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Residents say planned LRTP corridor would cut through private Ranch Huts roads; board agrees to show study swath instead of fixed alignment
Summary
Residents of the Charlotte Ranch Huts urged the MPO to remove Acorn Boulevard from the long-range plan’s priority map, saying the road is private and would wipe out homes; the MPO directed staff to replace a specific line with a study swath and consider alternatives.
Residents of the Charlotte Ranch Huts told the Charlotte County–Punta Gorda Metropolitan Planning Organization on May 19 that a proposed north–south corridor shown in the draft 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan would cut through private property and undermine long-standing assurances that neighborhood roads are private.
“We were never notified,” said Christina Brinkman, who identified herself as a Ranch Huts homeowner and cited Charlotte County Resolution 2021‑021, which she said formally disconnected county maintenance for roads in the neighborhood. Brinkman said Acorn Boulevard is private and that a proposed four‑lane highway marked on planning maps would “wipe out my yard, my garage, and potentially my home.”
Other speakers from the Ranchettes reiterated safety and notice concerns and offered alternative routings. Michael Flowers, who said he lives in the Ranch Huts area, suggested routing around the Webb Game Preserve to avoid residential take‑outs; Kaelin Lee, who said she and her husband purchased property on Acorn Boulevard a year ago, also opposed the alignment.
Staff and the board said the contested line had appeared in earlier long‑range plans as a conceptual corridor but acknowledged the community’s objections. Consultant William Rolfe and county staff proposed a compromise: remove the fixed, parcel‑specific line from the map and instead show a broad study swath or corridor area to preserve the need for a future connection while avoiding a specific alignment through private roads.
The MPO’s motion on the draft LRTP needs assessment that the board approved directed staff to make edits discussed at the meeting — including removing the specific Acorn Boulevard alignment and replacing it with a study area — and to return with the revised materials for further public review and board consideration on Aug. 4.
The LRTP remains a needs assessment at this stage and is not a funding or construction authorization. Board members emphasized any future road through private property would require property‑owner agreements, easements and additional public input, and they noted that county acceptance of private roads would need to be pursued separately if residents wanted that outcome.
