Meeting Minutes

ESTERO DESIGN
REVIEW COMMITTEE

Public Meeting
March 12, 2008 at 5:00 P.M.
The Estero Recreation Center
9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd.

Meeting Time:                        5:00 P.M.

Members in Attendance: Gordon Lyons, Al O’Donnell, Bob Melzer, Gerald Simons, Nancy Cohen, Bill Prysi, and Jim Wallace

Absent:                                   Tom O’Dea, and Joe McHarris

Chaired By:                            Gordon Lyons

Minutes By:                            Ramona Thomas

Meeting called to order.

Approval of the minutes of the February 13th meeting was called for.  A motion to approve the minutes was made, seconded and carried unanimously.  Minutes were approved with no changes.

Applicant: Estero Crossings

Location:    Midway between Three Oaks and I-75 on the south side of Corkscrew Road

Presented by:                David Beal Project Manager: Vanasse Daylor

Discussion on Site Plan:

David Beal of Vanasse Daylor presented plans for Estero Crossings, a 42 acre commercial planned development partially in a General Interchange and Urban Community with proposed 310,000 square feet of retail, service, office with possible hotel on 42 acres.  Two areas for 4 smaller buildings would be up front along Corkscrew Road with parking in the rear; this area is called the Village Square.  The larger stores would be in the rear of the property and include two big box stores with one divided into 4 offices. The north part of property has joint access with Estero Town Commons that provides access to both sites, with another access off Corkscrew Woodlands Road, at which there is a future proposed intersection.  The site includes large indigenous preserves, dry detention areas, a water feature along Corkscrew which will be used for irrigation.  All buffers were approved as part of the Master Development Plan and were worked out with all neighbors with vehicular & pedestrian access integrated.

Comments:

• The pedestrian corridors & parking layout do not represent a strong linkage; the pedestrian linkages dead-end to the parking bays.
• Do not see sidewalk leading to Lowe’s.
• Do not see areas for increased planting at access for Woodlands.

Discussion on Buildings:

Miguel Palma of Scott Architects presented conceptual plans for the building to be located on the site. Building B & C are restaurants, A & D are retail, all are conceptual and will be finalized when there are tenants. Dumpsters for building B will be located along Corkscrew Road and properly screened with an enclosure & landscaping with no pedestrian access to the dumpster area.

Comments:

• Difficult to approve concept documents, we would like to see final plans of buildings.
• Integrate dumpster walls with the restaurant building to prevent pedestrian access to the dumpsters. Bring this design back for review by the committee
• For the restaurant you must implement code requirement for pitched roof on buildings less than 5,000 sq ft. The entire building must have a pitched roof.
• Four tenant building wall does not have enough variation, you cannot use a landscape buffer to screen the elevation, it is brutal.  Add detail and more articulation to the rear of the building. Demonstrate you are hiding quite substantially with entry trees, layering trees and possible mitigation plan for the preserve.
• Four tenant building is not Mediterranean, too many long flat spaces; add architectural elements, adornments, and towers.
• Signage, tenant segments are internally lit. You cannot have illuminated plastic lit signage with black lettering, you will meet intent of the code if the background is dark and only the lettering is illuminated (i.e.: Reverse light so letters will be lit and not the background)

Come back with new elevations for building E front & rear, landscaping for buffer zone, elevation for bank building with new roof, and remaining comments; did not see enough detail for DO, need greater detail.

Applicant: Villagio – I-75 Widening discussion

Presented by:                Jan Norsoph of EHA Planners and Tom Ferguson, VP of Villagio Community Association Board

Discussion:

Jan Norsoph of EHA Planners presented the I-75 widening project.  Florida DOT is 8-laning I-75 which requires acquisition of land based on the assumption of a 10-lane configuration.  The impact of the acquisition at Villagio Community will be primarily on the landscape buffer area, which includes a portion of the concrete fence, and 18 oak trees for approximately 240 feet.  FL DOT is requesting a waiver to not meet the 20-foot buffer for the 240-feet distance of the acquisition.  The cure plan to the property owners will consist of replacing the oaks in the open area with clusters of sable palms and a steel curtain wall will be designed to match the texture of the concrete fence for approximately 240 feet.  The view of the berm from the building will be the same as it is now.

Comments:

• Suggest raising height of the steel wall to mitigate the impact of the outside noise level being raised higher, plantings have limited impact on noise reduction.
• The EDRC is concerned the remaining oaks will decline from the installation of the steel curtain wall.

FL DOT agreed to include funds to the Villagio Community in the acquisition to nourish and replace the oaks with equivalent of 200 gallon, 6-inch caliper oaks and allow extra funds to raise the height of the interior wall to the corresponding height of the raised elevation of the new road to increase the noise buffer.

Germain Arena Update:

The acquisition at Germain Arena consists of a strip along the frontage of 11-feet on the north end for about 1500 feet which affects the landscape buffer for the existing grassed parking.  The cure plan far exceeds what is (needed) today for landscape buffer with the exception of approximately 270 feet length of frontage which is an existing electrical easement with no room for landscaping, the remaining 1000 feet of strip will be landscaped.  A waiver for the planting requirement will be needed for the length of 270 feet.

FL DOT reported that FPL verified that the power line easement consisted of a 6-inch conduit.  They cannot pull cable of that size for less than 600 feet and had no problem with palm trees being planted in the easement.

The EDRC voted to allow mini islands of sable palm clusters to be planted in the easement every 5 grassed parking spaces resulting in losing only (20) parking spaces in lieu of the entire 25 grassed parking spaces being impacted by the acquisition.  Motion carried with 5 EDRC members in favor, 2 opposed.

B and J Carts Update:

FL DOT verified the suggestions of the EDRC for the acquisition of land at B and J Carts for the minimum 10-foot buffer and to increase the density to the buffer, besides the oaks, add more sable palms, 18 per 100-feet, cluster of 7 to 9 in varying heights, and add coco plum shrubs will be implemented.

Applicant: Rapallo Performing Arts Theatre

Location:                       Corner of Williams Road & US 41 at Coconut Point

Presented by:                Jim Wallace, Touchstone at Rapallo, Inc.

Discussion:

Jim Wallace of Touchstone at Rapallo, Inc. presented an update to the Rapallo Performing Arts Theatre, to be build in The Art District at Rapallo on the corner of Williams Road and US 41 at Coconut Point. The 20,600-square-foot, 506-seat features a 300-seat open-air amphitheater, and will be a world-class venue for national and international touring artists, limited plays and musical theater, independent film, local ensembles and theatrical companies seeking high-quality performance space.  The building is proposed classical theatrical design with a portico share in the back of the theatre for trucks to back into, building height of 55-feet, with the front dome which will be illuminated during shows.  The overall signage size on the building is 17-ft x 22-ft.

There being no further business to come before the committee the meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

Next Meeting:      Next EDRC Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at the Estero Park Community Center.