City Council tackles zoning, land use issues
The Cape Coral City Council on Monday had several land use ordinances to consider during its regular meeting at City Hall, including one that looks to adding much needed commercial and affordable housing elements.
The council voted to approve the transmittal to the state of a city-initiated, large-scale, future land use amendment covering 1,581 acres and 20 properties throughout the city.
The amendment proposes that low density residential, mixed-use preserve and highway commercial land uses be eliminated for the properties located on the Zemel property, Burnt Store Road, Old Burnt Store Road, on both sides of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Old Pondella Road.
Wyatt Daltrey, planning team coordinator, said the amendment promotes both the increase in commercial base as well as housing diversity.
Staff gave council two alternatives on the Zemel property. They could choose to turn the mixed-use preserve into mixed use and the western portion of the property near Gator Circle to multi-family to address the city’s lack of affordable properties (about 3,200 units would come from there) or mixed use with more commercial and a smaller residential footprint, about 640 units.
Daltrey said staff leaned toward multi-family, while council agreed more with the commercial option, as it still addresses both needs. The motion passes unanimously.
The City Council also approved the expansion of a planned development project “Santa Barbara Plaza East” on the corner of Santa Barbara Boulevard and Nicholas Parkway East, the vacationing of a plat for an alley and underlying public utility and drainage easements on Adalusia Boulevard, and the rezoning of property from residential to pedestrian commercial on Burnt Store Road and Northwest 32nd Place.
Among the legislation coming down the pike, the council heard the first readings on the proposed franchise agreement between the city and electric provider LCEC (for next week) and an ordinance that would ban retail sale of dogs and cats in the city, set for Oct. 1.
In other business, City Council also voted to approve Kenneth Jenkins and Blanca Contreras for the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and Jesse Marker to the Planning & Zoning Commission, replacing James Schneider, who resigned.
The council also voted to add $5,000 to the city’s budget to fund the Youth Council for the upcoming fiscal year and move the Committee of the Whole meeting from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
Also, the city recognized Dolores Bertolini for her being awarded the Distinguished Service Award at the 2018 National Community Emergency Response Team Conference in Naples, which she received in July.