Estero vacant land could become 370 apartments and retail shops | Lee County

ESTERO, Fla. (WINK)—A long-vacant property in the heart of Estero could soon be transformed into hundreds of apartments, retail space, and open-air cafes.

The Residential Group is proposing a new mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Estero Parkway and Three Oaks Parkway. Right now, the property is filled with open land, wildlife, and quiet, but just feet away, traffic moves through one of Estero’s busiest intersections.

Jim Saccomanni has lived in Estero for 41 years. He has watched the area change dramatically over the decades.

“The growth has been phenomenal, really,” Saccomanni said. “Used to be a lot of dirt roads and a lot of area for, you know, wildlife.”

The property was approved for a large shopping center in 1994, but that project was never built. Developers say this new plan would create less traffic than the original shopping center approved for the site.

For Saccomanni, the concern goes beyond just traffic.

“When you’re growing that fast, what are you doing to the environment?” Saccomanni said. “We always hear water shortages. We always hear about driving and traffic concerns. Are we doing our due diligence to make sure we’re not overpopulating the area and creating more of a problem than solving problems?”

Allan Bowditch with Engage Estero [placeholder: link to Engage Estero organization] says those are the same questions the village has to weigh as more development comes to the area. Because the land was zoned well before Estero became a municipality, the Planning and Zoning Board has limited options.

“When land is zoned, as it was previously, well before Estero was a municipality, there’s only a limited amount of things that the Planning and Zoning Board can do,” Bowditch said.

The board can shape development, but it cannot stop it entirely.

“They cannot, unfortunately, stop a development,” Bowditch said. “They can, of course, influence how that development is and looks.”

The plan includes 370 apartments, 33,000 square feet of retail space, open-air cafes, walkways, and architecture with a Mediterranean and coastal feel. For neighbors like Saccomanni, it’s not about stopping growth but ensuring it’s done responsibly.

“Can’t stop growth. I understand that, but just do it responsibly,” Saccomanni said.

The project is still in the early stages, so no final decisions have been made yet.