Bonita Springs board approves special-exception for telco data center in Bonita Beach Road corridor

The Bonita Springs zoning board approved a special exception to allow a Group 2 essential service facility — a telco data center — in the Bonita Beach Road corridor overlay, voting unanimously to grant the use with staff-recommended conditions.

City staff and the applicant told the board the facility is designed to function like an office building but is classified under the city code as an essential service because it will provide telecommunications connectivity between North and South America. The facility will be located near the northwest corner of Imperial River Road and Bonita Beach Road and is planned as a two-story building just under 20,000 square feet, with a small number of on-site employees.

Mike Feagon, community development, told the board why the special exception was required: “This is a special exception request to allow a group 2 essential service facility data center on a property located within the beach zone of the Bonita Beach Road corridor overlay.” Wayne Arnold, the applicant’s planner with Grady Miner & Associates, said the use will generate far less traffic and public visitation than many commercial or retail uses and that the project has been coordinated with the city architect and staff.

Applicant representatives said access will be from Imperial River Road using an existing right-of-way, and the site plan includes a parking area to the north, a generator pad, and landscaping to meet the land development code. The applicant said generators will be fully enclosed, propane-powered, and fitted with noise attenuation; testing will be limited to a short period weekly during daytime work hours. The applicant also reported on environmental work: there are some scrub habitats on the site and gopher tortoise burrows, and the project’s environmental consultant is coordinating required mitigation with state authorities.

Staff recommended approval with seven conditions covering architecture, landscaping, noise attenuation for emergency generators, parking calculations based on office area, and other standard development-order items. The applicant said it agreed with the conditions and asked the board to add a clarifying phrase to one condition that would allow staff and the applicant to work on minor deviations during the development-order review if needed.

There were no public speakers on the item. A motion to approve the special exception passed on a roll-call vote with the following board members recorded as in favor: Board member Benson; Board member Wynne; Chairman Rosio; Board member Waterhouse; Board member Gambrell; and Vice Chairman Hirschinson. The board’s approval sends the matter to the development-order stage, where the applicant must meet the board’s conditions and complete any required permitting and mitigation.

The project record notes that the use is classified as an essential service under the Bonita Springs Land Development Code and therefore requires this special-exception review when sited in the beach-zone overlay. The applicant will continue coordination with city staff on final architectural and landscape details and with state agencies on gopher tortoise mitigation as part of the development-order and permitting process.