SCCF weighs in on proposed Lee Plan changes
On July 27, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) attended the meeting of the Lee County Local Planning Agency where proposed amendments to the Lee Plan were discussed.
The amendments outlined future changes to southeast Lee, the area of Lee County that currently includes the Density Reduction Groundwater Resource (DR/GR) area. The SCCF reported that the proposed changes would allow for increased development in the sensitive area.
The DR/GR was the result of a 2007 study by Dover, Kohl and Partners and aimed to protect Lee County’s aquifers and reduce development pressure on important flow ways and wildlife habitat.
The area is over 83,000 acres and currently has controls on agriculture, mining and development. The amendments were brought by the county in response to landowners seeking individual amendments to develop their land more intensely than the Lee Plan allows. The SCCF reported that the changes proposed by the county are wide ranging and serve to loosen restrictions and, in the county’s words, “encourage development.”
SCCF Policy Director Matt DePaolis attended the meeting and gave comments questioning how the proposed amendments would ensure “adequate” protections for water supply and wildlife, and the efficacy of additional Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) to protect the already impaired waterways. A BMAP is a framework for water quality restoration that includes a comprehensive set of solutions to achieve pollutant reductions, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The SCCF reported that after listening to concerns of the community, the board voted to incorporate minor changes to the proposed amendments and send them to the Lee County Commission for a vote. The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the changes when they are heard by the county commissioners.