Developer Decides His Condo Idea Flopped

On Tuesday, representatives from the Beach Baptist, and the developer who wanted to build on the church property, will go before the LPA to request a rezone of 2.1 acres of property at the corner of Estero Boulevard and Connecticut Street.

The Beach Baptist Church was destroyed by Hurricane Ian and eventually demolished. It was uninsured.

Two years ago developer S.J. Collins. pitched a plan to the community where they would purchase the property and develop the entire 3.5 acres of land. The plan included an 8-story condo tower with a parking deck, 36 workforce housing apartments, and a church that seats 500. As part of the deal, the developer would rebuild the church and it would move forward debt free. 

That plan, to put in nicely, was not well received by residents in the surrounding community. It never really made it any further than that presentation under the broken church in May of 2023.
The Church has an LDO from the town to divide their parcel into two lots. The current plan is for the church to keep the northern 1.2 acres with the intent of rebuilding the church there. Currently both parcels are zoned as Institutional. The goal at the LPA on Tuesday is to get approval to rezone the 2.1 acres adjacent to Estero Blvd. to allow for 12 residential units that the developer could build on (or sell).

If the zone change is approved, the church would then sell the newly rezoned portion of the land to the developer with the proceeds from that sale used to rebuild the Church. During the first development idea the Church was hoping to sell the entire piece of property for $4 million. 

Currently Beach Baptist is operating out of trailers on the property. The town has determined that the trailers are in violation of current flood plain rules and they are going through the magistrate process to have the trailers removed. The church can elevate the structures to come into compliance.

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