County planners talk about historic preservation in NFM
There are many historic aspects of the North Fort Myers that the area can take great pride in but that history brings challenges.
Sharon Jenkins-Owens, principal planner for Lee County, and Peter Blackwell, of Lee County Natural Resources, were the guest speakers at the monthly meeting Tuesday of the North Fort Myers Community Planning Panel and Design Review Panel at the community center.
The speakers talked about the process of having a historic building, which is something built before 1966, recognized by the county.
Jenkins-Owens included photos from North Fort Myers past in her PowerPoint presentation, featuring some of the area’s pioneers, the stone cottages built near the river, of which several are still standing, and the Shell Factory when it first moved to the area in the 1950s.
“It’s really important to save the things that are precious to your community. That includes historic structures that create a sense of place based on a cultural past,” Jenkins-Owens said.
Not much, if anything, has survived from when John Powell settled in North Fort Myers in 1872. The old cottages are perhaps the oldest structures that remain standing, which were built to promote tourism.
The problem is those cottages are in the area prime for economic development, between the 41s and from Pondella Road to the river. Jenkins-Owens said that could prove to be tricky, but the results could also be extra rewarding.
“You would have to come up with a plan that would blend revitalization as well as retaining the old,” Jenkins-Owens said. “If you had a park and these structures were part of a bigger plan, you could do something really cool.”
Those who own historic structures can get relief from the zoning laws, Jenkins Owens said. Those cottages are right on the level as the yard and street and are not subject to be raised in elevation in the event of a 100-year storm, Blackwell added.
People can also get tax breaks and perhaps even federal grants to help revitalize these older buildings, even if they are in poor condition.
Lee County had a grant program to promote the rescue of historic homes, but lost it recently.
Jenkins-Owens said the importance of preserving historic structures in the neighborhood cannot be understated, for while it’s important to revitalize, it’s also important to remember the past.
“You can either create a historic district or pick out historic structures. It’s nice to do a whole area if you can,” Jenkins-Owens said.