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Lee County commissioners approve amendment to 4,200-acre Babcock mixed-use plan
Summary
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners approved an amendment to the 4,200-acre Babcock mixed‑use planned development May 7, increasing dwelling units, lowering hotel rooms and expanding on-site preservation areas; the hearing examiner had recommended approval with conditions.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lee County Board of County Commissioners on May 7 approved an amendment to the 4,200-acre Babcock mixed‑use planned development that raises the number of dwelling units, reduces planned hotel rooms and increases on‑site preservation areas.
Anthony Rodriguez, with Lee County Development and Community Development (DCD), told commissioners the request — filed as DCI2023000053 — would amend the previously adopted Babcock mixed‑use plan (resolution Z17026, as amended) to increase dwelling units, decrease hotel rooms and expand upland and wetland preservation. Rodriguez reported that the hearing examiner recommended approval with conditions and deviations and that there were no participants of record at the hearing.
The amendment will increase the number of dwelling units to 2,078 and reduce hotel rooms from 600 to 250, Rodriguez said. The hearing examiner’s recommendation included conditions and requested deviations as summarized in the commission packet.
Commissioners moved and seconded approval and the motion carried. The transcript does not include a roll‑call vote or the full text of the conditions; the hearing examiner’s conditions and any required development permits will apply during subsequent development stages.
Why it matters: The Babcock mixed‑use plan covers a large portion of Lee County and changes the scale and type of residential and lodging uses in the adopted plan. Expanding preservation areas may affect future site layout, environmental mitigation and infrastructure routing across the development.
What commissioners and staff said: Cecil Pendergrass, vice chairman, opened the hearing and solicited questions; Anthony Rodriguez presented the staff summary and noted the hearing examiner’s recommendation. No members of the public appeared to speak on the item during this meeting.
Next steps: The approved amendment remains subject to the conditions and deviations listed in the hearing examiner’s recommendation and to the development‑stage permitting and review processes, which will address engineering, environmental and infrastructure requirements.
