LACPC members Frank LaRosa, left, and Willard Baker, look over plans by Rudy Naranjo who wants to open up a produce and flower market on the corner of Homestead Rd. and Delaware Are. Photo by Mel toadvine

The Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corp. (LACPC) didn’t have to complain last week about the lack of people who attend their meetings. The meeting room at the Veterans Park Community Center was packed.

There had been a public hearing planned in another meeting room at the complex for FGUA, the firm that supplies water and sewer to many homes in Lehigh, and nobody showed up. So they moved into the meeting of the LACPC and surprised most of the people who had attended the planning group’s meeting. They were there to talk about applying for money at a low interest rate to help improve much of Lehigh’s water and sewer system.

But they received vocal opposition from some board members who argued about the high prices of water and sewer in Lehigh. FGUA officials said they had nothing to do with the cost of service, that they were there for a completely other purpose. They told The Citizen that the hearing had been advertised in the Fort Myers daily paper. But the local weekly paper in Lehigh, The Citizen and its Lehighacrescitizen.com website, never received any information about the public hearing. The hearing was also not included in bills sent out to customers.

LACPC President Edd Weiner told them that the legal ad would have been buried somewhere in the paper in small type and probably wasn’t seen by anyone.

The LACPC next heard a request to support a future produce business on the corner of Homestead Rd. and Delaware Ave.

Rudy Naranjo, owner of the property, showed plans for putting up a structure with an attractive canopy on the produce structure and also a building now on the lot. He said he needed for part of the land to be rezoned to commercial.

The board agreed with his proposals and said a letter of comments would be sent to the zoning board. Board President Weiner asked Naranjo to come back in May when the LACPC could pass a resolution to be given to the county showing its support.

The next item before the board came from a vocal group of people, headed by Jack Reynolds, who complained that a HUD lower income housing complex was going to be built next to the Camelot Gardens community near Beth Stacy Blvd. and the Copperhead Golf Club.

Weiner noted that the complex could possibly be “affordable housing” and not “low income housing.” He noted that affordable housing is built for those making middle income wages such as teachers and firefighters and others. But he didn’t know of the plans and said he was not happy with the county housing authority because it had not come to the LACPC with any plans for construction in Lehigh.

Residents of the housing development said low cost housing would reduce the values of their homes. Weiner promised to look into the matter and come back in May with information.

Next appearing before the LACPC was a group of hotdog vendors who asked the LACPC to go to bat for them because they said they had bought both a state and county license and permits to operate their business, but when they set up in Lehigh, Code Enforcement officers chase them away, saying it is illegal to operate such a vending food business in unincorporated Lehigh. Those appearing to appeal for help were vendors Juan Berrioos, Gary Rossi, and Lisa Weir.

Weiner, who noted that many of these problems could have been solved if Lehigh was an incorporated city, said he didn’t understand that if they paid state and local permits, why were they not told they couldn’t work in Lehigh. Again, Weiner said the LACPC would look into the matter.

During the meeting, Weiner said the Lehigh land use plan was headed back from Tallahassee to the Lee County Commission which would approve it. He also read a letter of resignation from member Damon Shelor who tended his resignation opening up another seat on the board. Those interested in filling the seat should send a letter to Weiner in care of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce at 25 Homestead Rd. and appear at the next meeting to be voted upon.

The next meeting of the LACPC is May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Park Community Center. The LACPC meets on the second Wednesday night of each month.