FLORIDA SITE FIGHT: NOVEL IDEA IN ESTERO: RESIDENTS, NOT DEVELOPERS DECIDING GROWTH PLANS

Topics: | Community Impact | | | |

Estero proves fickle about store projects [News-Press (Fla.)]

Two high-profile Estero projects traveled two different paths through the planning process, yielding two different results.

Plans to build a Wal-Mart at the northeast corner of U.S. 41 and Estero Parkway were greeted with community support while Estero residents rallied against Ascot Development’s proposal for a large store on the southeast corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Corkscrew Road.

Ascot’s Midtown Estero project called for a big-box retailer at one point, but the similarities to Wal-Mart end there, according to the community.

Lee County commissioners rejected Ascot’s plans for a commercial center in September, favoring an earlier proposal for more than 230 homes and 90,000 square feet of retail space.

Midtown Estero sits across the street from two big-box projects - Lowe’s at Estero Town Commons and the yet-to-be-built Estero Crossing, which will include two big-box stores.

“We have one big box at Lowe’s. We don’t need another one out there,” said Bill Brown, secretary of the Estero planning panel.

Estero’s long-term plans include supercenters around the Interstate 75 interchange at Corkscrew Road, said Don Eslick of the Estero Council of Community Leaders.

“Going west from Three Oaks Parkway, that would be what you call neighborhood shopping and offices, with all the buildings being smaller and up closer to the road,” Eslick said, explaining what is known as the Corkscrew overlay section of the Lee County Land Development Code.

But that code does not forbid a big-box store at Midtown Estero, Matt Uhle, a lawyer for Ascot argued before the county board last month.

Estero’s neighborhood vision is harder to apply to the stretch of Corkscrew east of Three Oaks, which is closer to the interchange, Eslick said.

Ascot plans to return to Estero boards this month with modifications to what the county had approved, Eslick said.

The developer is also taking steps to file legal papers in the event of a lawsuit, Eslick said.

Pete Pellerito, an engineer for Midtown Estero, said he was not included in any legal discussions.

“We’re trying to work with the Estero Community Planning Panel and the community to rework the current zoning conditions to something more palatable for the community,” Pellerito said.

When reached by phone Monday, Teri Gevinson, an Ascot principal, said, “I can’t talk right now. I’ll get back to you.”

She did not return phone messages Monday.

The Lee County attorney’s office did not return messages about whether Ascot’s legal action.

The impact of Ascot’s big-box plans on traffic and the environment also gave Estero pause, said Arnie Rosenthal, a member of the ECCL.

“It’s not as if Ascot doesn’t have an approved plan. They do. But they’re coming back because. they want more,” Rosenthal said.

Giving the developer more threatens Estero’s quality of life, Rosenthal added.

Wal-Mart had traffic issues with its location, too, but Lee County solved them by linking the store to U.S. 41’s widening in a 2004 vote.

Wal-Mart resurfaced in September in Estero with plans to waive that requirement, accelerating the project. Wal-Mart will appear at the Estero planning meeting in November.

Widening U.S. 41 is scheduled for 2010.

When Wal-Mart first announced its plans, it was met with community backlash, said Brown, of the Estero planning panel.

“We worked with them a long while. They appeared numerous times. They made tremendous concessions on designs,” Brown said.

With time, Wal-Mart agreed to Estero’s Mediterranean architecture style and to pay for a traffic light at U.S. 41 and Estero Parkway. The retailer also promised to construct an access road between its property and The Vines, said Chris Smith, a resident of The Vines. The Vines is located on U.S. 41, north of Estero Parkway.

“You can’t stop them so you join them and get something out of it,” Smith said. “They were very good in the negotiations and we’re supporting their efforts.”

Posted by Luke West on Tuesday, October 07, 2008