the property adjacent to Estero River Estates
• A general prohibition of outdoor display and storage
• Property owner documents will ensure compatibility of landscaping and architecture among all three components of the development.

All parties agree to the following deviations:

• A setback of 125 feet for the center building in the Design Parc in order to build the water feature mentioned above
• Authority for the lake and the building to be conjoined, and
• Permission for the tower on the central building to exceed the height limits established for this area.

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

On May 19th and 20th Lee County Hearing Examiner continued to hear testimony on AT&T’s rezoning request regarding a long established cellular site in the middle of The Colony of Pelican Landing. During this Hearing, attorneys for the Pelican Colony Foundation and the Pelican Landing Community Association, the owners of the infrastructure that provides access to the property, presented the reasons for their opposition to the project as proposed. In addition several more Pelican Landing and Colony residents voiced their concerns about the proposed development.

Significantly, Chief Lee County Hearing Examiner Diana Parker revised her earlier ruling to permit information concerning the ownership of the roadways and other property surrounding the 5 acre tower/residential site. She indicated that she needed this information in order to write her report for the BOCC.

Inasmuch as the parties still have not concluded their testimony and cross examination of all the witnesses, the Hearing has been continued until the afternoon of June 30th and for a full day on July 1st. For more details on this project please see last month’s report.

Four Month Permitted Housing Units Exceed 1,000

During April Lee County issued building permits for another 178 housing units in Estero worth $38,273,829 exclusive of the value of the land under the housing units.

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

The 1,061 housing units permitted during the first four months of 2005 exceeds the second highest year, 2001, by 318 units, or 43%. The permited value of those units, excluding land, exceeds the second highest period, 2001, by $92,814,534, or 81%. This year’s total value exceeds the total of the last two years combined by almost $5 million.

The average building value is comparable to 2004 in spite of the fact that the percentage of single family homes is almost 31% lower.

The developments that were the major contributors to the period’s rapid growth are:

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

Estero Commercial Corridor Construction Projects

Started in 2003 – 2005  

The following table lists Estero’s commercial corridor projects that have been constructed during the last 30 months or are currently under construction. About 40,000 square feet of commercial space was completed during 2003 and 161,000 square feet in 2004. If the projects now underway are completed on schedule about 370,000 square feet will be added to Estero’s commercial space in these corridors this year.