Vice-Mayor Jon McLain holds the proclamation and Casey Bishop is holding the Key to the City which was presented to her by Mayor Katy Errington.
Council started their meeting with a proclamation and key to the city presentation for one of American Idol’s Top 4 finalists and Estero resident Casey Bishop. Bishop wowed the judges and won the hearts of Estero residents when, at 15, she made her first appearance on the show. Now 16, she is a student at Cypress Lake High School Center for the Arts and continues her interest in a vocal career.
Action Item
Engineering services for PreK-8 school
The School District of Lee County is currently permitting a PreK-8 school along Three Oaks Parkway across from Laurel Oaks Drive. The School District has offered to partner with the Village to upgrade the fields to allow use by the general public outside of school hours.
Council approved a contract with Johnson Engineering (the engineering firm working with the School District) to provide design services for the potential site improvements. The contract covers designing a second athletic field, switching sod from bahia to Bermuda, improved irrigation and drainage, a restroom facility, field lighting, sidewalks and additional fencing. The contract amount is $98,000 with a 10 per cent contingency for additional services that may be required to complete the project.
Public Hearing & Second Reading
Ordinance 2021-10 – Via Coconut Rezoning
Council adopted this ordinance pertaining to the rezoning of Via Coconut for a mixed-use development on a 20-acre site located south of Corkscrew Road on the west side of Via Coconut Point, across from Genova.
The applicant is proposing 330 multi-family dwelling units, 29,600 square feet of commercial use and a 10,000 square foot church or alternative commercial use. The four-story buildings will have undulating rooflines or staggered in height so each building will look more like individual buildings rather than one large building. They will be modern Mediterranean in style and include one, two and three-bedroom apartments. There will be a public dog park with benches at the south end of the property and a public park at the north end of the property.
The applicant made the linked presentation to Council.
This ordinance was approved with a number of conditions including that the applicant will dedicate the public park to the Village of Estero and will maintain it in perpetuity.
Public Hearing
Resolution 2021-19 – Miller right-of-way vacation
Council approved this resolution vacating a 66-foot wide public right-of-way that is part of the plat of the Florida Gulf Land Company’s subdivision located between the railroad right-of-way and Via Coconut Point as there is no longer a need for this right-of-way.
Workshop
Williams Road bicycle and pedestrian improvements concepts
Brent Addison of Banks Engineering gave a presentation on a number of improvements they are recommending for Williams Road, starting at US 41 and ending at Three Oaks Parkway.
Since Williams Road from US 14 to Via Coconut Point will be expanding to four lanes at some point in the future, the majority of changes are currently planned for Via Coconut Point to Three Oaks Parkway. A summary of improvements includes a 12-ft. shared use path, 8-ft. sidewalk, 7-ft. bike lanes on both sides of the road, street lighting and landscaping.
South Florida Water Management District agreement – Lee County, Bonita Springs & Estero
There has been some discussion about moving Estero, Bonita Springs and southern portions of Lee County to the Big Cypress Basin which may better reflect actual drainage patterns and allow tax dollars to be spent in the drainage basin where they are generated. A draft letter and cooperative agreement from Lee County outlining a potential alternative to formally changing the basin boundary lines was reviewed. Here’s a Summary
No voting occurs during workshops.
Residents may view the archived meeting by going to the Village website
The next Council meeting will be held at 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 27, 2021.