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Wednesday, April 2, 2014
the-banner.com
A reason Estero residents turn out to see why they should vote for incorporation By Laura Gates Banner Correspondent
M
any Estero residents want to know why they should vote for incorporation and how their new government would be structured. About two dozen residents showed up at a community meeting hosted by the Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) March 27, the same day the Florida House Local and Federal Affairs Committee unanimously passed Bill 1373 to establish Estero’s incorporation charter, as presented by Rep. Ray Rodrigues. Once the bill has been passed by the full Legislature and signed by the governor, an incorporation referendum will be placed on the November 4 ballot. If more than 50 percent of voters mark “yes,” the Village of Estero will become a municipality one minute before midnight on Dec. 31. David Albers/Staff
An aerial view of Estero.
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Estero leaders want to ensure that happens, despite questions from the Vote Estero group about governance of the future municipality, as well as last-minute annexations by Bonita Springs. The city had until April 1 to finalize voluntary annexation agreements, and did so with the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, Raptor Bay Golf Club, Estero Bay Marine and about 80 individual homeowners in Pelican Landing — much to the ire of the ECCL. “It’s all about money,” said Howard Levitan, the ECCL’s director of Government Affairs, referring to what he called “quid pro quo arrangements” contained in annexation agreements. Estero Bay Marine, owner of the former Weeks Fish Camp property, plans to build the Estero Bay Marina and Resort, a potentially $100 million investment including a hotel, restaurant, condos and retailers. The Hyatt brings a taxable value of $21.65 million to the city. According to its annexation agreement, the Hyatt’s future development plans include adding food and beverage service at its private beach, adding a social ballroom (with no additional parking) and building
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a water feature. Pelican Bay Golf Resort Ventures, owner of Raptor Bay, has future development plans that may include four multifamily high-rise units, including two floors of parking and up to 20 stories of living units. Levitan objects to wording in the annexation agreement indicating the city of Bonita Springs “will approve” an application for the planned development. Bonita Springs Mayor Ben Nelson said the city is within its legal rights to assure property owners they will not lose development rights and will be entitled to economic development incentives by joining the city. “Does that mean city council is bound legally to approval (of zoning changes)? No,” Nelson said. “It just means there’s a good-faith effort on our part to move in that direction and make that happen.” As for the 80 individual homeowners who have opted into the city, Nelson said, “people who want to be in Bonita should be able to be in Bonita. I don’t begrudge anybody who wants to be in Estero. Bonita Springs and Estero are both great places to live.” One of the reasons the ECCL gives for residents to vote in favor of incorporation is a projected budget surplus of more than $15 million at the end of the first five years, according to a feasibility study by Joe Mazurkiewicz of BJM Consulting. That surplus could be used to reduce taxes, build reserves for the future or increase municipal services, explained ECCL Chairman Nick Batos. Estero has always been a “donor community,” paying more into the county tax coffers than it gets back in services, he said. Estero’s municipal tax is projected to be lower than Lee County’s tax rate, although the difference will only amount to a few dollars for the average homeowner, he added. The future Village of Estero would operate on a “government light” model, contracting many services out. “This government office will probably be six to eight employees,” Batos said, noting a logical place for Estero’s rented office space would be within the Estero Fire Rescue Administration Office on Three Oaks Parkway. Because most of Estero’s roadways are behind gates and the community’s infrastructure is new, street maintenance should be minimal, Batos added. The
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
19A
Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent
ECCL Chairman Nick Batos and Government Affairs Director Howard Levitan present information in favor of Estero’s incorporation during a community meeting March 27.
community has about 1,000 acres — or 7 million square feet — of vacant land, which has already been zoned for future commercial development. Estero leaders should control what is developed and allowed within the community’s borders, Batos said. “We believe in development; we believe in growth, but not growth at any cost,” he said. “We believe in smart development.” Estero resident Denis St. John said the presentation was informative and answered many of his questions. Still, he wondered if the proposed form of governance is best for Estero — with seven council members elected at large who then select a mayor from among them. “I’d like to evaluate it more,” said St. John, who has attended a few Vote Estero meetings on the subject. Vote Estero members favor district elections and a mayor elected at large by citizens. “I have a great concern about the mayor not being elected at large,” St. John continued. “I like that check and balance. I’d like the mayor to be more than just a figurehead.”
The ECCL adopted a model from the National Civic League for Estero’s charter, which is a council-manager form of government. City councilors will be paid $6,000 a year, with the mayor getting an extra $3,000 for running meetings. A city manager will be paid $110,000-$120,000 to run daily operations and implement policy. “We didn’t really want career politicians,” Levitan explained. “The village manager is probably the most important of all the positions we have.” Batos admitted he has one concern about the future Village of Estero governance: getting seven dedicated, community-minded council members. The majority of the volunteer ECCL board comes from The Brooks, but only one of them could sit on the first Estero Council because of district residency requirements. Candidates will have to step forward from other Estero communities. “We have to have the right people willing to run who have a heart for the community and are in it for the right reasons,” Batos said.
We believe in development; we believe in growth, but not growth at any cost. We believe in smart development.” — Nick Batos, ECCL chairman
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BLOCK PARTY Thursday, April 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. between Naples Flatbread & Wine Bar and Ford’s Garage Celebrate for a good cause with live entertainment, dancing, (2) drinks and appetizers. Ticket cost of $50 per person; $75 per couple benefits the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools Dancing Classrooms program for 5th graders. Tickets are available online at MiromarOutlets.com or call (239) 948-3766. Miromar Outlets Gift Cards* are available at MiromarOutlets.com, the Mall Office or Visitor Information Kiosk.
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14A
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
the-banner.com
local news
ECCL directors answer questions from Estero citizens following the Friday meeting.
It’s on By Laura Gates Banner Correspondent
Gov. Rick Scott signed House Bill 1373 Monday, granting Estero residents the right to vote on becoming a municipality in November — and potentially opening up shop as the Village of Estero in early 2015. The governor’s signature was the only outstanding requirement for Estero’s incorporation bill, which passed the Senate on April 29. The community’s volunteer leaders are planning for the transition, aiming to update Estero’s plan for future development, within the Lee County Comprehensive Plan, by the end of the year. Lee County planners presented final changes to the Estero Community Plan at Friday’s Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) meeting. Revisions will go before the Local Planning Agency (LPA) May 19 and then head to the Lee Board of County Commissioners in June. If approved by the state, Estero’s plan could be adopted in October — right before the incorporation vote. “This is something that really establishes the vision for your community for the future,” said Principal Planner Kathie Ebaugh, who is resigning next week to take a position with Sarasota County Schools and has worked with Estero leaders on the plan since 2010. Sharon Jenkins Owens will take her place as manager of Lee County’s community planning program, ensuring Estero’s plan gets recorded. Revising the plan was a $100,000 project, with half of the funding coming from a county grant. Proposed revisions include adding guidelines for mixed-use centers and other economic areas. ECCL Chairman Emeritus Don Eslick and Estero planners have been meeting with landowners of prime property off Corkscrew Road and U.S. 41, which is bordered by Estero Community Park to the east and the site of the future Hertz international headquarters to the south. It’s one of the few areas along the main thoroughfares, which still holds cows. The 350 acres have been designated as the future Estero Town Center. “We are treading very carefully on all of this because we don’t want to look like we want to tell those guys what to do with their property,” Eslick said of the five landowners, the largest being the 100-acre North Point property jointly owned by Lutgert and Barron Collier companies. “On the other hand, we’d like to have this whole area developed in a comprehensive fashion and have a vision that can be used to market it.” Estero planners envision a walkable, mixed-use town center with diverse housing options, public gathering
Members of the Estero community enjoyed a chili lunch following the meeting.
ECCL preparing for Estero incorporation vote
places, outdoor plazas and trails. There has been discussion about turning the old rail line, which runs through the property, into a bike and pedestrian pathway, Eslick added. Phase Two of the Estero Community Park plan, if completed, would put the main entrance off Via Coconut, directly across from the future town center. “There’s a lot of resources that could really add to the value of this entire area, and particularly if you can get everybody to buy into it,” Eslick said. The ECCL is paying Seth Harry and Associates about $20,000 to develop a Marketing Assessment and Repositioning Strategy. “We’ve got a clear notion it should be a town center, and most everybody agrees with that — whatever your definition of town center is,” Eslick said. The Town Center may be a logical place for the future city hall, said Bill Prysi, a member of the Estero Design Review Committee and the Lee County Land Development Advisory Committee. He presented proposed changes to the Estero Community Plan to the ECCL membership Friday. The plan also supports development of an “Old Estero” historic district anchored by Koreshan State Historic Site and a medical district south of Coconut Point near the Bonita Community Health Center. The state denied Lee Memorial Health System’s application to build a hospital there after protests from Naples Community Healthcare System, but Lee Memorial, which owns about 30 acres of the vacant 100 acres in the area, is working with the ECCL and other landowners to develop a unified plan for a medical district. “All of the landowners are very receptive and are looking for ways to enhance the value of their property to get it developed as quickly as possible,” Eslick said. The updated community plan also will better define architectural standards for Estero, which has required “Mediterranean style” architecture for structures built since 2011. “We’ve been getting a pseudo-Mediterranean style,” Prysi said. “We’re going to start defining that a little better.” Old Florida Vernacular style may be appropriate for the historic district, while more iconic styles may be used for large buildings like the Hertz headquarters, with its modern, glass design, Prysi said. “You need to have some diversity,” he explained. The plan also calls for greater connectivity for pedestrians. “What we would like to see in Estero is that Estero is one of those places where the pedestrian is as important as the car,” Prysi said. “It’s not difficult to do, and it’s not overly expensive to do. You just need to have some guidelines.”
Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent (3)
Estero Fire Chief Mark Wahlig fields questions from Estero residents following a presentation to the Estero Council of Community Leaders on Friday.
ECCL leaders also backpedaled a bit Friday in their outcry against Neal Communities, following demolition of oak trees at the corner of Corkscrew Road and Three Oaks Parkway last month — part of the process for building a 102-lot residential community there. After reviewing Neal’s verbal commitments to Estero’s planning panel, ECCL Chairman Nick Batos and Community Planning Director Roger Strelow said the developer has not violated the agreement by clearing historic oaks. “There were some misunderstandings, and we will use this to improve procedures with the Estero Community Planning Panel to avoid surprises in the future,” Strelow said. Estero planners also want to see the I-75 interchange on Corkscrew Road improved as expected growth of 2,500 projected new homes come to Estero over the next decade. A Lee County advisory committee to the Florida Department of Transportation has recommended placing the $1015 million project back into the 2035 plan. “I think we’re on the right track for getting it back in,” said ECCL Transportation Director Jim Boesch. To field public comments on this and other Estero issues, the ECCL has revamped its website at www.EsteroToday. com to make it more interactive, including comments for posts and responses from directors. Following Friday’s meeting, directors discussed the issues casually over a firehouse chili lunch. The meeting was held at the Estero Fire Rescue (EFR) building — also the site for the ECCL’s June 13 gathering, with guest speaker Don Scott, director of Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Estero Fire Commissioner Dick Schweers gave a rundown of the district’s fire and EMS history, and Assistant Chief Mark Wahlig presented the current status of equipment and operations. EFR covers 56 square miles with 48 firefighter/paramedic employees. The district plans to spend $18,000 this month to retile Station 41, the oldest of its four stations. Three of the five fire commissioners are up for re-election in November, and Schweers urged Estero residents to keep the current board intact. “With this board the last few years, it’s just been wonderful,” said Schweers, who has served since 1997. In closing, Batos thanked everyone who is helping prepare Estero for its future growth. “We have a plan that hopefully will be adopted and be put in place that will make Estero something very, very special for years to come,” he said. “It’s a historic time, and we’re looking forward to it.”
14A
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
the-banner.com
LOCAL NEWS
Money well spent
LAURA GATES/BANNER CORRESPONDENT (2)
ECCL Chairman Nick Batos explains the process of incorporation during a public meeting Oct. 10. The ECCL has sent mailers and made public presentations in support of the community’s incorporation.
ECCL CONFIDENT ESTERO RESIDENTS READY FOR INCORPORATION VOTE By Laura Gates Banner Correspondent
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lthough voting for incorporation would create an extra layer of government for Estero residents, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, according to Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) Chairman Nick Batos, who is giving final presentations on the matter leading up to the ballot referendum Nov. 4. “We have been talking 18 months about how we feel about this; it now comes down to you,” he told a crowd of about 90 Estero residents packed into the meeting room at Estero Community Park Oct. 10. “You have to vote. If you don’t vote, you won’t have a say about what happens in the future.” The ECCL has spent has spent about $71,000 of its planned $90,000 budget for the incorporation effort, including consultants’ fees and legal fees for the referendum process and a planned $15,000 for transitioning to a municipality if the referendum passes. If Friday’s meeting is any indication, ECCL leaders have reason to be confident their money has been well spent. When Batos asked, “How many people have enough information and feel comfortable about incorporation?” all hands shot into the air. With a tax base of more than $5 billion -- not including what Hertz, Walmart and new residential developments will add -- Estero is projected to accumulate an annual budget surplus of $3.3 million, according to the incorporation feasibility study by BJM Consulting. By the end of its first five years,
A full-house crowd in the Estero Community Center meeting room listens as ECCL Chairman Nick Batos answers questions about Estero’s incorporation. Estero voters will decide Nov. 4 if the community will become a municipality.
FILE PHOTO
Looking to the west shows The Brooks development in the foreground with the south end of Fort Myers Beach in the far background.
the Village of Estero is projected to have a $16.5 million surplus, which could be used to improve services, reduce taxes, build reserves for hurricanes or economic downturns, or to provide economic incentives to top-notch companies like Hertz, Batos said. The ECCL is mailing out postcards to all registered voters in Estero this month. There are also posters in businesses and neighborhood clubhouses, all urging residents to cast their vote for “The Village of Estero.” If the referendum passes, this unincorporated community in southern Lee County will become a municipality on Dec. 31, 2014. Candidates for the seven-member Village Council would then file to run in January and have less than three months to campaign before the special election March 3. The first Estero Village Council meeting would take place on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. Estero’s roughly 28,000 residents have been equally divided into seven districts. Candidates for council must reside in the district in which they are running, but they will be elected at large. “Everybody gets to vote for all seven council members,” explained ECCL Incorporation Chair John Goodrich. “That’s how we vote for our county commissioners, that’s how we vote for our hospital board, and that’s how we vote for our school board. This would encourage all council members to consider the interests of all residents of Estero.” Village Council members will be elected to four-year terms and earn $6,000 a year under the established charter, with a mayor elected from the seven members making an extra $3,000 to run meetings and be the ceremonial head of the village. “These sums are significantly less than any other municipality in the state of Florida with a residence of 28,000 or more,” Goodrich assured. The council will appoint a Village Manager to imple-
ment policy and supervise other village employees (there will only be six to start). “We’re proposing a government light concept for the Village of Estero,” Batos said. Most work would be contracted out to Lee County or private contractors. The county would continue to perform municipal functions such as zoning, code enforcement, sheriff ’s protection and road maintenance, until the Estero Village Council decides to make any changes, Batos added. “There will be things changed quickly and other things not so quickly, or not at all,” he said. The Estero Fire Rescue District will be unaffected by the change, as it operates independently, and therefore will keep its boundaries, which extend beyond the eastern municipal boundaries of the proposed Village of Estero. The first Village Council meeting likely will take place at the Estero Fire headquarters on Three Oaks Parkway, and the new village government may operate out of rented space there, as well, Batos said. The ECCL is compiling recommendations for the first Estero Village Council into a Transition Book. The book will include details of the Incorporation Feasibility Study and Estero Village Charter, as well as the ECCL’s research into future land use, staffing, public works and community relations. One fi nal public presentation on incorporation is planned this month. It will be Thursday at Estero Community Park at 6 p.m. The presentation also is available to view online at www.esterotoday.com. Many residents of the Breckenridge community showed up to Friday’s ECCL meeting to not only support incorporation but also protest a planned development to the east of the gated neighborhood, just south of Estero Parkway at U.S. 41. TerraCap Partners is proposing the Estero Grande development, including a commercial center and 285 rental apartments, which residents fear will be filled with university students, said Garth Errington, a resident of Preserve III at Breckenridge. Although the development was not on Friday’s ECCL agenda, it will be reviewed at the Estero Community Planning Panel meeting Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. at Estero Community Park. The Lee County Hearing Examiner is scheduled to consider TerraCap’s proposal during a public hearing Oct. 29. In other business, ECCL Environmental Director Phil Douglas encouraged Estero voters to also mark “yes” for Amendment One on their ballot, supporting the Florida Water and Land Acquisition Trust Fund. “Water is our No 1 resource,” Douglas said. “If we don’t protect it today, it won’t be here in the future, and the wetlands is key. Several studies show we are a hotspot for wetland loss.” ECCL Transportation Director Jim Boesch meanwhile is working on getting green arrows added to the traffic signal at Williams Road and U.S. 41, where the new Hertz headquarters is being constructed. With ECCL requests dismissed by the Lee County Department of Transportation, Boesch is turning to County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass to appeal for reconsideration. “It takes only common sense to see there are some dangerous situations there,” Boesch said. “It’s something we have to address.”
12A
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
the-banner.com
local news
Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent (3)
Jim Boesch talks about transportation issues with some Estero residents following the Nov. 14 meeting of the Estero Council of Community Leaders. Boesch is running for the first Estero Village Council in March.
Evolving plans
Lee Memorial’s emergency and outpatient facility would likely open by the second half of 2017, Newingham said. “That area can really become a healthcare village with this anchor we’ve been talking about,” said ECCL Chairman Emeritus Don Eslick, who has been working with Lee Memorial for the last decade to bring better healthcare to Estero. “I give them a lot of credit for sticking with it and finding a creative way around the denial of the hospital,” he said. “There’s been a lot of strong commitment and great partnership ECCL hears outpatient through some really trying times.” center plans Preps More challenges are ahead for Estero as it embarks on its journey toward cityhood. The for Estero Cityhood community officially becomes the Village of Estero on Dec. 31. By Laura Gates Candidates for the first Estero Village CounBanner Correspondent cil will declare by mid-January, and a special election will be held March 3. The ECCL plans hen Lee Memorial Health System to hold two public candidate forums in late failed to gain state approval for a new January and early February, Chairman Nick hospital in South Lee County, the viBatos said. sion didn’t die; it simply took on a new form. “It’s been a historical journey for all of us,” Last week Lee Memorial presented its board he said. “Now we see the goal line.” with plans for a $140 million outpatient desOne candidate already has stepped forward tination center to be built on about 33 acres from District Five, which includes Stoneyit owns near the Bonita Community Health brook, Miromar Outlets and the area between Center south of Coconut Point Mall. Corkscrew and Williams Roads east of I-75 to Estero citizens view the Concept Plan for “I really believe the way we designed this Lee Memorial Health System’s proposed U.S. 41. project, this will provide you with the bulk of Outpatient Destination Center during the Jim Boesch is the ECCL’s director of transwhat you would’ve seen in a hospital,” said Nov. 14 meeting of the Estero Council of portation and a former council member and Keith Newingham, Lee Memorial’s vice presi- Community Leaders. mayor of Wethersfield, Conn., which had a dent of Strategic Services, speaking to the Espopulation similar to Estero during his tentero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) ure from 1981-1987. Boesch was pushing for Nov. 14. Although independent physicians may part- Estero’s incorporation through involvement The proposed 172,000-square-foot facility ner with Lee Memorial to provide services, the in a group known as Vote Estero long before would include a freestanding emergency de- facility will be unique in streamlining patient the ECCL spearheaded this most recent incorpartment, imaging center, laboratory and clini- registration and scheduling, Newingham add- poration effort. cal decision unit with 12 beds for observation ed. Each patient will have just one electronic “I’ve been working on this project since to determine if patients need to be transported record, thanks to Lee Memorial’s newly inte- 2007, and I just feel Estero can be the shining to another facility. grated EPIC system. star of all Southwest Florida,” Boesch said after “This project does everything a hospital “You would register one time and be given formally restating his intent to run at Friday’s would do except one thing, and that’s a bed a care plan,” Newingham said. “It should be ECCL meeting. “Although it’s a tremendous tower,” Newingham said. “The inclusion of a much, much less complicated moving forward.” amount of work that’s going to be forthcomclinical decision unit, in large degree, negates The project fits with Estero’s vision for ing in the next four years, I can’t let go of this the need for a bed tower.” the area off U.S. 41 south of Coconut Road, thought I can be helpful in making this dream According to hospital statistics, about 70 which the ECCL has designated for a fu- come true.” percent of patients are treated at the emer- ture healthcare village. American House In addition, resident William “Bill” Riddle gency room and sent home without the need Coconut Point, a 194-unit assisted living has declared his intent to run for the District for hospital admittance, he added. and memory care community, is preparing 1 seat. District one is the westernmost district “We can keep that 70 percent here and get to break ground next month and open in along Estero Bay west of 41. them the care they need without them having fall 2015. Other ECCL members also are preparing to be transported to another fafor the transition. Government cility,” Newingham said. Affairs Director Howard LeviElective surgeries and disease tan outlined steps the Village management care also may be Council will need to take to performed by physicians aligned integrate the newly revised with the outpatient care center. Estero Plan, which is part of “Every day in healthcare the Lee County Land Developmore and more procedures that ment Code. have traditionally been done in “When it comes time to elect the hospital are done on an outpeople to our board, make sure patient basis,” Newingham said. they share our vision, Estero’s Additionally, the planned favision,” Levitan advised. cility would offer a sleep center ECCL Director of Community and cardiac services, along with Planning Roger Strelow is a medical fitness center focusheading up the Transition ing on wellness and sports mediTeam, which is creating a cine. Although the state denied resource book for the first Lee Memorial’s application to council members. build an 80-bed hospital, based “All of a sudden, they colleclargely on protests from NCH tively are in charge of running Healthcare System, the outpaa modest sized municipality tient center will be expandable here in the state of Florida,” if circumstances change in the he said. “Almost every day we future, Newingham said. It also Estero Council of Community Leaders Chairman Nick Batos answers come across something else may include related retail busi- questions from Estero citizens following the Nov. 14 ECCL meeting at this new council will have Estero Community Park. nesses and restaurants. to address.”
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