Ft. Myers Development News

[smiley]

Duany, the annoying, strikes again:

The Beau Rivage towers over the Dean Park neighborhood in downtown Fort Myers. ANDREW WEST/news-press.com




The Beau Rivage at the east end of First Street is a new condominium reshaping the skyline of downtown Fort Myers. CLINT KRAUSE/news-press.com

The Article:
Duany’s vision debated

Planner’s criticism confuses leaders

By DICK HOGAN
dhogan@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on November 28, 2004
Planners, architects and businessmen alike are asking whether the city of Fort Myers has embarked on transforming its downtown into a pedestrian-friendly paradise or just an overcrowded, traffic-clogged place with bad architecture.

Miami-based architect Andres Duany, who created the redevelopment plan approved by the city council in 2003, weighed in on the issue recently with a stinging attack on the city’s performance in a WGCU-FM radio broadcast of a town hall meeting.

The high-rise condominiums being approved along the Caloosahatchee River are too tall and cram too much development into the area, he said, adding that much of the architecture is “mediocre,” local roads will be overloaded and future renovations will be strangled if the city continues on its current course.

Perhaps the most intractable of Duany’s criticisms is literally a matter of taste. Except for Cypress Club, a planned high-rise along the river, he said, “The architecture’s pretty mediocre and that’s too bad. It’s going to look out of date — it’s like buying clothing that’s out of date. It literally lowers the spirit.”

But city officials say Duany had plenty of opportunities to say things were going wrong in meetings and in his reports on the first three projects approved by the city council. In fact, Duany said repeatedly that height and size in and of themselves aren’t critical, they say.

“We’re all wondering how we got off course,” Maureen Lund, the city’s development services manager, said sarcastically at a recent Planning Board hearing on the code that will implement Duany’s plans with specifics such as how many dwellings per acre developers will be able to build, and where.

Lund said she intends to ask Duany where he stands. “We want him to say, in plain English, ‘Yes, it’s too tall.’ ”

But Duany said city officials have only themselves to blame for approving riverfront buildings that are too big and too high. During discussions on the very first project, High Point, he says the city wanted to approve a project much bigger and higher than he had envisioned.

“They basically told us that they really wanted it very badly,” Duany said. “The first developer came in with a big building and the city wanted the height very badly.”

Asked whether he agreed at that point to the larger building, he said dryly, “In the sense that when you’re told, right.”

But city officials tell another version of what happened.

City planner Elly McKuen said Duany never raised objections to height and the overall amount of development in general or to any project in particular. “He’s never communicated that with us, his staff has never communicated that with us. I guess we look at it completely opposite of where he’s coming from.”

But Duany is blunt in his insistence that the city decided early on it was going to go for more development and height than he considers wise — now it’s the city council’s responsibility and he has moved on.
“I don’t want to back off, but on the other hand, I’m completely bored by the thing,” he said. “If you want to know, I think it’s all too high. I’m not an elected official; it’s their responsibility, it’s not mine.”

McKuen said she will call Duany and ask him to have further discussions to elaborate on his objections. Meanwhile, “We’ve sort of just been sitting, trying to absorb what he’s telling us, what he’s really saying.”

The city has no intentions of firing Duany from his $5,000-per-year contract for evaluating new downtown projects, she said. Duany was paid $250,000 for the original study.

Duany's analysis relies on the planning philosophy known as new urbanism, which calls for creating an environment in which people are able to live, work, shop and play within walking distance — with features such as easily accessible parks and pedestrian walkways that encourage people to interact in public spaces and create a sense of community.

To do that, new urbanists such as Duany often put more development in an area than other planners would — but at the same time require builders to provide features such as public parking and access to the riverfront. He suggests giving developers incentives to do those things.

Not all planners agree that new urbanism is new or that Duany is providing a useful service.

"I've never been very impressed with Duany to start with," said John Kremski, former planning director for the city of Fort Myers and now a commercial real estate agent with D'Alessandro & Woodyard. "I basically think he's a snake oil salesman."

Duany's ideas are nothing special, Kremski said — just basic tenets of urban planning that have been around for a century. "He's got the things in the word processor and he takes the names of the cities and streets and plugs them in. But he's got a huge following and it attracts a lot of developers, which is the city's purpose."

Others say Duany's ideas are sound but the city council is selling Fort Myers short — granting too much development without asking for enough in return.

"We're not getting our bang for the buck," said Bill Mudgett, a Fort Myers architect who also sits on the city Planning Board.

It's too easy for developers to get up to a 100 percent increase in the number of units they can build by doing things such as creating a well-designed building or providing access to the river, Mudgett said. "Duany's idea all along was to give people extra density if it's good for the city. It's in there (in the city's rules) but we're making it too easy."

The result, he said, is that in some waterfront projects such as The Vue, a 27-story tower recently approved by the city council, builders can get close to 100 units per acre, double the 50 they are entitled to before they get extra units for doing things that are good for the city.

Mike Flanders, a city councilman and downtown architect, said he doesn't think the council is doing a bad job so far. "I'd give us a B on an A to F scale."

The Vue, for example, even though "it will cast a shadow on part of Centennial Park," is a good project, he said. "They're adding another 800 feet of linear frontage (on the river) for the public to walk on."

City officials also defend the overall amount of development, saying that the additional traffic from new residents can be dealt with through mass transit and road improvements even on East First Street, the area most affected.

A traffic study to be released next month will make recommendations that will solve the problem through widening First or Second streets and adding trolley service, said Don Paight, executive director of the city's Downtown Redevelopment Agency.

But Bill Spikowski, a private planner who also sits on the Planning Board, said early indications are that if East First were widened to three lanes one way westbound, the existing grassy space and palm trees would have to be ripped out in order to avoid spending $30 million for property.

That destroys East First as the public space it was intended to be in the plan, he said. "We have this new urbanism plan, but First is going to be a throughway — too many approvals."

As for height itself, Paight said, all the high-rises are built so that right on the street, there are only two to five stories. "You're not going to be staring up at a high rise canyon and it's going to accommodate retail and restaurants."

But Duany said allowing the allowable development in downtown to be eaten up by the first few projects will leave holes in the cityscape as others aren't able to do their own projects unless the city comprehensive plan is amended.

That's not good, he said: "I feel that redevelopment should happen uniformly, that all the empty sites should receive a part of the allocation."

The number of new residences in downtown is capped at 2,777 under an agreement with the state although one developer, DevPro, already has said it shouldn't have to abide by the cap on the number of residential units, and Lund said if the city changes course now after allowing three projects at high density, others who already have applied also could challenge the rules.

McKuen said the cap may not be an absolute limit. "We are trying to work with the Department of Community Affairs," which imposed the cap.

Part of the problem may be the sheer speed at which the development proposals have come in, she said. "I don't think we ever thought we'd have the interest in the downtown we have now."

Duany said that despite what he considers excessive development granted to the first applicants, the city still can succeed in creating a good urban environment if it pays attention to elements such as providing enough access to the river by pedestrians and motorists.

"If they're careful," he said. "The question is what they're going to do with the rest."

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs..../1008/NEWS0106

[smiley]

The real problem is that the bridges frame downtown and the condos are ouside teh bridges. I don't think the old folks are gonna walk that much.

[smiley]

The other question is that, because the Oasis thing was announced in June or July 2004, why is it not in the map from last week?

[Jasonhouse]

From that Oasis article...

Described as a gated condo village

WTF is this?

If people want to bitch about certain forms of development, gated off enclaves is a great place to start.

[Jasonhouse]

btw, should I sticky this thread, or perhaps merge it with Sarasota to make a "SW Florida" megathread?

[smiley]

Hye they are palnning a gated condo community on the river in Dt Miami - and some guy keeps basically advertising it on this forum because he"knows" the developer. Stupid idea, yes, but nonetheless . .

Yea, sticky it, but I think it would get too confusing with Sarasota - you could make it Ft. Myers, Naples, Marco sort of thing.

[Lakelander]

Like Smiley said, I think you should sticky it with Naples. Its boom is significant enough to be considered separate from whats going on in Sarasota.

[Dale]

A recent article in Gulfshore Business talks about Ft.Myers officials exasperated by Duany's tendency to contradict himself on a fairly regular basis.

[Jasonhouse]

Originally Posted by smiley

Hye they are palnning a gated condo community on the river in Dt Miami - and some guy keeps basically advertising it on this forum because he"knows" the developer. Stupid idea, yes, but nonetheless . .

If I see it "advertised" (or you do), I am going to delete it. I don't go for that realtor soliciting their own jobs BS here. Unless they want to cough up some advertising dollars, they need to get the hell out of dodge.

[smiley]

Riverfront plan tops agenda

Council election to decide future

By ALISON KEPNER
akepner@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on December 29, 2004
In 2005, Fort Myers leaders will decide what to build on the city's waterfront — the biggest and most transforming project of the downtown redevelopment.

But, thanks to the city's spring election, voters may be able to determine the choice.

The waterfront redevelopment project should come to the council for a vote in late April — after the April 5 general election. The sitting council already is split on the project, and three of the five council seats are up this spring, meaning whom voters elect will affect what project is chosen.

Fort Myers wants a company to redevelop a 5.6-acre, city-owned site on the south side of the Caloosahatchee River. It includes the Harborside Event Center parking lot, Exhibition Hall, the public boat ramp and parking lot and city pier.

In October, council members voted 3-2 to begin negotiations with WCI Communities Inc. after a

12-member selection committee ranked its plan above those of Antaramian Development Corp. and Throgmartin Waterfront Group.

Mike Flanders and Ann Knight dissented. They want more public space and prefer a plan that preserves the historic Exhibition Hall.

Urban planner Andres Duany, whom the city paid $273,000 to develop its downtown plan in 2001, has criticized WCI's proposal as too massive. Upset about that and other council decisions, he said earlier this month that he wants city leaders to follow his plan or take his name off it.

Councilwoman Veronica Shoemaker's Ward 2 and Flanders' Ward 4 seats are not up this year, securing their chances to vote on a plan.

By their previous votes, that makes the count 1-1. Four council votes are needed to sell city land, making voters' decisions for the other three seats critical.

Ward 5 Councilman Randy Henderson supported WCI. He is running unopposed so far, but candidates have until mid-January to qualify.

In Ward 3, Knight still opposes the WCI plan. Opponent Levon Simms also is concerned about the height of new developments, including WCI's proposed buildings. He is flexible about going slightly higher than Duany's recommended five stories on the waterfront but thinks WCI's suggested 12 to 16 stories is too much.

"There must be some kind of controlled growth," he said. "I'd like to follow the Duany plan as closely as possible."

The most crowded race is in Ward 1. Four candidates have opened campaign accounts: business owner Frankie Jennings, former city building official Clark Richards, teacher Gina Sabiston and pharmaceutical salesman Warren Wright.

Jennings, who was appointed in November to fill Tammy Hall's vacated seat until the election, said she has not reviewed the WCI plan yet but supports Duany's vision. "The public has been sold on the Duany plan."

Richards also said he is not familiar with the details of the WCI plan but worries about how Fort Myers is redeveloping.

"I agree with Duany," he said. "The city always sells out."

Richards prefers lower buildings near the water with taller structures farther out, like an "upside down wedding cake." He has no set limit on height, saying he would make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Sabiston attended the all-day October meeting, listening to the three developers present their proposals. She prefers Throgmartin's plan but also likes that of Antaramian.

The WCI plan, as presented in October, would not get her vote. If elected, she wants to steer the council back to Duany's vision.

"I think Duany knows what he's talking about," she said. "If we aren't going to listen to him, we shouldn't have hired him."

Wright attended the October meeting, too. He likes Antaramian's plan. Its 18 stories will need to be negotiated down, but the design provides good view corridors to the riverfront, he said.

If elected, he would not vote for the current WCI plan.

"There's too much bulk," he said.

Three companiesí proposals to redevelop the Fort Myers waterfront, as ranked by a city selection committee:
?
• WCI Communities Inc.

The plan includes two structures with residential and retail units wrapping parking garages and three condominium and hotel towers. About 252 residential units and 250 condominium/hotel units are planned. The majority of the buildings are capped at 12 stories with one corner reaching 16.

Also part of the plan is an expanded marina with about 50 more slips. A renovated City Pier could include a ship store on the ground floor with a restaurant above.

The public boat ramp would be relocated to a site still to be determined. Exhibition Hall would be demolished but commemorated with plaques documenting its historic events. Some arches and other design elements of the buildings also would pay tribute to the hall.
?
• Antaramian Development Corp.

An open-air marketplace at Exhibition Hall anchors the plan. The buildingís vaulted roof would cover vendor stands, kiosks and riverfront cafes. Pedestrians would be able to access a waterfront promenade and marina through the market. Other ideas are an expanded Yacht Basin and concert hall.

The developer wants to build two parking garages screened from view by retail and residential units. Plans show about 100,000 square feet of commercial use and 335 residences. This plan proposes the greatest height at 18 stories.
?
• Throgmartin Waterfront Group

This plan proposes the waterfront be used for parks with construction concentrated on the Harborside Event Center parking lot. The plan stresses public access to - and retained ownership of - the waterfront.

Building heights would be capped at 12 stories with retail and residential units lining the parking garages. This plan has the lowest proposed residential density with 138 units.

The city would retain ownership of Exhibition Hall, which the developer suggests be converted into a marketplace. The boat ramp would remain but become commercial. Three activity boats - including one that could be used as a hotel - also are suggested.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs....412290464/1008

[Dale]

www.thecypressclub.com

[renner01]

December 29, 2004
Section: South Lee Bonita
Page: 1H

High-rise plan goes to court
Residents challenging Lee County's approval
Denise Scott
Staff

By denise l. scott
dscott@news-press.com

Residents in one WCI community are taking Lee County to court for approving the developer's plans next door.

Sorrento at The Colony Golf & Bay Club in Pelican Landing is challenging the county's decision to approve the Navona high-rise and its parking garage.

The lawsuit came after Sorrento residents failed to convince WCI to camouflage an open, lighted parking deck that would otherwise be visible from their homes.

The court date has been scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28 before Judge John S. Carlin.

The main complaints:

Navona is high-density with 100 units on four acres, vs. Sorrento's moderate density of 73 units on six acres.

Navona is set back from the road Via Veneto by less than 85 feet and is set back from the seventh hole of The Colony's golf course by just 50 feet.

Navona's plan includes a two-story, lighted, uncovered parking garage covering nearly one acre for 200 cars.

Commissioner Ray Judah last week directed county staff to begin developing changes to county code regarding high-rises and parking decks.

"We evidently don't have any provisions in the Land Development Code addressing unroofed parking garages," Judah said.

"If it's built right smack in the middle of a residential community like Pelican Landing, with all the high-rises, people in the condos have to look at an unsightly garage," he said.

Judah wants county code to require aesthetic and landscaping standards for unroofed decks to make the structures compatible with neighboring residential areas.

Lee County Director of Community Development Mary Gibbs said she wasn't expecting Judah's request.

"That came out of the blue," she said. "We're going to have to look into that and see if we can propose something in the upcoming round" of amendments.

Eslick said county code covers many issues regarding neighboring properties under separate ownership.

"There's nothing in the code that addresses it within a planned development," he said.

However, Gibbs said she isn't sure regulations exist to address the parking garage/high-rise issue at all.

"We'll need to look into it," she said.

Judah said his request should have no bearing on the lawsuit, which was filed prior to the existence of any such regulations.

"The best thing to hope for now is to make sure that type of problem doesn't occur in the future," he said.

Eslick agrees.

"I don't think it will solve the Navona problem, but hopefully it will stop it from happening again," he said.
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...p_product=FMNB

[renner01]

gimme a break

December 25, 2004
Section: Bonita Extra
Page: 1A

Eagle comment haunting developer
'Promise' may prevent construction
Andrea Stetson
Freelance

By Andrea Stetson
Special to the News-Press

When Signature Properties was trying to get Collier County permission to build its Cocohatchee Bay property, one of the company's planners made promises to commissioners that there would be no building while the eagles lived there.

Now, opponents of that project want Signature to adhere to that promise.

But Signature Properties plans to amend its eagle management plan to allow it to build five condos 15 to 20 stories tall with a total of 590 residences. One of those would be just 35 feet from the nest. The federal government has already given it permits to construct near the nest so it wants the county to follow suit.

But back in 2000, when Signature originally received its development permit from the county, planner Karen Bishop made a promise that is coming back to haunt Signature.

"I want you to know that obviously we're not going to do anything until Mr. Eagle decides to find a new place to live," she told commissioners at that time.

"This eagle does sit on a dead tree. So it is only a matter of time before he moves out and, you know, we're patient enough to let him decide on his own when he's ready to go."

Commissioner Frank Halas, who represents North Naples, is concerned that amending a Planned Urban Development order would allow a developer to make promises and then change its mind later.

"They made some promises in public that they should be held accountable for," Halas said.

Halas was referring to additional comments made by Ron Nino, a Collier County project planner. During the PUD hearings, Nino said, "There is an eagle in there. Until the eagle decides to find a new home the development can't go forward.

"It just can't go forward. It's there and it will have to wait until the eagle finds a new home. If he doesn't move the developer knows they are out of luck."

Halas maintains that it was on those promises that the original PUD was issued. Amending it now would open the door for other developers to make promises they don't plan to keep.

"This is a dynamic issue," said Doug Fee, president of North Bay Civic Association, an environmental group that opposes building near the nest.

"We feel that when you stand up at the podium and make commitments into the public record and over and over at the public records and say, 'We know the eagle is there. We won't do anything until the eagle is gone,' you need to keep those commitments."

But Don Corace, head of Signature Properties, said the promises have been blown out of proportion.

"A statement was made by an independent consultant," Corace said. "Karen Bishop made that statement based on the idea that the tree would fall down. It's a statement that I believe was taken out of context.

"I clarified her statement that we would not start construction for 4 to 5 years. No where was there a commitment. No one asked us if we would build before the eagle left."

Signature plans to ask commissioners for an eagle plan amendment in March or April 2005.

"The eagles are sitting on eggs in that nest now," Rebecca Noles of North Naples said during a public hearing on the issue. "How can you come before the commission and ask to build in the nesting area at all?"
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...p_product=FMNB

[smiley]

Cypress Club - these are all renderings (looks to be 33-35 stories, depending on how you count)

[smiley]

Not very good, but it gives some info:

http://www.news-press.com/assets/pdf/A4103511.PDF

[MIAballinboi]

woow great condos there, cant wait for them 2 get built!

[Jasonhouse]

Those renderings are awesome IMO. The buildings aren't too bad either. The parking garages are hideous, but what can ya do?

[Dale]

www.oasiscondo.com is up, but in its formative stages.

A small pic in the latest Florida Trend shows a curvacious building, concrete and green glass.

[MIAballinboi]

good find dale, its by the related group gotta be good

[smiley]

It would be nice to sticky the Southwest Florida thread - I know I am one of teh few who actually adds to it, but I think it can get going and it is a whole region of the state

Chico's eyeing downtown sites

S. Fort Myers spot becoming too small

By ALISON KEPNER
akepner@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on January 6, 2005


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Lee County-based women's clothier Chico's is looking at sites in downtown Fort Myers to move its headquarters, company and city officials confirmed Wednesday.

The expanding company is outgrowing its office on Metro Parkway in south Fort Myers, Chief Operating Officer Charlie Kleman said, stressing talks are preliminary and Chico's also is looking at places in unincorporated Lee County.

"We're looking to solve the problem for space whether it's in Fort Myers or not," he said.

Mayor Jim Humphrey expects the move could bring 900 to 1,000 "high-paying" jobs to the city.

"Many of their employees will live downtown," he said. "They will be a real asset to our city."

City staff members have suggested four to five sites, including the city-owned parking lot across from Exhibition Hall and the area west of the downtown post office, Humphrey said.

"They want to be downtown. It's important for them to be downtown," he said.

The mayor would give few details about the talks but acknowledged a move could affect the city's waterfront redevelopment plan.

In October, the city council voted to begin negotiations with WCI Communities Inc. to redevelop a 5.6-acre, city-owned site on the south side of the Caloosahatchee River. The area includes the Harborside Event Center parking lot, Exhibition Hall, the public boat ramp and parking lot and City Pier.

If the city is successful in bringing Chico's downtown, "I think WCI would see the benefit of that," Humphrey said. "I feel they would work with us."

WCI spokesman Ken Plonski could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The mayor thinks Chico's would be a major help in revitalizing downtown.

"They will generate people who want to be downtown — and not just during the winter season but all year round," he said.

If the company moves into the city's coastal high hazard zone — an area that would be evacuated for a Category 1 hurricane — the commercial development could ease pressure on condominium developers vying for the limited number of residential units allowed there.

The zone runs along the Caloosahatchee River between the Edison & Ford Winter Estates and Billy's Creek. It does not include most of the area on the south side of Edwards Drive between the U.S. 41 and Edison bridges or the public waterfront redevelopment area.

The city is trying to get state approval to change the zone boundaries and increase the number of allowed units, but for now, Fort Myers is allowed 2,777 units in the zone with 1,487 already taken by existing or approved developments. Four projects pending review seek an additional 1,217 units.

How the move could affect the rest of the city's downtown plan is unclear. Such a large office is not in the downtown plan designed by Miami urban planner Andres Duany in 2001. Because talks are preliminary, the city has not yet sought Duany's opinion, the mayor said.

Chico's, established in 1983, began in a small store on Sanibel Island, where founders Marvin and Helene Gralnick sold Mexican folk art and cotton sweaters. Today, the company operates 644 women's specialty stores in 47 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico under the names Chico's, White House/Black Market and Soma by Chico's.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs....501060405/1008