Cape Coral prepares Burnt Store Road for significant development

The city of Cape Coral has taken its first step toward establishing significant commercial development on Burnt Store Road, one of the Cape's most important roadways, by updating zoning regulations and restricting certain developments in the area. 

The city's planning and zoning committee voted 6-1 to approve the new regulations Aug. 3, and the proposed rezoning map is tentatively going before council in either late spring or summer of 2023, according to city spokeswoman Kaitlyn Pearson.

However, some steps must be approved by the council sooner, starting with a council hearing scheduled for later this month, Pearson said.

What would the regulations prohibit?

The regulations would prohibit drive-thru and car wash facilities, self-storage and vehicle storage uses, outdoor display of merchandise, and standalone residential development. 

During the zoning meeting, Wyatt Daltry, the planning team coordinator said that roughly 1,500 acres would prohibit single-family residential development.

Landscaping standards would also be set with any future development requiring greater landscaping, tree planting, and stronger buffers adjacent to residential areas.

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Cape Coral is focused on commercial development as the population increases, and areas that offer a chance for big commercial development like the large parcel located north of Van Buren Parkway are a rarity, Councilmember Keith Long said.

"We see that there will be a potential for significant growth and commercial development in this area, and here's how we plan to get ahead of it and implement these land use and zoning regulations to tailor the growth and the development to what we see as appropriate for that corridor," Long told The News-Press.

Areas south of Van Buren Parkway that are closer to existing housing would still allow commercial, noncommercial and professional zoning, and allow special exceptions for gas stations because of their adjacency.

City staff and the Northwest Neighborhood Association held a meeting at the Northwest Regional Library in July to explain the city's plans for developing large parcels in the area.  

How will the area be developed?

Northwest residents have a vested interest in how the area is developed as the area is lacking in general stores, restaurants, and even gas stations.

"Based on the proposed zoning, the city is looking for business, office, industrial park development for the Burnt Store corridor," Pearson told the News-Press. "We also anticipate restaurants and shopping centers to support the growing population of Northwest Cape Coral."

Ann Kotz, 59, said she is happy the city is taking steps to make Burnt Store Road "aesthetically" pleasing with commercial and mixed-use development.

"I think the plans they are putting in place are well thought out and very much needed," Kotz told The News-Press in an email. "I’m sure there are naysayers out there that oppose the growth, but given the building boom, it is sorely needed."

John Bashaw, president of the Cape Coral Northwest Neighborhood Association, said the city is taking steps to avoid repeating development patterns along Pine Island Road.

"It's going to be upscale, it's going to be progressive," Bashaw said. "It's going to respect the neighborhood yet still provide the goods and services that people in the Northwest need. So I am really excited about it."

Pine Island Road, a major commercial corridor for the city, has been developed as a commercial strip with shops and specialty stores of all sizes giving the city a hub of commerce.

The main difference between Burnt Store Road and Pine Island Road is that the large parcels on Burnt Store Road could permit larger office developments, according to Pearson. 

Pearson also said the changes in zoning will give Burnt Store a distinct feel once developers purchase the land to build on it.

"Given its location as a gateway to Cape Coral, the proposed zoning on Burnt Store Road would have some placemaking regulations that would let visitors and residents know that they are in a unique, distinct part of Cape Coral," Pearson said

According to U.S. Census data, Cape Coral is the eighth largest city in Florida with with 204,510 residents. It is expected to have more than 430,000 residents by 2070, with most of the growth expected in the city's two northern quadrants. 

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Utilities like water and sewer are still needed for commercial development in the northwestern area, so the land use changes for Burnt Store are the city being proactive in controlling future development. 

"We obviously know that in order for real development to take place that we need utilities, and that northern portion of Burnt Store which doesn't yet exist," Long said. "But that actually works to our benefit in this isolated incident because now we're able to get the zoning and land use in there before the development starts."

While glad that the city is focusing on properly developing Burnt Store, Kotz said she would like the city to focus on bringing utilities. 

"I only wish the City would have taken the same approach with Northwest residential development," Kotz wrote to The News-Press. "They’ve known since the 1950s that it would grow yet water and sewer utilities aren’t planned for our area until 2045, power lines stretch all over the place, and fiber-based internet availability is only now being addressed this year." 

She added, "I wish they could give the same consideration to fast-tracking some of those issues in addition to the commercial development."

Spokeswoman Pearson said utilities are not yet widely available, but "they are not decades away."

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.