Bonita's Legacy

As the Bonita Springs City Council considers whether it wants to establish a separate historical preservation board, there are 19 properties in the city that each carry the designation as a "historic resource." The city lists the properties on its Local Register of Historical Resources and, in a separate survey, identified about 300 others as having potential to be called "historic." The official historic designation comes from a voluntary request by property owners that is granted by the city.

So, today we take a look at the 19 designated historic properties in Bonita Springs.

The list includes three at Riverside Park: the newly completed renovation of the Liles Hotel, the hotel's water tower and the fishing cottages behind it. The park's buildings are among the most significant historic buildings in Bonita Springs. The Dixie Moon Café and Shangri La Hotel and Spa are not far behind.

Yet, the Shangri La is not on the historic list as its owner has not requested the designation.

The remainder on the list are homes scattered mostly within a few blocks of Old 41 Road. Three are on Riverside Drive, where the Bonita Springs Historical Society's home is one of the trio, and the rest nestle within older segments of Bonita Springs neighborhoods.

City Manager Gary Price notes that anyone seeking demolition of any of the 19 properties will have to come before Bonita's Local Planning Agency. If the LPA denies the demolition request, then the property owner is entitled to compensation. At this point, the matter heads to the City Council.

At this time, no fund exists to pay such compensation, and Price says there have not been any cases where compensation has been sought in saving a historic property. If any compensation would ever be awarded to a property owner, it would have to come out of the city's general fund, Price says.

As to the overall effectiveness, Price evaluates the current historic preservation law as "meaningless protection." However, Charlie Strader, president of the Bonita Springs Historical Society, sees the glass half-full, not half-empty.

Strader says the law gives notice and time so that property owners can consider whether or not they should demolish a historic structure.

Strader is hopeful for the formation of a separate historic board that would operate independent of the LPA and report directly to the council. Currently, the LPA sits as the historic board.

One difference between Lee County's historic preservation law and Bonita's law is that Lee County can designate a property as "historic" without the owner's permission. Bonita Springs' law does not allow for such a move.

Strader notes that he does not believe Lee County has ever used its discretion to name a property "historic" without the owner's permission, but adds that the option exists.

The future of Bonita's history is in the hands of City Council. Like history, only time will tell the final story.