Bonita planners shoot down request for 35-unit complex

The Local Planning Agency's denial Thursday of the high-density request on Windsor Road delayed the developer's rezoning request Friday.

Some city planners said they wanted to send a message they won't rubber-stamp developers' requests to modify the comprehensive plan, Bonita's blueprint for growth, unless it benefits the city.

They said B.E. Devco's request, which has raised the ire of residents near the site, didn't do that. Devco is an affiliate of Southwest Quality Homes.

Instead, the planning agency voted to recommend a comprehensive plan change Thursday allowing moderate-density, multifamily housing, meaning Devco could build no more than 27 units. The current plan only allows for moderate-density single-family homes.

"There didn't seem to be a compelling reason to change the density other than to increase the profits of the developer, and that's not what the comprehensive plan is about," said Larry Warner, a member of the planning agency, an advisory group to the City Council. "There should be some reason to amend the plan for the good of the city."

Devco is also seeking a zoning change from agricultural use to residential.

The city's zoning board, also an advisory board to the council, delayed the case Friday until Dec. 12, or after the council decides whether to accept the Local Planning Agency's recommendation. The council could veer from the LPA's suggestion and opt for the high-density change or maintain its current single-family designation.

Devco's manager said they may kill the project if they don't get the high-density designation.

"I don't think we're going to do it if we don't get the density. Economically, it's not going to work. That's our initial thought," said Steve Mullersman, adding that he must consult company principals before making a decision.

Tom Dixon, a Lee County planner, had recommended the high-density project be approved because it was a good buffer between nearby commercial properties and single-family homes. Prior ideas for the parcel have run the gamut from an athletic complex to self-storage spaces.

Dixon must now evaluate the three different scenarios before bringing the case back to the city.

"The issue that I have now is we have a designation different than we anticipated," he said. "That throws a little bit of a curve into the scenario."

About 15 residents from the Windsor Road neighborhood attended Friday's zoning board hearing. Alberto Baillres, 48, a financial consultant, read a prepared statement to the board on behalf of property owners.

After the meeting, Baillres, who said he plans to run for mayor, said the project would worsen congestion at Windsor Road and Bonita Beach Road and flooding problems in the area.

"We have a tremendous amount of traffic out there. It's already outrageous," he said. "Needless to say, with that kind of overdevelopment and the already overloaded infrastructure, the development would further escalate the problem."

Mullersman said the development would be clustered and actually improve existing drainage with a retention pond instead of allowing water to simply run off the property.

Alex Grantt, a planning agency member, favored moderate density because of concern more units would overburden the area near the Imperial River with pollutants that could be swept into the Imperial River in stormwater.

"We didn't want to set a bad precedent," Grantt said. "If we give this developer high density, then somebody else close to river would want the same favor."

The City Council is expected to discuss the proposed comprehensive plan change Nov. 19.