Council approves small-scale comp plan change for Bonita Beach Road parcel; rezoning, marina and noise plans draw strong neighborhood opposition

The Bonita Springs City Council on Sept. 17 approved a small-scale amendment to the city’s future land use map that redesignates about 0.7 acres at 4752 Bonita Beach Road from medium-density multifamily residential to general commercial. The council voted to approve the comprehensive plan amendment on second reading.

Later in the meeting the council conducted a quasi-judicial hearing on a related rezoning request and a Commercial Planned Development (CPD) for approximately 5.07 acres fronting Bonita Beach Road. The rezoning would permit up to 23,717 square feet of commercial uses and as many as six multifamily dwelling units; the hearing included a staff presentation, an applicant presentation and more than a dozen public speakers. A final council vote on the rezoning was not recorded in the transcript excerpt.

Why it matters: The project is waterfront and involves changes to land use and zoning that could affect boat traffic, mangroves, canal hydraulics, noise levels and traffic on Bonita Beach Road. Residents who live along nearby canals voiced concerns about boat slips, wakes, noise from outdoor entertainment and flooding; applicants and staff described multiple concessions and proposed conditions intended to mitigate those impacts.

What staff and the applicant said: Mary Tornberg of Community Development told council that staff and the Local Planning Agency recommended approval of the comprehensive plan amendment and had edited several conditions on the rezoning since a prior hearing. Among staff-recommended provisions were: review of live/outdoor music at the development-order stage with a sound engineer study, parking to be reviewed at development order (staff said they had limited time to analyze a candidate alternate parking approach submitted by the applicant),…