Residents attending a public meeting on the future plans for redevelopment of North Fort Myers got a look at the latest in recommendations to the Lee Plan.
"The most important thing to me was the focus on having mixed-use," said Wayne Daltry, head of the North Fort Myers Design Review Panel and former director of Smart Growth of Lee County. "This is the concept where you can live, work and play in the same walking area."
For Neighborhood and Community Town Center concepts, he said, "A series of Powerpoint presentations and descriptions on how this can be achieved were presented, with the proposed regulatory revisions."
The meeting held at the Community of Christ Church last week was sponsored by the North Fort Myers Design Review Panel, which has worked with members of the North Fort Myers Civic Association and the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, and local volunteers.
This stage is a step in the regulation stage, he said. "After this stage comes the budget. Right now, the overall Lee Plan county-wide is being updated. There is an evolution and appraisal report and there are those undergoing workshops right now, with the Planning Commission undertaking its final review on Valentines Day at the County Commission Courthouse."
He gave kudos to a certain panel member, on what can be a complicated subject to many.
"There was a strong effort by Joe Beck, one of the committee members, to get the discussion converted into 'North Fort Myers English' that all could understand."
"We also got many comments back from this meeting," he said. "We will be discussing it again in the same place, Community of Christ Church, at the same time, 6 p.m., on March 1.
He said he was pleased with community comments.
Part of what was shown were incentives that were provided to encourage increased open space, public parking, and mixed-use development.
LaRue Planning & Management is the consultant working on the plan. James G LaRue is the president of that company. He noted areas of focus.
"One of the Town Center concepts is on Pondella - the South side of Pondella between the two 41's. For Neighborhood Centers there area many, including North Tamiami Trail and Nalle Grade Road, North Tamiami Trail and Del Prado Extension, Littleton and North Cleveland Avenue, Hancock Bridge Parkway and Orange Grove, North Tamiami Trail and Pine Island/Bayshore Road, Bayshore and Hart Road and Bayshore and Slater."
And that isn't all.
"As part of the Neighborhood Centers there would also be commercials corridors within the mixed use overlays."
The intersection of I-75 and Bayshore Road is also in the plan, Daltry said.
For information on the upcoming March meeting, call Daltry at 997-0673.
The Community of Christ Church is at 368 Herron Rd. in North Fort, off Cleveland Avenue and Pineapple Lane.
