The City Council voted Tuesday to accept a design vision study for the Lyles Hotel Plaza and surrounding Riverside Park area and directed staff to develop implementation pathways, including a phasing plan from the consultant. The study, prepared by DPZ CoDesign, sketches a package of improvements intended to better link the Lyles Hotel, the Artist Cottage Village, the event lawn and Riverside Park with new paving, shade structures, pavilions, interpretive features and river overlooks.

DPZ’s presenter described a scope focused on exterior public spaces: unifying paving materials, refreshing the fountain, creating a formal north court around a large oak, adding lightweight pavilions and pergola‑style shade over the Artist Cottage Village, improving ADA routes, and adding small stages and river overlooks. The consultant emphasized that many ideas can be implemented incrementally: low‑cost, near‑term moves to improve paving, shade and seating; medium‑term additions such as pavilions and a small community hall; and more ambitious elements—interactive public art, major fountain reconstruction and a larger community hall—reserved as funded phases.

Council discussion was broadly supportive but emphasized cost and long‑term maintenance. Council member Nigel cautioned that interactive public art can be expensive to maintain and flagged the need to budget for long‑term upkeep. Council member Chris Fuller (addressing governance) said the council should formally accept the DPZ document as a planning document, ask DPZ for a phasing framework and engage community stakeholders and potential private partners for funding. Council approved that motion by roll call vote.

The council motion includes direction for staff to return with implementation alternatives, to coordinate with the existing Art and Public Places Board and to ask DPZ for a recommended phasing plan that sequences low, medium and high cost elements. Staff and council members discussed potential near‑term tasks, including removal of the deteriorated Goodbread building (which staff noted may already be budgeted) and refining use options for the Lyles Hotel building; council asked staff to consider a follow‑up phase to study interior uses and building rehabilitation.

Why it matters: The plaza and adjacent park are central to downtown public life and festivals in Bonita Springs; the accepted study gives the city a blueprint to improve connectivity and visitor experience while creating options for public‑private funding and phased implementation.

Next steps: Staff will coordinate with DPZ to return a phasing plan, cost ranges and a recommended implementation and funding strategy. Council also directed staff to seek input from the Art and Public Places Board and interested community groups.