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Bonita council to consider annexing 105 acres
Both parcels are in DR/GR area, which has more environmental restrictions
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Nearly 105 acres of environmentally sensitive land east of Bonita Springs is likely to join the city.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Bonita Springs City Council will vote on two voluntary annexation requests to bring 14 properties on Bonita Beach Road into the incorporated area.
“Across from me is in city of Bonita. Next to me is in city of Bonita. Why not me?” said Julie Lin, who is asking for her 5-acre parcel to be annexed.
The other applicant for annexation is Highgate Corp., which owns 13 parcels in the Bonita Beach Road corridor totalling 99.8 acres. Its petitioner, Michael Lehn, could not be reached for comment.
This east Bonita area with the Highgate and Lin properties has become the hot spot for annexation into the city over the past three years. Multiple smaller parcels have come into the incorporated area, most notably in the Section 29 area along Bonita Grande Drive.
“I have no problem with voluntary annexation,” City Councilman Richard Ferreira said. “If there is a willingness on the part of the applicant to come into the city, then I will welcome them.”
Lee County has had very little objection to these properties leaving county control and coming into the city. However, during the Section 29 annexations, county commissioners were concerned city officials would be more lenient in lifting the environmental restrictions on the properties.
The land in east Bonita is zoned Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource, including the Highgate and Lin parcels, as a way to prevent excessive development and to recharge the area groundwater supply. DR/GR land can only have one structure for every 10 acres.
The city and the county have been re-examining the DR/GR for the past two years, and each has a separate study examining possible uses for the 4,000 environmentally sensitive acres in Bonita Springs.
At one point, Bonita officials, particularly former Mayor Jay Arend, talked about the DR/GR as a possible location for affordable housing.
Bonita Springs has taken the DR/GR designation off a property once. The owner of the 10-acre Eagle Bay property wanted to build 200 homes and couldn’t do so with the designation. Since the parcel was already home to a trailer park, council figured it wouldn’t be allowing any more density than was already there.
On the same day in 2006, council turned down another request to remove the DR/GR designation on another property.
Neither Highgate nor Lin has any immediate plans to ask for the DR/GR designation to be taken off their parcels.
“These aren’t the ones that have had the type of issues that the county is concerned about,” City Attorney Audrey Vance said.
For Lin, the annexation is about getting a more responsive government. In east Bonita, it makes more sense to be in the city rather than on the county land.
She has had a problem with garbage being dumped on her property since she purchased it. Whenever she called Lee County, it took a significant amount of time to get anything done. She figures Bonita will be quicker about it.
“People have been dumping out there for a long time,” Lin said.
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Well done City of Bonita!
With budget cuts, and everything in between, at least you can save the little guy in this situation from garbage dumping, and from the waste of tax dollars we all know as Lee County.
#1 Posted by beetlejuice on July 15, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
there goes another ATV riding area. there is more to this than a woman and some trash.
that place is adjoining the Corkscrew Sancuary.
#2 Posted by mimibuck on July 15, 2008 at 9:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Taxpayers all ride ATV's, so thanks for saving the day, City of Bonita.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a designated wildlife sanctuary of woodstorks that I haven't seen mating there in years.
So your point is....mimibuck?
#3 Posted by beetlejuice on July 15, 2008 at 9:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
beetlejuice, it's county land. not controlled by the city of Borrito Springs. the riding area acually has old "for Sale" signs all over it. but is part of the sheet flow to the Everglades. ADJOINING Corkcrew Swamp.
since you have no point, i hope you will accept mine.
#4 Posted by mimibuck on July 15, 2008 at 9:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Bonita Springs has taken the DR/GR designation off a property once." This statement is not entirely true. The previous DR/GR removal was on the 29 plus acres which the YMCA is now occupying. The funny thing was a "promise" made at the meeting which stressed that this removal was not to set a precdent. So much for promises.
#5 Posted by ravenhawk on July 16, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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