10/6/09 Meeting Minutes
NORTH FORT MYERS DESIGN REVIEW PANEL
Meeting Minutes
(DRAFT, SUBJECT TO REVISION OR APPROVAL AT NEXT MEETING)
OCTOBER 6, 2009
I. Call to order
SCOTT J. BRENNER called to order the regular meeting of the NORTH FORT MYERS DESIGN REVIEW PANEL at 6:05 p.m. on October 6, 2009 at North Star Yacht Club, 3420 Hancock Bridge Parkway, corner of Beau Drive, N. Ft. Myers, Fl.
Attendance: The following Board Members were present: Scott J. Brenner, Jack Howerton, John Gardner, Joe Beck, Maynard D. Houston, Maynard Houston and Mike Land.
The following additional persons were present: Gregg Makepeace, auxiliary member, Ron Wilder, Debbie Jackow and Linda Looker.
II. Approval of minutes from last meeting
Motion by Joe Beck, seconded by Debbie Jackow, that approval of the Minutes of the last meeting prepared by Secretary Mike Land and distributed to all members, auxiliary members and concerned citizens via e-mail, be postponed, because there were no written copies available at the Meeting. President Brenner commented that apparently many Panel members did not see the Minutes posted on our blog and did not open their emails when the Minutes were sent to each of them by Mike Land weeks ago with his request that they be reviewed promptly and input given back to Mike before the minutes got posted on our website a few days later. Motion carried.
III. OFFICERS REPORTS
Scott Brenner, President – Advised the group to check out The Breeze website, N.F.M. Breeze.com, featuring our Blog, which is now up and running. The draft Minutes of the September 6, 2009 Meeting are on there, along with other materials such as previous Minutes. NFMCDP have opportunity to meet. It is a NFMCPP meeting event. Scott explained that Mike Land usually prepared the Minutes within about 7 days after the Meeting and forwarded them to him for his review, and if they look accurate they get posted on the Blog, with the advisory that they are “DRAFT” Minutes, subject to revision at the next meeting.
Mike Land, Secretary -Stated that the Minutes were also, as always, emailed to all members, auxiliary members and regularly-attending interested persons or concerned citizens as soon as approved by Scott.
OLD BUSINESS
Jack Howerton reported on the new Publix site scheduled to begin soon on Bayshore off Slater. He conferred with Jim Kinney, the realtor for the project, who will be emailing him a set of the Plans, so we can see what it will look like architecturally. Jack agreed to forward them to Scott and Mike so the Plans can be posted on our Blog for the public to see. Debbie Jackow said that she had seen the Plans about 4 years ago, and although she remembered that the developer had cut off some residential units and created more preservation area, changed the positioning of the commercial building and preserved an Eagle’s nest in response to concerns from others, she could not recall the architecture of the commercial space along Bayshore, which is the only part of the project going forward in the near future. John Gardner expressed concern as to whether we had the right to post the Plans on our blog. Joe Beck explained that once a set of Plans is lodged with a public official such as a Zoning Board they became public records. Jack agreed that he would ask Jim Kinney for permission to post them. Debbie Jackow cautioned that we shouldn’t be mislead by pretty drawings because the Plans are conceptual only and another developer actually doing the construction won’t be bound by the Plans until a building permit is actually issued. Maynard Houston confirmed that this Publix site has developmental plans, not building permits, and that architectural images and working plans can differ from final plans. For example, he is developing an 80,000 square foot mall on Bayshore Road and a 6 ½ acre site zoned “multi-use” which will consist of 40 leased units and there was no need to present plans to any public agency for this project because no zoning change was needed. John Gardner stated that the Developmental Order was issued for the commercial space in this Publix project last month. John Gardner confirmed that if a project is seeking a zoning change they must present to us, but if not, there was no need to appear before the NFMDRP, and that The Vision Statement is a rough draft of what the Code will be. Joe Beck explained that a Developmental Order envelops only about 5% of architectural plans, whereas in a form-based code typically 50 to 60 per cent of the design is locked in. There was a general discussion that even if a project does not have to present to us, we can still have an influence on its ultimate exterior appearance.
JOHN GARDNER, PRESIDENT OF N.F.M.C.P.P., reported on the status of theLaRue study. It had been delayed slightly by Joe Beck’s recent input regarding “complete streets”. The study team is grappling with the mixed use village proposed by Wayne Daltry, referred to as “the magic Daltry zone” where it encounters the narrow strip of commercial along Business 41 and the older residential single family homes to the east of that strip, and that LaRue was trying to get the transects in place. He reminded
all that the contract for this study encompassed just so many meetings so that those wishing to give LaRue input should do so by email. Joe Beck pointed out that under a form-based code a “pedestrian shed” would be created to cover the quarter mile east of the Business 41 commercial strip.
NEW BUSINESS-
Wayne Daltry, Lee County Smart Growth Director, and Vice-Secretary of NFMDRP has volunteered to teach a course called “Boot Camp For Public Planning” to the members of NFMDRP and interested members of the public, free of charge, taking place on 5 Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm at North Star Yacht Club Card Room, being September 22 and 29, October 13 and 20 and November 10th, covering topics such as “What Are Planning and Zoning?”; History of Planning and Zoning in the USA with a review of landmark court decisions and legislation; Governmental Structure; Pressure Points of Public Participation; Design Criteria; Form-Based Code which will be taught by Joe Beck on October 13th; and the Balance of what we need to know on November 10th.
Jack Howerton gave us a “heads up” that plans are being finalized for a McDonald’s Restaurant to be going in next to CVS at Johnson Road and Bayshore Road, and that we should be alert at the appropriate future time to try to influence the exterior design.
There being no further business, Scott J. Brenner adjourned the meeting at 6:58 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by: MIKE LAND, SECRETARY
NEXT MEETING: NOVEMBER 3, 2009, 6 P.M. NORTH STAR YACHT CLUB,. MAIN FLOOR, FIRST LEFT AFTER ENTERING LOBBY.