Bonita Springs council hears Seagate request to transmit Ravana Lakes comprehensive-plan amendment to state

At a Bonita Springs City Council meeting, Seagate Development asked the council to transmit a comprehensive-plan amendment that would redesignate roughly 204.5 acres — about 114 acres already inside the city and 90 acres still in unincorporated Lee County — from county Density Reduction Groundwater Resource (DRGR) and wetlands to the city’s Urban Fringe Community District and resource-protection categories. The request includes three annexation petitions and a text amendment to the Urban Fringe Community District.

The council heard a multi-hour presentation Tuesday evening from the applicant’s team, which emphasized lower density, on-site infrastructure capacity, environmental studies and stormwater design. Mike Feagon, community development staff, said the staff report provided analysis but reserved a formal recommendation because “this is a policy decision for city council.” The council did not vote on the transmittal during the portion of the meeting recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: The transmittal decision would send the amendment to state agencies for review and is the first formal step before a possible future adoption vote and accompanying rezoning and development order. Seagate said bringing the county portion into the city would let Bonita Springs apply its development standards, capture impact fees and expand the city’s tax base; opponents at prior hearings have raised water-resource and precedent concerns. The city’s Local Planning Agency (LPA) previously voted 5-1 to deny the applicant’s request.

Seagate principals and technical team present proposal

Alexis Crespo, vice president of planning at RVI Planning, and Bill Price, chairman of Seagate Development, led the applicant presentation. Price said Seagate acquired the property in 2020 and “we believe this land parcel should be put under the jurisdiction of the city of Bonita Springs.” The applicant described a revised proposal that reduced residential density from…