City council has approved a new mixed-used development called Revana Lakes in Bonita Springs.
The controversial project has been more than six years in the making. It overcame its final hurdles, with three separate votes by council, at a night meeting on Jan. 22.
Council had to agree to annex parts of the site that were outside of city limits, to make map and text amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan, and to rezone the entire property.
The presentation by the development team and the discussion by the council were short on a second and final reading of the ordinances. Council had already approved the trio of ordinances on a first reading.
The approvals pave the way for the creation of a master planned mixed-use community, with million-dollar homes and in-demand retail and offices in the city.
Seagate Development plans to build up to 299 homes, along with 100,000 square feet of commercial uses, on a roughly 204-acre site, located on the north side of Bonita Beach Road, east of Interstate 75.
The project stirred controversy because of its location in a Density Reduction/Groundwater Recharge (DR/GR) District.
The district is designed to protect Southwest Florida’s critical aquifers and water resources by allowing only low-density residential development. Density is restricted to a maximum of one dwelling unit per 10 acres for uplands. For wetlands, it’s one unit per 20 acres.
The land use designation for the development site has been changed to Urban Fringe Community District, allowing for a mix of uses built at a higher density.
In the development team’s presentation to the council, Alexis Crespo, the project’s planner, said the exact number of homes that would be built is still unknown, but there would be at least 200. So, at minimum, the residential density would be at 1 unit per acre.
“The request is for up to 299,” she said. “We were always clear that there is a possibility and a likelihood because this will be large estate-style homes that we may do less than the full 299.”
On first reading, city council members and residents expressed concerns that the homes would be built, and the sorely needed commercial development would never materialize. To address those concerns, Seagate agreed to several conditions, including committing to obtain permits for a minimum of 50,000 square feet of commercial development before the issuance of a building permit for the 75th residence.
Seagate also agreed to add more surety to its promises to add a traffic signal at the development’s east entrance, for access to Bonita Beach Road, if it’s warranted. The developer will pay for the signal, as long as its warranted and approved by Lee County, which is responsible for the road.
“We do know, in general, that Lee County is getting a little bit more permissive with the warrants,” Crespo said. “They want signals to be constructed.”
If a signal is approved, she said, it would be installed before the final residence is completed, if not sooner, and would not depend on the timing of the commercial development, as first proposed.
Councilor Jim Fitzpatrick, whose district includes the development site, asked a number of questions, including about the likelihood of attracting a grocery store, which could help control traffic in the new community — and the general area.
Matt Price, the CEO and a partner in Seagate Development, said a grocer is envisioned for the project, and there seems to be interest, but he couldn’t make any promises.
“Things can happen,” he said. “Markets can change. Maybe Amazon starts delivering everyone’s groceries, and it’s not that big of a deal.”
He added that having the new traffic light in place would be important in trying to attract a grocer.
Fitzpatrick said he “appreciated the priority of the traffic signal.”
He also sought more answers about the timing of the development. In response, Price said the development would likely be built in three phases, and he expects to submit the first development order to the city for approval in April.
There was little public comment at the hearing.
One neighbor, Denise Nystrom, who lives in Valencia Bonita, spoke in favor of the project, saying it would be a lot better than the alternatives.
Nearly 40 of the acres Seagate asked the city to annex was zoned Industrial Planned Development, which would have allowed up to 420 homes to be built “by right,” under the state’s Live Local Act, designed to increase the availability of affordable housing.
Nystrom raised traffic concerns about that kind of development, sharing that she’d got stuck in it for 45 minutes trying to get to Interstate 75 just one day earlier, when there was a three-car accident on the interstate.
“I would much rather see high-end homes being built on existing land, under 300 of them, than to potentially in the future have something that’s more dense there and further adds to the situation,” she said.
Council voted 5-2 on a motion to approve the required changes to the city’s comprehensive plan, with councilors Fitzpatrick and Chris Corrie voting against it. At previous hearings on the project, Corrie had described the project as “leapfrog development.”
“Prior to the establishment of the city, the land use designations for this property of DR/GR and wetlands have … provided a natural resource, which has retained stormwater, recharged our groundwater, and provided a natural habitat for wildlife, as well as limiting future sprawl,” Fitzpatrick said. “I question the need to alter the current designations in the name of controlled growth, or avoiding the threats made regarding county annexation, mining, or construction of affordable housing.”
He noted that about 2,000 additional residential units will be occupied within the next five years east of I-75, whose residents will use area roads that are already poorly rated and at or near capacity, with no timeline to address the main culprit — the I-75 interchange at Bonita Beach Road.
Council voted unanimously to approve the annexation and rezoning.
Revana Lakes will take years to build.
Construction on the homes is anticipated to start in 2027, with the first residents expected to move in by 2028.
Laura Layden is a business and government reporter. Reach her by email at laura.layden@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Bonita Springs approves controversial Revana Lakes mixed-use community
Reporting by Laura Layden, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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