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Planning Board recommends rezoning Metro Parkway site, advancing proposed Costco relocation amid traffic concerns
Summary
The board recommended City Council approve rezoning of about 36.74 acres at 10451 Metro Parkway to Commercial General to allow a proposed Costco and outparcels; staff found it consistent with the comp plan, the applicant submitted a Traffic Impact Study Feb. 25, and neighbors pressed traffic, pedestrian and delivery-hour concerns.
The Fort Myers Planning Board on March 5 recommended City Council approve rezoning roughly 36.74 acres at 10451 Metro Parkway from a mix of Planned Unit Development, Commercial Intensive and Mixed Use to Commercial General, a vote that advances a proposed Costco relocation and related outparcels.
Applicant representative Brad Wester presented the rezoning request and a conceptual site plan showing a Costco warehouse (applicant described a 58,000-square-foot store and a 16-pump, member-only fuel facility) plus outparcels along Metro Parkway. Wester said the proposal would extend an existing band of Commercial General frontage and create four principal access points, one controlled by a new traffic signal. He told the board the Traffic Impact Study (TIS) was submitted on Feb. 25 to FDOT, Lee County and the City of Fort Myers and is under agency review.
John Paul Andrews, Director of Real Estate Development for Costco, sworn as a witness, described the company’s intention to remain in Fort Myers but in a larger, more efficient facility: “We’re looking to stay at Fort Myers but come in with more of our state-of-the-art facility that's better designed to accommodate our members safely and efficiently,” he said.
City staff recommended approval. Senior Planner Taryn Thomas said staff found the rezoning consistent with the comprehensive plan and land development code and that the fire marshal and engineering staff reported no objections. City Engineer Nicole Setzer explained that any multi-use trail crossing on state roadways (like the JYLP multi-use trail near the site) will require FDOT permitting and must meet FDOT standards.
Neighbors voiced concerns during public comment about traffic on Colonial and Plantation roads, safety for pedestrians and cyclists at driveway crossings, truck-routing and early-morning versus nighttime deliveries, potential late-night activity from outparcels, and lighting impacts on adjacent homes. Residents also said some neighbors did not receive mailed notices and asked for clearer site graphics showing existing houses behind tree cover.
In response, the applicant said notices were sent consistent with legal requirements, that Costco’s delivery hours are typically early morning (around 6 a.m.), and that the submitted TIS models conservative, “max-loaded” scenarios (applicant said they used numbers above the standard ITE rates for peak hours to be conservative). Applicant representatives also said Costco/developer will fund the mitigation improvements proposed in the TIS.
After extended discussion about traffic and pedestrian safety, a motion to recommend approval was made and seconded. The board held a roll-call vote; the motion carried with one member recorded as voting no (Mister Hamill). The recommendation will go to City Council for final action; site-plan, plat and FDOT permitting still must be completed if the rezoning is approved by Council.
What’s next: The Planning Board’s recommendation is advisory; final rezoning action rests with City Council, and detailed site-plan and permitting reviews (including FDOT access permits for state-road driveways and any multi-use-trail crossings) remain required before construction.
