Public comment and questions from the June 27, 2002 Community Meeting Panel Discussion

Abbreviations used for panelists:  MC – Martin Call,    KE – Kate English,  GA - George Austin,    RW – Richard Woodruff,  PO – Paul O’Connor,  WD – Wayne Daltry

I apologize  for name misspellings

Linda Reidy – Who is responsible for maintaining oxbows on river?

WD – Army corps of Engineers responsible for waterway but usually only dredge the center for large boat traffic.  Lee county is responsible for aquatic weed control.

Sue Tottendale – Likes living in rural setting with chickens and horses.  Wants it to stay that way.

WD – to avoid losing rural character must use incentives.

RW – incentives and transfer of development rights might  work to preserve rural character.  Solution is not to have government buy more land.

KE – Understands desire not to have Alva look like Cape Coral.  When Cape was developed there was no effective growth management in place by county.  There are many  govt restrictions now in place that will prevent such development from occurring.  Feels that we cannot freeze Alva in time and a few individuals cannot save the future of agriculture from pressures like world markets etc.

PO – The current LeePlan has more development available in it than its planning horizon of 2020.  The current comp plan can accommodate growth for the next 50 years so there is no justification for increased densities at this point.

Nancy Lee – Isn’t there a greater chance that Alva will be destroyed with no plan?

PO – Planning is a necessity.  The goal is to state a vision for the future and then try to implement it.

RW – Area is changing.  Should think about how you want growth  to look in the future.  Plan should work on design standards instead of a design review committee.

Susan Brookman – Is there anything in the plan that is missing?  What support is available for us to come together and have a conversation?

WD – A consistent civic group with ready volunteers is essential to a community.  Funding of the group is important to keep it running.

GA – Plan is too complex.  Written more for planners than general public.

RW – Plan needs more incentives and more specific standards.

Jack Vealey – concerned about a parcel he owns on Joel Blvd which he would like to develop in the future as commercial  (grocery).  Does not want that right taken from him by the plan.

WD -  Build out of Lehigh will effect that corridor

MC – the map that shows where commercial should go is only to help conceptualize a vision.  ALVA inc will try to work with land owners to be fair and respect the property rights

Jim English – Doesn’t think there is enough commercial  in the plan.  Definite standards should define  where it goes and what it looks like.

Bob Oliver – Has been to all meetings but doesn’t feel like he has been heard.  Says plan went to county  before it should.

PO – final plan has not been submitted to county.  Once it has been submitted  it will be looked at critically by the planning staff.  It will then go to the Lee Planning agency for multiple public hearings.  Recommendation will be made by the LPA and then it will go to the commissioners to determine what part will go to the state for review.  After the state review it comes back for a final  adoptive public hearing with the commissioners.

Steve Kindelan -  If plan is accepted will taxes be raised? 

RW – very rarely do land use issues affect your tax bill

PO – If plan is adopted it will increase property values so millage rates may go up.

Becky Crockett – Does Alva inc have authority to bulldoze houses or put up ice cream parlors?  She knows the answer is no but is trying to quell rumors

MC – ALVA inc is not about bulldozing or reconstructin people’s property.  The biggest part of the plan is guidelines for future growth.

PO – power of eminent domain is last power county would ever use.

Gary Schroeder – Does Alva plan change land density in any area or will it change existing homes?  Would you be able to build back in case of disaster?

PO – Lee plan has build back provision.  Can replace to the same intensity and density.

MC – No intention to increase density.  Just intent to have some aesthetic control.

Pam Lewis -  How do you address conservation and water usage if Alva boundaries are  to be shrunk down?  How was it decided who was in favor and against?  I was never contacted.

RW – only contacted large property owners.  There is nothing in the “rules of planning” that states a planning area should be a certain size.

Charlotte Lippincott -  Addressed to KE and GA.   She feels plan is preferable to no plan and is interested in working with property owners but wants to maintain rural atmosphere.  How might all work together?

GA – his comments are limited to the SR 80 corridor.  He advocates a tight concise Alva core plan.

KE – feels her family have been good land stewards.  Worries about language and how it might be perceived in the future.  People many years from now may not understand community concerns by just reading language in the plan.  Government interpretation in the future may work against the community.

David Turkel – Growth higher in Lee county than in Bangladesh.  In south Lee there are 30 golf courses in a 10 sq mile area.  There is also great water flow/drainage problem.  Here flow and drainage problems occur as Lehigh solves their problems.  How is more development  going to affect our water and drainage?   How can we address these issues if the plan is shrunk ?

RW – development does not occur without regulation.  Drainage problems occurred because of development that occurred before agencies were in place to prevent it

WD- For plan boundaries you must decide what home is.  4 sq miles can do it for those that live within those 4 miles, but does not address issues for those outside.

Glen Simmons -  What are the criteria for the traffic light on Broadway and SR 80?  How much of Alva should be included in plan?

GA – traffic county and number of vihicles turning right are considered.  When Packinghouse is lined up with Broadway will recheck counts since they may change.

PO – FL DOT controls what happens with lights on SR 80.  In regards to second question  - Does not understand reluctance of property owners to be included.  Participation is needed.

WD – More $$ can sometimes get lights without the criteria met ( this is why McDonald’s often have lights)

RW – 2^nd question) – property owners don’t trust those involved with plan.  Plan was sent to county when it was said at BOD that it would not until revisions were made.

Sarah Gillim – stated draft was given to planning department only to fulfull  the requirement for funding.  The draft was delivered with a letter stating that the draft was only being sent to trigger the release of more funding and that many revisions were expected as we continued to take public comment. 

Bill Lestoe – Concerned about water resources north of Caloosahatchee.  How much development can be supported?  Why have no large landowners decided to be board members? What was original boundary proposed by RW for Alva plan at first commissioner hearing?

RW – Many landowners have played an active role without being board members.

Florida does not have a lack of water resources but does have a lack of money to obtain the water. The first boundary proposed at the commission hearing was to the Regional Park and 1/3 of the way to the county line.

WD -  For the water budget to balance in S Florida we need 1.2 million acre feet of additional water storage to cover the additional 4.5 million people forecast for 2050.  This translates to 160,000 acres of land bought for reservoirs.  That is 1/3 of the land of south Florida.

KE – a septic is allowed for each ½ acre if the soil is appropriate

Fred Burson – At 6/13 BOD several issues concerning the plan were addressed and settled but not the boundary issue.  Why hasn’t issue been settled?

MC – boundary issue is ongoing issue.  Boundary has been reduced in scope in current draft of plan compared to that originally proposed at start of plan.

Jenny – Worries about high traffic through trucks.  She does not want re-zoning in her area or any insurance company near her home.

Fred Kobie – new resident of Alva.  Thinks plan is stupid.  Thinks what county has in place is enough regulation.  Hasn’t heard about meetings.

MC -  No intention to take away any property rights.

Lynda Kendrick – thank you to panel.  ALVA inc wants to work together with the community.  We have publicized meetings extensively with signs, flyers, website etc.

Rob Andrys – How were those that signed petition contacted?  Didn’t many sign before the current draft of the plan was available?

KE – was not comfortable with plan so asked to be included on petition

RW – property owners were asked if they wanted their land included in the Alva plan.

Meeting adjourned at 9:40 pm