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Commissioners Approve Lee Plan Amendments
September 6, 2023
| Today, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to approve amendments to the Lee County Comprehensive Land Use Plan. They now go to the state for approval. Changes include the removal of one and two story building heights on Captiva Island. These amendments followed yesterday’s Land Development Code changes that increased building height on Captiva and provided a pathway for South Seas Island Resort to request rezoning that could lead to increased density and higher buildings at the resort. |
| “These changes eliminate the roadblocks for future zoning requests by South Seas to ask for additional density,” said SCCF CEO James Evans, pictured above. SCCF Coastal Resilience Manager Carrie Schuman spoke about the lack of community involvement in the land-use changes. “Our communities really want to be involved in making decisions about solutions that are right for these island communities and are in line with the Sanibel Plan and the intent of the Captiva Community Plan,” she said. “I really feel that the process as it’s playing out right now is bypassing that.” Evans raised other community-wide concerns at the hearing. “We feel it’s going to have an impact on the environment. It’s going to have an impact on our evacuation routes,” he said. “It’s going to have a direct impact and potentially jeopardize the sewer project that Captiva is working on with the city of Sanibel — it’s going to have a direct impact on the water quality in the region.” SCCF will continue to follow this issue and keep you accurately informed. Thanks to everyone who has joined our community’s united opposition! |