Heavy equipment moves earth across the Kingston development site in southeastern Lee County.
Brian Tietz
Changes to how Lee County manages growth in the southeastern part of the county received unanimous backing from the Local Planning Agency last week and now head to county commissioners for final approval.
County planners said the changes are needed after developers submitted 11 amendment requests to the Southeast Lee Plan since 2023. Rather than consider each request individually, planners asked commissioners to review them “more holistically,” Principal Planner Katherine Burgess told LPA members.
The requests ranged from removing properties from the Southeast Lee Plan to adding them to the proposed Preservation & Innovation Future Land Use designation.
The Preservation & Innovation category would require new developments to connect to central utilities, front major collector roads, preserve significant open space and restore natural areas. Developments could not negatively impact natural resources or include residential housing.
While large residential communities have spread across southeast Lee County, commercial development has lagged. The plan aims to avoid the strip mall pattern seen elsewhere in the county.
“We want to see something a little bit more interesting,” Burgess said.
The goal is to create jobs and amenities for residents of southeast Lee County and Lehigh Acres, she said.
The proposed Conservation Community land-use category would require central utilities, substantial open space and limit density to 1.15 homes per acre.
The LPA unanimously approved the proposed changes, including adding the State Road 82 Freeman Industrial property to the Preservation & Innovation category and removing Bonita Beach Commercial from the Southeast Lee Plan map.
County planners delayed consideration of a request to remove Daniels Tradeport Industrial from the Southeast Lee Plan.
Reaction to the proposal was mixed. Planning consultants representing developers praised the revisions while explaining why they sought amendments.
“I think you have before you balances, those various interests in terms of environmental and natural resources protection with development interests in that area,” said Alexis Crespo of RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, which submitted six of the 11 amendment requests.
Marissa Figueroa, policy specialist for the National Audubon Society, said the organization supports the changes but cautioned that “an increase in allowable density should therefore be tied to conservation, enforceable and permanent.”
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Policy Director Matt DePaolis also praised the proposal.
“These would be really great ideas if they had been done all along,” he said. “But the changes aren’t going to fix the past.”
No date has been set for county commissioners to vote on the amendments. The Local Planning Agency is expected to consider additional changes to the Lee Plan later this month.