[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6396038,"mediaKeyId","2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6","parentId",2097663,"title","Fort Myers Beach hearing on food-truck park rezoning draws hours of debate; council hearing set for Feb. 11","audioSeconds",1143,"startMs",1253000,"endMs",2396000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6&start=1253&end=2396","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6/thumbnail_1253000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6396038/Fort-Myers-Beach/Lee-County/Florida/Fort-Myers-Beach-hearing-on-food-truck-park-rezoning-draws-hours-of-debate-council-hearing-set-for-Feb-11","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6396038-e05b1241ca24ad3f13aacf12b99d4b99/orig.mp4?Expires=1776115462&Signature=IYGhOaVjP2oAhVjSFpWPkoK5evMwDr7MKwkhjV0li7Ggbqg5dWCSz1kgJajSK7zyJAJf~A5KAXhTP-EqfAoMAkG71-zkwrP4iLComcoi7~v2JWdpNm8YT4UfPT80VS2~CV0SaWvoRoMqRdG2EfxxUXBQ-91sdJKpk6~074BPRY~dpvqpWJCE73KHLgeSlJualxhQgZDZz8te-eqX49g5uJYoz1plg1oVWSremXJ5zmrgwoTg14pjciKWRFEl80eHKNgRROJHRl-ft4XgYnV2yelEcnVND2JUave1z9Z7vTI772XeHVPMi3Oggu0yAkHnLoS01b6UouGYmU9JCnATHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town Council of For Myers Beach, FL","date","2025-01-09T19:35:23Z","article","The Local Planning Agency on Jan. 9 voted to recommend expanding the boundary of an existing Commercial Planned Development (CPD) that covers parcels on Estero Boulevard, but it deferred a separate rezoning and detailed approval for a proposed food-truck park and commercial parking lot until a Feb. 11 council hearing.

The town’s principal planner, Judith Frankel, told the agency the CPD expansion (agenda item B) would add two adjacent parcels acquired by the applicant to a 2007 CPD approved by resolution 07-28. Frankel said the expansion itself raised no conflicts with the comprehensive plan but that the applicant’s proposed new schedule of uses and a master concept plan for the food-truck park would replace the older CPD document if adopted.

Applicant representatives and property owners — including Ken Galander of Neighborhood Company and owners Jamie and Debbie Hotka and Dan Myers — presented a master concept plan for a roughly 0.7-acre site at beach access 26. Their proposal calls for a minimum of five vendor pads served by a new “park support” building with restrooms, beverage service (beer and wine only), storage and staff space. The project includes a commercial parking lot intended to be paid parking, landscaping and stormwater work and utilities hookups to serve vendors. Engineer Brandon Frey and other consultants were on the team to answer technical questions.

Town staff and the applicant described a long set of conditions intended to limit noise, hours of operation and uses, require utility hookups for vendors, and set landscaping, buffering and stormwater requirements. Frankel and senior planner Jason Smalley also laid out deviations the applicant asked to permit — including surfacing options for the parking lot — and told the LPA those deviations were the basis for several requested variances.

The LPA spent more than an hour questioning the applicants on parking logistics — whether vendor patron parking would be dedicated, how paid parking would be enforced, and what would happen when the lot filled during peak beach hours. Several commissioners pressed whether the proposal would reserve a number of spaces exclusively for the vendors versus operate as a general paid lot for beachgoers. Applicant spokespeople said parking could be administered by lease or operator control and proposed that some spaces could be reserved for vendors by contract; staff asked for a clearer, site-wide parking calculation before final town-council action.

Public comment was extensive. Neighbors from Cottage Avenue and Pelican Watch described tight streets, frequent on‑street parking, security and noise concerns, and urged stricter limits on hours and on overnight parking in a gated lot. Several speakers asked for stronger buffers and recommended a permanent enclosed building rather than mobile trailers. The applicants said they sought to create a family-oriented, incubator-style food park with restrooms, bike racks and children’s activities and that they had modeled many conditions on rules used in Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

After discussion, the LPA approved the CPD boundary expansion unanimously so the two additional parcels would be included in the existing CPD. On the separate rezoning and conditions for the food-truck park, the LPA did not vote to recommend approval and instead continued the matter to the next LPA meeting and the town-council hearing; staff set the continued hearing for Feb. 11 at 9:00 a.m. The continuance gives staff, the applicant and neighborhood representatives time to refine parking calculations, hours-of-operation restrictions, and the wording of the conditions.

Why this matters: The hearing tested how Fort Myers Beach will regulate a relatively new land use — a permanent food-truck park combined with paid commercial parking — on fragile, redeveloping oceanfront parcels. The LPA and public both cited tensions between visitor parking demand and neighborhood livability; the additional review time gives staff and applicants a chance to translate the concepts discussed into precise enforceable conditions the town can use either in this case or as a template for future proposals.

What’s next: The CPD boundary expansion moves forward as recommended to the town council. The rezoning and project-specific conditions for the food-truck park will return for further review at the town-council hearing on Feb. 11 and to the LPA for a recommendation. If the council takes up the item, it will consider the ordinance and the final conditions staff and the applicant frame after the LPA’s continued review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Local Planning Agency, January 09, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Local Planning Agency voted Jan. 9 to expand the boundary of an existing Commercial Planned Development on Estero Boulevard but continued consideration of a proposed food-truck park and commercial parking lot to Feb. 11 for further study and refined conditions.","taxTitle","Fort Myers Beach, Lee County, Florida","taxId",66110,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6396032,"Votes at a glance — Fort Myers Beach LPA, Jan. 9, 2025",7085,401000,7486000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6&start=401&end=7486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6/thumbnail_401000.jpg","/articles/6396032/Fort-Myers-Beach/Lee-County/Florida/Votes-at-a-glance-Fort-Myers-Beach-LPA-Jan-9-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6396032-e2cac21434a2a51700a5fc602dc2acb3/orig.mp4?Expires=1776115462&Signature=YjrsQ0NvQmcKQk2fXerF6XrsHJ82Kayvgookx4pop-npJ0Gh-tsIOXYSmlMru-juecMXZsLK0bJedfgFGlaYEUK8Ogqjf93dnpTUshNGNeuTKonnQTdHk~qBknFqSOE7YaAv-hIHjrJhCWWu23Ir-Oebp~kp7MU2IMtegigauq4I2v1SINsjmx5pSUpEQKCZ-HPpNDNy~pL2W-TTzA8nHmvjCfuK6zcZ4W-uqPsG-aUNqFWRgZtCJ-eQVlB8Qotpe~NPP4qu2kGqQV~PMrFz0QExQJGR9A2AhdbmfhrdBuz9NFYzP2OIgoZl3udB~pc8iCgJ828tEKASv2uG1CJaDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","This is a short summary of formal motions and outcomes recorded at the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency meeting on Jan. 9, 2025.

- CPD boundary expansion (agenda item B): Motion to expand a Commercial Planned Development to add two parcels (to the property at 2525/2518 Estero Boulevard and 2543 Cottage Avenue). Outcome: LPA recommended approval (motion carried unanimously). The matter advances to town council for final action.

- Rezoning and CPD amendment for food-truck park (agenda item A): After extended public comment and discussion, the LPA continued the rezoning and conditions to the next meeting and the town-council hearing on Feb. 11, 2025. Outcome: Continued/postponed; staff to draft refined parking calculations and enforceable conditions.

- Lani Kai variances (VAR-2024-0233): LPA approved a package of variances to allow continued shared parking on the Lani Kai parcel with conditions. The applicant withdrew the variance request that would have removed required hotel parking; LPA conditioned approval on the applicant submitting a consolidated parking plan covering related parcels.

- Estero Beach Club East (special exception): LPA approved a special-exception application to restore pool and pool-deck structures \"like for like\" that lie seaward of the 1978 CCCL, subject to standard permitting conditions.

- Delmar Avenue variance (VAR-2024-0267): LPA approved variances to side- and front-yard setbacks for a reconstructed single-family house at 63 Delmar Avenue, subject to staff conditions.

Items that will return to the council or require follow-up: the food-truck rezoning/conditions (Feb. 11 town-council hearing); the Lani Kai consolidated parking plan to be submitted to staff in advance of final council action.

Formal action list (for records): attendees recorded several motions; the clerk will publish official resolutions and the 10-day final-agency-action window for items where applicable.","Summary of formal actions taken Jan. 9 by the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency, including CPD boundary expansion, variances and special exceptions.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6396037,"Lani Kai owners win variance to keep shared parking arrangement; LPA conditions include holistic parking review",1281,14324000,15605000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6&start=14324&end=15605","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2097663-2ce0e0bc5dcd5db762a17552774d2cd6/thumbnail_14324000.jpg","/articles/6396037/Fort-Myers-Beach/Lee-County/Florida/Lani-Kai-owners-win-variance-to-keep-shared-parking-arrangement-LPA-conditions-include-holistic-parking-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6396037-201b998dd901414f0f0467f1e61dd97a/orig.mp4?Expires=1776115462&Signature=bnCjKXj76twtOdZ21JcMxL6PaoaGvDF3DkfJJJTcOMj26wnG7m6Q8~BDu05Ij66vRsA-dN7eIjqomHfRCeuLIzDSEvSvAg1B2jQ7PdEP~rQ13TPNN7hMZeRHe7u6OuQOIkvzU-2T06aoCxpK-6MISHdDXC~ya6rFG65cjN2tYjqP6UnAzkAyQjY30p9Q6gQjNvvsH5pwf7laO9A1KWPKnuQIRHF6LOkoneZ4LUr212iXZEc~YRXJ0uEvF0w-jxUkGg-AELIAz6OicXQAp9Khx6~UP25s-u6uuaoREX2A4cSvgfTgwd39afmiMTmH0V-EUrbH4oJzUYA5YJAE4t0LRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Local Planning Agency on Jan. 9 approved a variance allowing Lani Kai property owners to use a portion of on-site parking as shared, rentable spaces open to the public while preserving a minimum number of spaces to serve the hotel’s guests.

Attorney Robert Burrant and on-site representatives told the LPA the hotel has operated a de facto shared parking arrangement for decades. Town staff cited a code-enforcement notice that had prompted the owners to seek formal land-use relief. The owners initially petitioned for several variances; at the hearing they withdrew one request that would have entirely eliminated the hotel’s required parking and instead confirmed the hotel will retain the number of spaces required to serve its guest rooms.

Under the compromise approved by the LPA, the property will keep the hotel-required parking allocation. The remaining spaces on the parcel may be offered as shared parking under the town’s land-development rules (which allow lots meeting certain conditions to rent unused spaces to the public during peak periods). The LPA approved the remaining variance requests that let the lot continue to operate without retrofitting every modern landscaping and striping standard; in short, the agency allowed the existing lot configuration to persist provided the town and the property owner finalize a consolidated parking plan for the owner’s nearby parcels.

Why it matters: Lani Kai’s request raises recurring questions for an island where redevelopment, visitor demand and limited right-of-way produce pressure on short-staffed public parking. The approved approach preserves hotel guest parking while recognizing a near-term need for visitor parking; the LPA added a condition that the owner work with staff to submit a consolidated parking plan so the town can verify the total demand and how on- and off-site spaces will be allocated.

What’s next: The applicant must work with the planning department to present a unified parking calculation and plan covering the hotel and adjacent lots, and staff will return the consolidated package for final action at the council hearing process.","Owners of Lani Kai on Estero Boulevard received LPA approval Jan. 9 to treat unused hotel parking spaces as shared parking available to the public, after the applicant agreed to drop one variance and work with staff on a comprehensive parking plan.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Fort Myers Beach hearing on food-truck park rezoning draws hours of debate; council hearing set for Feb. 11

Votes at a glance — Fort Myers Beach LPA, Jan. 9, 2025

Lani Kai owners win variance to keep shared parking arrangement; LPA conditions include holistic parking review