The Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corp. (LACPP) will discuss details tonight, July 13, of one of the first developments for Lehigh that meets the requirements of the new mixed planned development concept in the Lehigh Acres Land Use Plan.

The new 30-acre planned development, to include the multiple use of four-story buildings with offices and retail space, housing, lakes, pavements and open space is planned on Homestead Rd. across from the Majestic Golf Club. The development known as the Homestead 30 MPD (Mixed Plan Development) must first pass the hurdle of a zoning change, hopefully with blessings of the LACPP.

The property abuts current vacant agricultural land to the north, east and south. Planners say a public right-of-way (Homestead Rd.) abuts the property to the west.

Seven parcel of land are involved in the planned development with the main access point directly across from the entrance to the golf club.

Jennifer Sapen, a planner with Barraco and Associates Inc. and Thomas Hart, an attorney with Knott, Consoer Ebelini, Hart & Swett, recently presented plans for the development before the LACPP’s Architectural Review Board (ARB).

And tonight the ARB will presents its findings and its suggestions for changes to the planning panel members which are to be taken back to the developers. However, the board will make a decision upon the application request for a zoning change variance from AG-2 to MPD (Mixed Planned Development). Owners of the planned development are Homestead Road LLC: Frank R. D’Allessandro Inc. at 14220 Royal Harbour Court Unit 510 in Fort Myers.

The project with its likely zoning changes is not expected to begin construction until 2013 following applications from the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) for service to the site.

The developers plan a maximum of 180 residential units and 300,000 square feet of commercial rental/office use with building heights not to exceed four stories with two water retention lakes and around nine acres of open space.

Also to come up before the LACPP will be a discussion about the number of times projects are presented to the LACPP. Presently, the LACPP reviews a project twice before providing its recommendations to the hearing examiner. Those on the ARB say maintaining this procedure now with the ARB review may add additional time constraints to the developer that may not be necessary or appropriate, according to Greg Diserio, chairman of the ARB in a letter of transmittal to the LACPP.

In a project review report, Jennifer Sapen, the planner with Barraco & Associates, said the zoning request is for 300,000 square feet of mixed commercial usage, including office, medical office, retail and restaurant sites. She said the parcels located along Homestead Rd. (Parcels B to F) have a heights limitation of 35 feet while Parcels A and G have a height limitation of 48 feet with the top two stories limited to residential units only. Attorney Hart, with the law firm of Knott, Consoer Ebelini, Hart & Swett, said the property included in the project has been designated commercial since 1996 and the he felt this project fits objectives of the Lehigh Land use Plan as it “establishes a sustainable community of choice to ensure that the Lehigh Acres community evolves into a sustainable community containing a broad mix of residential types and non-residential uses served by an efficient infrastructure.”

He noted that Lehigh Acres does not have such a development at the present, and that such a project would provide employment mixed with facilities offering goods and services that support the wider community.

An intense discussion was held with the ARB with several questions and suggestions put forth by members of the board including Edd Weiner, who is the LACPP’s chairman, who also sits in on the ARB.

During the ARB review, Weiner said he had concerns for the shape and location of the lakes and retention areas within the Maser Concept Plan and was having trouble “envisioning how one piece of the plan interacts with another.”

He said he does not see how the site cuts down the amount of time an individual will need to get in and out of their vehicle to visit the different locations with the site area.

In response, Sapen said that within the 300,000 square feet sought for the site, there is a maximum of 150,000 square feet provided for retail, office, or medical locations, thus reducing the amount of parking that would be needed, adding that when mapped out, the parking requirements fit within the allotted space on the site plan, which was also presented to the ARB and will be given tonight to the full board of the LACPP.

Sapen said the lakes and retention areas were chosen with regards to where the residential locations were placed. She said the residential sites were placed in the back of the site so as to move them away from Homestead Road, providing them with a more desirable view of the currently vacant country side to the north, east and south with the views of the lakes and added walking trails around serving as amenities to the residential locations.

Inke Baker, a member of the ARB, reiterated her desire for a park or playground to be on the site as there are no sidewalks at the present time leading from the proposed location to Veteran’s Park, some distance away. Her reasoning was that this would help keep children safe within the site as they would have to travel down Homestead Road to go to the park. Baker she believes the project could be a very good one and provide “a huge difference for Lehigh Acres as it will provide a nice neighborhood feel.”

In the discussion Sapen said there would be a sidewalk placed along Homestead Rd. Diserio wanted to know if the lakes on the site would be deep. Sapen told him that she believes they will not be deeper than 12 feet.

Looking over the scheduled types of businesses planned and allowed for the development, Weiner said he would not want a car wash at the site nor a gasoline station. He said he would like to remove drive-thru structures from the schedule of uses it is intended to be used for fast food purposes only, saying that Lehigh has enough fast food locations already.

And he said he was concerned for a repair shop option, also listed under the allowable business uses. Weiner said it was okay as long as the repair shop pertained to small items only and not to automotive repair. Weiner told the applicants he didn’t want to see a free-standing rental model located at the site because “Lehigh is currently plagued with multiple abandoned model homes.”

Finally a motion was made to approve the project as a rezone and move it forward to the LACPP with certain conditions which include bringing the buildings closer to Homestead Road so as to make them more pedestrian friendly, and that the northern and southern entrances be considered for removal; and a park or playground along with other amenities be added to the site. He also moved that he perimeter of the entire site, along with all loading areas, be buffered or screened and that shared access ways between the parcels be considered.

He also asked that the option of a car wash be removed from the plan and that drive-thru structure be removed if they pertain to fast food restaurants only, plus the removal of fast food restaurants, too. He also asked that the option of self-service fuel pumps be removed from the schedule of uses for the new development.

Inke Baker seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously by the ARB panel.

Tonight’s meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the annex building of the Lehigh Acres Sheriff’s Bravo substation along Homestead Rd. Those who attend the meeting may enter the building through a rear back door which is opposite the Senior Citizen Senior Center. Meetings usually last to around 8:30 p.m.