{"id":434810,"date":"2026-10-22T13:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T13:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/434810\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T13:10:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T13:10:21","slug":"estero-planners-question-density-of-new-apartment-proposal-lee-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/434810\/","title":{"rendered":"Estero planners question density of new apartment proposal | Lee County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Proposed<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

An architectural rendering by MSA Architects shows a proposed four-story, 355-unit apartment complex that would replace the former Regal movie theater at Coconut Point in Estero. The village\u2019s Planning, Zoning & Design Board raised concerns about density, height and parking Oct. 20, prompting another hearing Nov. 17.<\/p>\n

Estero government<\/p>\n

A Regal movie theater at Coconut Point mall in Estero has become a relic of a bygone era.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It closed in November 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, mall owner Simon Property Group and its development partner Waypoint Residential want to tear down the abandoned cineplex and replace it with the next hot ticket: a 355-unit, four-story apartment complex that offers \u201clive, work, play\u201d convenience for young professionals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The former Regal movie theater at Coconut Point in Estero closed in November 2022. Mall owner Simon Property Group and developer Waypoint Residential propose demolishing the building to make way for a 355-unit apartment complex.<\/p>\n

Evan Williams<\/p>\n

\u201cThe malls that are surviving and thriving in our current environment are focused on adding live-work-play environments to their shopping centers,\u201d said Simon Vice President of Development Bill Moston at an Oct. 20 public hearing before the Estero Planning, Zoning & Design Board. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s happening around the country with the malls that are not dying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But while board members said they like the concept of multifamily apartments, they continued to criticize the project\u2019s density, height, parking layout and other features.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Oct. 20 meeting, they voted unanimously to grant the developers a continuance to revise the plan rather than recommend approval or denial to Village Council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A second public hearing before the Planning Board is scheduled for Nov. 17. The board will then get another chance to decide whether to recommend the project to Village Council, which has the final vote on whether the project moves forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Estero<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Members of Estero\u2019s Planning, Zoning & Design Board review a proposal to replace the former Regal movie theater at Coconut Point with 355 apartments during an Oct. 20 public hearing at Village Hall. The board unanimously granted a continuance to allow developers to revise the project before making a recommendation to Village Council.<\/p>\n

Evan Williams<\/p>\n

The Planning Board\u2019s recommendation is based on whether the project meets Estero\u2019s land development code and comprehensive plan, not necessarily members\u2019 opinions on architectural or other details.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The developers first presented the project to the Planning Board at an informational meeting in January and again at a workshop in March.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite changes to the project, including cutting 10 units, reducing the height from five to four stories and adjusting the parking and building layouts, board members raised familiar criticisms.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

That included its high density, with 355 units on 6.85 acres.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears that the designer designed it to the maximum limits of the site,\u201d board member Al Paivandy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The developer also adjusted the location of a parking garage to give potential residents closer access to their apartments. But the garage had only one entrance and exit, a sticking point for board members who voiced concerns about traffic backups.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Coconut<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A site plan presented to Estero officials shows the proposed 355-unit apartment development at Coconut Point, including a parking garage and surface parking. Planning board members questioned whether the garage\u2019s single entrance and exit could accommodate traffic.<\/p>\n

Estero government<\/p>\n

Residents shared concerns about traffic at the garage entrance and around the property.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Allan Bowditch, president of the nonprofit community advocacy group Engage Estero, said the project\u2019s target renters would often have to drive to and from work, unlike area retirees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I start to question the issues related to the number of cars required on that site and also the number of visitations there will be at the peak hours of travel,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Transportation consultant Ted Treesh testified at the hearing that one garage entrance is \u201cmore than sufficient\u201d for the site and that the apartment complex would generate fewer vehicle trips during peak hours than a movie theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Board members also complained that there was not enough green space surrounding the buildings relative to their height.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But some approved of the overall concept, which they believe could be a financially viable replacement for the old cinema.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a perfect use for something that has died,\u201d board member Jim Tatooles said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Waypoint Residential Managing Director of Florida Development Chris Moore pointed to a company-funded analysis of housing demand by John Burns Research and Consulting. Moore declined to share the report publicly but discussed its findings at the hearing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It showed demand for the live-work-play concept, he said, aimed at younger professionals who could qualify for rents of about $2,300 or $2,400 per month with annual incomes in the mid-$80,000 range.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may say there\u2019s a lot of residential coming online but all that\u2019s being absorbed right now and the units we would deliver here won\u2019t come on until 2029, so everything you see done now will be absorbed,\u201d Moore said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An architectural rendering by MSA Architects shows a proposed four-story, 355-unit apartment complex that would replace the former…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[33703,209,211,210,42251,10124,7796,129134],"class_list":["post-434810","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-estero","tag-multifamily-housing","tag-urban-redevelopment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434810","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=434810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}