Estero Community Planning Panel
Minutes of
Public Meeting # 88
May 14, 2007
Estero Community Park, Estero, Florida
Panel Members Present
Neal Noethlich, Chairman; Don Eslick, Estero Council of Community Leaders;
Greg Toth , Estero Development Community, Jack Lienesch, Estero Civic
Association, Dan DeLisi, Estero Development Community. Recording Secretary: Jim
Ramsburg, ECCL, Treasurer: Fran Wagner, ECA. Absent: Lin Welch, Estero
Chamber of Commerce.
Noethlich called the meeting to order at 6:05.
Public Participation
Seventeen participants were present including 10 members of the general
public. Ramsburg reported that public notices of the meeting were
published in the Fort Myers News-Press, the Bonita Daily News and the Bonita
Banner. Notices were posted on the Internet in the Estero Development Report and
on the Web sites of the ECCL/ECPP/ECA/EDRC and Estero Fire Rescue. A paid
advertising notice of the meeting was placed in the Bonita Banner of May 9th.
Notices of the meeting were posted in the South Regional Library, Colonial Bank,
Estero Community Park and Realty World of Estero.
Treasurer’s Report
Wagner reported a May 14th balance of $4,520.99 in the Community Planning
Panel account on deposit at Colonial Bank in Estero. Toth: Motion to accept Eslick:
Second. Report accepted unanimously.
Secretary’s Report
Noethlich distributed minutes of the March meeting. Eslick: Motion to accept
minutes. Toth: Second. Report accepted unanimously.
Mike Roeder, Director of Zoning and Land Use Planning for Knott, Consoer,
Ebelini, Hart & Sweet, accompanied by Felix Pardo and Tony Gonzalez representing
Habitat LLC, presented plans for the 12.5 acre site on the southwest corner of
Corkscrew Road and Bella Terra Boulevard at the entrance of
Bella Terra residential community
in Estero. The proposal calls for three main buildings totaling
131,200 square feet and two outbuildings. Of the main buildings’ total,
86,000 square feet are designated as retail and 18,000 square feet as office.
Unique to the plan is the inclusion of 30,000 square feet of rental residential
space divided into 24 one-bedroom apartments of 750 square-feet each, and six,
two-bedroom apartments of 900 square-feet each. Roeder said the apartments
would be designated as “affordable housing” in accordance with Lee County
standards, and an effort would be made to enlist qualified tenants, (earning
approximately $35,000 or less per year), employed in the Bella Terra commercial
development, or other workers employed in areas east of I-75 in Estero. The
proposal is designed to be simple in monitoring and reporting by use of fixed
but indexed rents. The panel applauded the developer’s initiative in creating a
plan combining the concepts of affordable housing and the “true mixed-use” plan
of residences in upper stories over commercial establishments. Roeder said
that county staff has expressed informal satisfaction with the plan.
DeLisi questioned the living atmosphere in a commercial development. Pardo
responded that tenants would have full use of Bella Terra’s pool and
recreational facilities within a short walking distance of their apartments.
Questions were raised regarding administration of affordable housing provisions
and the advisability of qualifying prospective tenants on the basis of their
workplace locality. Resident Arnie Rosenthal suggested priority for
tenancy be given to fire, police, teaching, hospital and service employees.
Noethlich requested the list of commercial uses for the DRI development which
was proposed before the Estero Community Plan was incorporated into the Lee
County Land Development Code. He cautioned the developers to work with the
community in re-visiting the uses and in providing provisions relating to hours
of operation, delivery time restrictions and equipment visual and sound
buffering among many others.
Lienesch reported that Wallace Homes’
Rapallo at Coconut Point
development will be presented with the first annual Graham award at the Urban
Land Institute meeting, 8:30 AM, May 23rd at West Bay Club in Estero.
Estero Five Year Planning Update
Noethlich said that work is not progressing which leaves nothing to report at
this time.
Estero Community Planning Area
Toth expressed concern that Lee County staff may be neglecting to review
development orders for interconnecting roadways between adjacent commercial
developments although the stipulation appears in the Estero Community Plan.
He called for the staff to pay particular attention to this provision.
Toth: Motion to adjourn. Lienesch: Second. Motion passed
unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 7:31 PM.
NEXT MEETING: 6:00 PM, MONDAY, JUNE 11, ESTERO COMMUNITY PARK.
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