Council Delays Comp Plan Changes

On Monday, at the recommendation of Town Manager Andy Hyatt, the Fort Myers BeachTown Council pulled an agenda item that would have adopted changes to the town’s Comprehensive Plan. Hyatt wants the Town Council to meet jointly with the Local Planning Agency to further discuss the changes before they are adopted and sent on to the state for review. The Town Council also received about 50 e-mails from residents about the proposed changes.

A date for the joint meeting has not yet been set. Public comment will be taken during the joint meeting when it’s set. We will carry that joint meeting live on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

There is concern that this ordinance would change the way building intensity is measured in the town’s Comprehensive Plan. That change concerned Allers. He believed it would have given developers a lot more density by right before any public benefit was even presented. Allers believes eliminating the multiplier from The Comprehensive Plan and allowing developers to build based on Floor Area Ratio would give them more density as long as they met the town’s building height and setback rules. However, on Monday, Community Development Director Sarah Probst seemed to indicate to Allers that the change would not eliminate the multiplier which went completely against what the Mayor said on Beach Talk Radio Sunday. Probst told the Town Council Monday that the multiplier is still in the Land Development Code which is where that decision is made. “We’re not attempting to change it.” The hope is the joining Town Council/LPA meeting will clarify the issue.

Generally, developers are allowed 6 dwelling units per acre. If you own 5 acres you could build 30 dwelling units. Or, if a developer chooses to build a hotel, the town allows them to use the multiplier. They could take those 30 dwelling units and convert them to 75 hotel rooms using the 2.5 multiplier in the most intense districts. The more property you own, the more hotel rooms you would get by right, before any public benefit horse trading began.

Allers and others were under the impression that if the ordinance was approved the calculation would be made only by using the FAR, which would increase the number of hotel rooms by a lot when compared to using the multiplier. And, if you eliminate the ground/parking level from the calculation, which is the way the town is headed, that gives a developer even more density/intensity right out of the gate.

The original intent of this idea was to help the mom-and-pop businesses such as the smaller boutique hotels. Those businesses are going to have a very tough time rebuilding on Fort Myers Beach. They have smaller pieces of property, setback and height restrictions, stricter codes, and extremely high costs to build back. However, once this change is in the town’s Comprehensive Plan, it’s good for everyone. There’s no picking and choosing who can use it and who can’t.

There have already been two joint meetings of the Town Council and Local Planning Agency. At both of those meetings all 12 members unanimously agreed they would stick to the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan. Those two votes were taken to send a clear message to the people that members of the Town Council and LPA heard them loud and clear. 

LPA Chairman Anita Cereceda also wants the LPA and the Town Council to get into a serious discussion about the height of buildings.

Dependable, Accurate, Investigative Journalism take time. To support our work, become a BTR Monthly Member HERE. Or support us with a one-time donation by PayPal , Venmo (Edward-Ryan-14) or Zell (2392473833)