Bimini Basin Project gains traction
Bimini Basin has risen to the forefront once again since Mayor Marni Sawicki attended a conference earlier this year at which a number of community leaders marveled at the possibilities for development of the city’s waterfront area.
A larger than normal crowd filled Council Chambers Monday night to support the so-called Bimini Basin Project moving forward. At this point it is more of a vision than a project, but City Council agrees the project deserves to be explored at the very least.
“This has been talked about for, what, 20 years,” said Sawicki. “It is very important that politics not get in the way of this. We have to see the big picture, not just the paper clip. The San Antonio River Walk project started back in the 1940s and took four decades to get done, so perhaps we are halfway there.”
City staff has been talking to the Florida Center for Community Design and Research School of Architecture & Community Design at the University of South Florida to conduct a feasibility study at a cost of approximately $51,000. Adjunct faculty and assistant in research Taryn Sabia is scheduled to attend next Monday’s council meeting (Sept. 22) with a presentation on conducting the study. Council then likely will approve doing the study.
The Bimini Basin Project is an item already included in the city’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget with $150,000 in funding, according to City Manager John Szerlag.
Representatives of the Cape Coral Board of Realtors, Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral, Cape Coral Construction Industry Association, Council for Progress and the South Cape Hospitality & Entertainment Association address-CHUCK BALLARO
ed council supporting the project. They lined out positive reasons such as increased property values, increased property tax revenue, additional long and short-term jobs and an increase to the tourism industry. A common thread in each presentation indicated, “If not now, then when?”
Councilmember Richard Leon asked if the feasibility study could be done by city staff.
“My staff can do anything,” said Szerlag, “but sometimes you need to go to experts with experience beyond the scope of your own staff. They (USF) have resources we do not and they have done this before. It’s always good to seek an independent outside expert’s opinion.”
Sawicki responded to comments regarding previous studies done on the Bimini Basin and CRA district by assuring that both the Zyscovich Plan and the Dover Kohl Plan will be provided to USF as a source for studies previously proposed.
The Zyscovich Plan, also known as the CRA Vision Plan, looked at growing the CRA district and included extending the Rubicon Canal from its terminal point at Southwest 47th Terrace south through 47th Terrace and Cape Coral Parkway to the Bimini Basin along with other elements to establish a destination for waterfront businesses that would attract residents and visitors alike.
The city-owned Four Freedoms Park necessarily becomes the centerpiece of the entire project. It could be developed into waterfront retail, restaurant, office and residential units, in addition to a privately owned 23 acres assembled east of the park.
“The city is not spending $110 million on this project,” asserted Leon. “Get that out of your head right now. We will work with the county and the state and see what kind of grants we can get to do this plus what the private sector has to offer.”
The Public/Private Parterships (P3) is perhaps the only way the project gets done. The city also can entice potential developers to get involved by offering reduced fees, land swaps and other incentives.
“This comes with minimal risk,” said Councilmember Jim Burch. “We need the vision plan first, then the methodology later. We can then get behind the concept and the vision and let the details work themselves out later.”
Councilmember Derrick Donnell thanked everyone that addressed council and for their support, but viewed it as just one side of the story. He later called the feasibility study a good investment.
“I have not heard the other side of the story,” said Donnell. “I have not yet heard why we should not go for this.”
A couple of citizens expressed negative thoughts, including the notion of do we really think 11 million visitors a year will come to Cape Coral, like San Antonio’s River Walk draws? Do we really want that?
Another agreed that the city must determine what it wants to become – tourist destination or residential or something else – before it undertakes a project of this “game-changing” magnitude.
“You have to take a risk early on sometimes,” said Burch. “I don’t mind spending money when I know what it’s going for and the return on the investment for Cape Coral. We have a valuable commodity in the basin and I think we are catching this on the right side of the economic curve to go ahead. There are a tremendous amount of moving parts with this and the study funding is an integral part of that. The process is very important.”
Other council action
In other council business Monday night, the city’s Parks & Recreation Department presented the city with two awards recently received from the Florida Parks & Recreation Association awards ceremony. The department was selected to receive the Public Relations Electronic Media Award for its online guide of programs offered for residents, and the Voluntary Service Award for the activities of the Guardian Angels to benefit the Special Populations programs.