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Lee County Community Development
e-Newsletter
JUNE 2008
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Applications go to Bonita beginning
June 16
The City of Bonita Springs will
begin to accept zoning and development-related applications as of Monday, June
16; and as of Monday, June 30, it will accept all permit applications.
Bonita City Council hired CH2M Hill to handle its
Community Development responsibilities, completing the transition from Lee
County assistance which began with Bonita’s cityhood.
Effective June 16, all zoning and development review
applications within the boundaries of Bonita Springs should be submitted
directly to its Community Development Department at Sunshine Plaza and
Professional Center, 9220 Bonita Beach Road, Suite 109, Bonita Springs, Fla.,
34135. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Effective June 30, all building permit applications also
should be submitted in Bonita Springs.
Through Friday, June 27, already-approved permits for
projects within the Bonita Springs boundaries may still be picked up in the Lee
County Community Development permitting lobby at 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers.
However, approved permits will be sent to Bonita Springs at the end of that day
to be issued there effective Monday, June 30.
New FEMA flood maps may
affect existing plans
The Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) has updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Lee County that will
become effective on August 28, 2008. These maps establish new floodways in
which construction is restricted by federal policy. The maps also establish
base flood elevations for Special Flood Hazard Areas.
Development permits in floodways will be affected by
these new maps. Building permits to be issued in projects with already-approved
Zoning Resolutions and Development Orders may still be subject to special
conditions as a result of these new maps. The use of fill will be restricted in
the new floodways.
Anyone with an interest in a parcel
that is in a newly designated floodway is urged to contact Lee County to discuss
the impact these maps may have on Zoning Resolutions, Development Orders or
building permits. Call Joan LaGuardia at (239) 533-8705.
Lee County's new Flood Insurance Rate Maps can be viewed
online at
http://www.lee-county.com/dcd/fema.htm. To download GIS shape files, go to
http://leegis.leegov.com/GISData.htm.
Additional details about the new maps
are available at
http://lee-county.com/dcd.
First 20/20 recreational
preserve opens on river
 The Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve was the first of a
group of properties authorized by the Board of County Commissioners to be
collaboratively rezoned to "Environmentally Critical" by Planning, Zoning, and
Parks and Recreation staff. The county-initiated rezoning allowed for the
development of the Preserve with passive recreational facilities.
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve, which is on the north
shore of the Caloosahatchee
River southeast of the intersection of Bayshore
and Interstate 75, officially opened during a ribbon cutting ceremony May 20.
Of the 1,261-acre site, 200 acres were improved in a $2.1 million project to
build restrooms, a canoe launch, parking areas, picnic shelters and tables, as
well as trails, boardwalks and observation decks.
The land was acquired by Conservation 2020 and improved
with grants from the Florida Communities Trust, US Fish and Wildlife Service,
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and South Florida Water
Management District.
There will be further rezonings involving collaboration
between Planning, Zoning and Parks and Recreation to accommodate passive
recreational uses at the following 20/20 Preserves: Prairie Pines, San Carlos-Bunche
Beach, Estero Marsh, Galt, Gator Hole, Hickory Swamp, Matanzas Pass, Orange
River, Pine Island Flatwoods, Spanish Creek, and Wild Turkey Strand.
Upcoming meetings and public hearings
Lee County Commissioners
will hold a public hearing to review amendments to the Flood Hazard
Ordinance and Eagle Ordinance, Tuesday, June 10 at 5:05 p.m. in Lee
Commission Chambers, 2021 Main St., Fort Myers.
Ad Hoc DR/GR Steering Committee will meet:
·
Wednesday, June 11 and June 25, 1:30 p.m. in the Community
Development/Public Works Center, 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers.
·
Wednesday, July 2, 1 p.m., in the Community Development/Public
Works Center. This is a meeting with a facilitator to discuss committee
objectives and issues.
Local Planning Agency (LPA)
will meet Monday, June 23, at 1 p.m. in Lee Commission Chambers.
Executive Regulatory Oversight Committee (EROC)
will meet Wednesday, July 9 at 2 p.m., in the Community Development/Public Works
Center.
Land Development Code Advisory Committee (LDCAC)
will meet July 11 at 8 a.m. in the Community Development/Public Works Center.
View a full calendar at
http://dcd-calendar.leegov.com//calendar.php.
May permit report
During May, Lee County Community Development issued
permits for 80 single-family homes valued at $26.9 million to be built in
unincorporated Lee County, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach. In comparison,
there were 47 permits for single-family homes issued in April and 301 issued in
May 2007.
There were 28 multi-family units permitted in May,
compared to 22 the previous month and 102 in May 2007.
Permits were issued for 37 new commercial buildings
valued at $21.2 million, compared to $5.5 million the previous month and $41.8
million in May 2007.
See full reports at
http://lee-county.com/dcd/Reports/ReportsMain.htm.
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