At its Oct. 28 land-use meeting, the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners approved final site plans for two Punta Gorda area developments — a new phase of housing near Burnt Store Road and a storage facility on Taylor Road — both represented by Atwell LLC.
Zemel Land Partners LLC, developer of the Firelight North community, received approval for major modifications to Phases 1 and 2 near Burnt Store Road. The project will include 337 homes across 349 acres at 26000 Zemel Road, with three access points. The area is designated as Burnt Store Village Residential in the county’s 2030 Future Land Use Map and zoned for planned development.
The project’s modification adds additional lots along the perimeter of the property and establishes new development within Phase 2. Despite previous opposition from nearby residents citing concerns over flooding and traffic, commissioners approved the plans unanimously as part of the consent agenda.
At a prior meeting in September 2024, county planners noted the project will preserve 93% of existing wetlands on the site. Principal Planner Jie Shao told commissioners that 43.04 acres will be set aside for wetlands and 8.78 acres for wetland buffers.
Land use map indicating the Firelight North and South developments discussed at the Oct. 28 Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners meeting.
Charlotte County government
Resident John Fleming, who leads the Burnt Store Corridor Coalition, representing 13 residential communities, voiced concerns during that earlier hearing about potential traffic impacts along Burnt Store Road, including one project exit near Fire Station 5.
Also approved was the final site plan for Scenic View V, a 137,000-square-foot storage complex on two parcels totaling 10.33 acres at 5221 and 5225 Taylor Road. Scenic View V LLC’s plans call for six western buildings containing large, individually owned units, an eastern building with mini storage units and 68,000 square feet of recreational vehicle storage.
Demand for RV storage in Charlotte County has grown in recent years, as many deed-restricted neighborhoods prohibit residents from parking large vehicles in driveways.
The property lies near Creekside residential community and the Jones Loop Road commercial corridor. It also borders two cemeteries — the county-owned Indian Springs Cemetery and the privately owned Memorial Gardens — which prompted county staff to include archaeological preservation as a condition of approval.
Rendering shows plans for Scenic View V, a new 137,000-square-foot storage facility approved Oct. 28 in the Punta Gorda area.
Charlotte County government
Shao said Indian Springs Cemetery, also known as Pineapple River Cemetery, dates to 1886 when former Punta Gorda Council member James Sandlin donated the land for public use. Sandlin and Albert Gilchrist, a founder of Punta Gorda and Florida’s 20th governor, recorded the site’s first plat. Both are buried there along with nearly 50 early settlers and more than 360 veterans.
Attorney Derek Rooney of the GrayRobinson law firm, representing Scenic View, assured the board the project would maintain compatibility with surrounding land uses. “Buffers go beyond the code,” Rooney said, noting that a solid wall will surround the property with trees planted outside the wall for additional screening.
The approvals mark another round of growth along the Burnt Store corridor, an area where residents have voiced increasing concerns about the pace of development and its effects on infrastructure. Still, county leaders emphasized that both projects meet planning and zoning requirements and align with Charlotte County’s comprehensive growth framework.