{"id":189758,"date":"2026-03-13T05:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T05:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189758\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T05:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T05:23:15","slug":"debate-over-new-apartment-complex-at-coconut-point-lee-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189758\/","title":{"rendered":"Debate over new apartment complex at Coconut Point | Lee County"},"content":{"rendered":"

Estero\u2019s Planning, Zoning & Design Board again sharply criticized a plan to build a 365-unit apartment complex at Coconut Point, advising developers to go back to the drawing board for a second time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The board and Estero staff continue to share concerns about the plan\u2019s density and height while adding new criticism centered on poor access to parking and other amenities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got a lot of homework,\u201d Design Board Chair Anthony Gargano said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a lot of work to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coconut Point mall owner Simon Property Group and its multifamily development partner, Waypoint Residential, have proposed demolishing the former Regal Coconut Point movie theater and building a luxury apartment complex on the property from Cinema Way to Via Coconut Point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At an initial meeting Jan. 13, the Design Board questioned the developers\u2019 request to build at a higher residential density<\/a> than Coconut Point\u2019s original plans allow and to reduce the number of required parking spaces. Board members also disapproved of the apartment complex\u2019s height in relation to the rest of Coconut Point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The developers returned for a March 10 workshop to present a revised layout that reconfigured the project\u2019s main elements: four- and five-story residential buildings, surface parking surrounding a five-story parking garage and shared outdoor green space. The new design reduced the total number of units to 362, more than doubled the amount of green space and sought to improve traffic flow with added access points to the complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the Design Board largely reiterated its previous concerns, and added new criticism focused on the revised plan\u2019s lack of easy access to parking and other amenities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Board member Jim Wallace described the layout as inconvenient and impractical, especially for older residents. He said some residents would have to walk 600 feet or more from the parking lot to their front door.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really comes down to function before form,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think somehow function has been forgotten here. I think we would all say the buildings are beautiful, but it needs to be easy to live there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Board member James Tatooles offered a similar critique.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is entirely ill thought out,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cThis does not meet the needs of people coming into Estero at this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Revised<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A site plan shows developers\u2019 revised proposal for a 365-unit apartment complex at Coconut Point mall in Estero. The village\u2019s Planning, Zoning & Design Board urged developers to redesign the project, citing concerns about density, height and parking access.<\/p>\n

Estero government<\/p>\n

Board members suggested alternatives including a parking structure under the apartments, a breezeway over the courtyard to connect separate buildings and a further reduction in the total number of units.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Board member Michael Sheeley advised the development team to create a new layout that gives residents better access to parking and Coconut Point shops.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is a schematic design concept that needs to be reworked, and I would encourage you to look at how the whole thing is put together,\u201d Sheeley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Estero Community Development Director Mary Gibbs said village staff also are concerned about the project\u2019s height, density and parking layout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During public comment, Terry Flanagan of the community volunteer group Engage Estero urged the Design Board to reject the Waypoint Residential project because of its height, density and design, calling it \u201ca sad blot on our lovely municipality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the Design Board offers opinions and advice, it will not officially approve or reject the plan. That decision will rest with Estero Village Council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Simon and the Waypoint development team, which includes Bowman Consulting Group and MSA Architects, plan to continue reworking the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very helpful,\u201d Waypoint Residential Managing Director of Florida Development Chris Moore said of the board\u2019s criticism. \u201cLet us go back to the drawing board and come up with something that is more function over form.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Estero\u2019s Planning, Zoning & Design Board again sharply criticized a plan to build a 365-unit apartment complex at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[33703,209,211,210,42251,88713,10124,88712],"class_list":["post-189758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-apartment-complex","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-coconut-point","tag-density","tag-estero","tag-zoning-board"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}