As we reported earlier this week, an ordinance to approve changes to the Fort Myers Beach Comprehensive Plan was pulled from the Town Council’s Monday agenda so a joint LPA/Town Council meeting could be set to discuss the document further. Since that happened plans have changed again.
At first, Town Manager Andy Hyatt (pictured) wanted the item pulled so both bodies could hash out the document further before sending it off to the state for feedback. Then on Wednesday, the town sent out a press release postponing the joint meeting so the town could solicit more feedback from residents about both the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code.
What’s clear is that opinions about how the town’s elected officials proceed with development are all over the board. The road map to rebuilding that guides the decisions the Town Council will make comes from the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code. Some residents are clearly concerned about the height of future buildings, density of new construction, how the infrastructure will be impacted, and traffic. Decisions made over the next year will have an impact on the island for decades to come.
Excluding condos, the residential rebuild seems to be picking up steam. When you drive down Estero Boulevard or any side street on the island homes are being repaired and new homes are coming out of the ground. The commercial build back has been slower. Some people that live on the island are OK with that. Others say if redevelopment doesn’t pick up soon, those who are investing in the island will sell and move on, and those empty lots will remain empty for a long time. By the way, that’s OK with some people on the island as well. They have more view corridors than they’ve ever had before.
After the LPA approved the new 10-floor EIBC building by a vote of 5-2 earlier this month, Chair Anita Cereceda wanted the LPA and the Town Council to get into a serious joint discussion about the height of buildings. She does not believe residents are ready to allow bigger buildings on the island yet. Cereceda was very involved in the incorporation of Fort Myers Beach. The main reason the island went through the complicated process of incorporating in 1995 was to stop Lee County from approving high rise buildings. Cereceda was first Mayor from 1995 to 1999.
Town Manager Andy Hyatt explains the reason for the postponement of the joint meeting. “After a discussion with staff, I determined the public never had a chance to offer input. There has never been any public meetings regarding the Comp Plan or Land Development Code. So, I decided it was in the best interest of the town to solicit public input.”
The Town Council received about 50 emails from concerned residents about the suggested Comprehensive Plan changes. Mayor Dan Allers said holding public meetings to get more input from the residents “is just the right thing to do.”
While the meeting dates have not yet been announced it’s likely Hyatt will wait until the majority of residents who go up north for the Summer return to their Fort Myers Beach homes. When the meeting dates are announced we will carry them both live on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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