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Board transmits Greenway Fritchey growth-management amendment to state, setting stage for affordable housing plan
Summary
The Collier County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on June 24 to transmit a proposed growth‑management plan amendment for the Greenway Fritchey property, a roughly 227‑acre site north of U.S. 41 that the applicant says could support up to 1,299 units with 20% affordable set‑aside.
The Collier County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on June 24 to transmit a proposed growth‑management plan amendment for the Greenway Fritchey property, a roughly 227‑acre site north of U.S. 41 that the applicant says could support up to 1,299 single‑family and multifamily units with a 20% affordable‑housing set‑aside.
Why it matters: Transmittal sends the county’s proposed amendment to state agencies for review and comment; if the plan survives that review, later public hearings will examine specific zoning, density, infrastructure, environmental protections and adoption. The amendment seeks to apply the county’s Rural Fringe Mixed‑Use District rules for affordable housing and requests a reduction in littoral‑shelf planting from the Rural Fringe standard.
What was proposed and debated: Rich Yovanovitch spoke for the applicant, Greenway Fritchey Land LLC and Habitat for Humanity, and described the request as the first step in a multi‑step process to implement affordable housing policies the county adopted in 2023. He said the application would reserve 20% of units for households at or below 80% of area median income and that the project aligns with the county’s density‑bonus matrix.
Brad Cornell, representing Audubon Western Everglades and Audubon Florida, urged the board to retain a 30% littoral‑shelf planting requirement to protect water quality and nutrient uptake in stormwater ponds. "We need to have littoral plantings," Cornell said, warning that reduced planting could increase nutrient loads and algae problems.
Staff and procedural notes: Planning and zoning staff and the planning commission recommended transmittal. Planning staff noted a provision in the Growth Management Plan that forbids using Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) to achieve affordable housing density bonuses in the Rural Fringe Mixed‑Use District; staff said that provision limits the county’s ability to require TDRs for the affordable units.
Motion and next steps: Commissioner McDaniel moved to transmit the amendment to the state; the motion carried unanimously. The transmittal initiates statutorily required state review. If state agencies return comments, staff and the applicant will respond; subsequent local public hearings — including Planning Commission adoption and then Board adoption — will address PUD (planned unit development) specifics, TDR use, littoral plantings and utility and roads impacts.
Ending: Transmittal does not approve construction. The decision allows state agencies to review the plan’s contours; adoption votes with public notice and supermajority requirements will follow if the project proceeds.
