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Sandoval homeowners ask city to take over Hayden Lane; council asks for more study before deciding
Summary
Leaders of the Sandoval Community Association asked the council to accept Hayden Lane as a city street, saying it now serves broader public and commercial traffic. Council members expressed sympathy but requested more traffic and legal study and took no final action.
Representatives of the Sandoval Community Association asked the Cape Coral City Council to accept ownership and maintenance of Hayden Lane, a private road that petitioners said now functions as a public connector for businesses at the Shops at Surfside Plaza and the Experience Health and Wellness Center.
Bill Simonelli, president of the Sandoval Community Association, told the council the community maintains more than 28 lane miles inside the development but lacks sovereign immunity protections, leaving the HOA with insurance and liability exposure for what petitioners argue is essentially a public roadway. “Hayden Lane meets the current city engineering standards,” Simonelli said, and transfer to the city would integrate the street into the city’s master plan and allow consistent maintenance and traffic regulation.
Data and legal context
City staff and the city manager explained the road was originally planned as internal circulation to reduce off-site improvements on Veterans Parkway at the time of development; that historical use reduced required developer-funded turn lanes and other off-site improvements. The city manager noted that accepting the road raises traffic and precedent issues and that a replat and PDP amendments may be necessary before a transfer could occur.
Staff and a public-works representative said spot turning-movement counts were collected: one staff speaker said the observation showed roughly 3 out of 10 cars leaving Sandoval used Hayden Lane to access commercial properties; public-works staff later said spot sampling indicated roughly 50–60% of counted movements turned right into the Surfside shops and 40–50% continued into Sandoval. Council members and staff said a comprehensive origin‑and‑destination traffic study (tube counters and longer-term observation) would be required to determine long‑term impacts, including whether off-site road improvements would be required if the lane were closed.
Council reaction and next steps
Council members expressed sympathy for Sandoval homeowners’ desire to stop paying for a road they consider a public asset but varied on how best to proceed. Several members suggested limited options: full transfer to the city, selective transfer with conditions, closing part of the lane, or negotiated conveyance to neighboring commercial property owners. Multiple council members said they wanted additional data, legal review of liability and precedent, and a traffic study before any decision.
No vote was taken; council did not adopt the petition and asked staff and council members to pursue further study and stakeholder discussions. Council members proposed follow-up meetings with the city manager and the Sandoval HOA to explore conditional or partial solutions, including the possibility of creating park-like uses for sections of the lane and clarifying emergency access requirements.
Ending
The petition remains under consideration. Council directed staff and interested council members to pursue additional study and stakeholder meetings; no transfer or resolution was approved at the meeting.
