The Eden Oak nomination to Conservation 20/20 may not have been on the Lee County Conservation Lands and Stewardship Advisory Committee’s (CLASAC) agenda on August 19, but it was asked about in public comment.

When Palm Acres resident and neighbor Mary Tracy Sigman inquired about the Shell Pointe Blvd. property’s status, county staff shared that the owner’s attorney requested to hire their own land appraiser three weeks ago. Staff added that they are awaiting a response on the timing for completion of the appraisal, which will be used in purchase negotiations with the county.

At the CLASAC meeting in July, committee members confirmed that the county made an offer to the Eden Oak property owner to acquire the land for the 20/20 program. Nominated in late 2019, its acquisition process is running parallel to the zoning change requested by the owner to develop the land. 

The proposed development is to dredge and fill 36 acres of mangrove wetlands to build 55 residential homesites with docks, excavate a new canal, and create a boat basin with additional docks. SCCF has coordinated with neighborhood advocates and presented evidence to the Hearing Examiner to oppose the destruction of wetlands in the coastal high hazard zone.

The Lee County Hearing Examiner was scheduled to hear final arguments from staff and the property owner on June 24, but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the examiner granted a continuance until December 11.  

Conservation 20/20 is a land acquisition and stewardship program to protect natural areas in Lee County for the benefit of present and future generations in Southwest Florida. 

The next CLASAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, where we anticipate receiving another update on the timeframe of the Eden Oak nomination.  If we learn of any updates prior to that, we will post them under news at sccf.org and on our Eden Oak webpage, which provides extensive background on this ongoing issue.