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Residents urge city to preserve old Cape Coral golf course; city says public input process will follow
Summary
Environmental advocates urged the city to preserve as much of the old Cape Coral Golf Course as a passive preserve. City officials said they plan robust public engagement and design work before deciding the property’s future use.
Speakers at the May 7 Cape Coral City Council meeting urged the city to prioritize preservation of the old Cape Coral Golf Course and to favor a passive preserve over redevelopment.
Lori House, a Cape Coral resident speaking for the Cape Coral Wildlife Trust, told council she had performed bird and mammal surveys at the site and believes many species still use the property. She asked the city to “commit as much as possible of that beautiful place to be a preserve, a passive preserve.” House said her group had worked with community members and previously gathered signatures opposing development.
Other speakers suggested using existing design plans from the yacht club project or relocating some park structures to the golf course site to reduce costs. David Halsey suggested moving facility elements rather than building new structures at the yacht club.
Mayor Gunter and city staff said they expect a robust public outreach process. The mayor told the public the city will hold surveys and town halls and that staffer Joe Petrillo had engaged stakeholders. The city manager and mayor described the old golf course as a strong candidate for broad public engagement and said the city will undertake more detailed design planning with community input before making final land‑use decisions.
No formal land‑use vote was taken at the May 7 meeting; speakers urged that any future proposals consider ecology, public access and regional park opportunities.
