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Fort Myers advisory board debates zoning, incentives and housing options as growth accelerates
Summary
Board members discussed a shortage of shovel-ready commercial sites, whether developer-controlled affordable-housing funds are effective, and options such as reducing minimum unit sizes and enabling accessory units; they moved to invite zoning staff for a February briefing.
Members of the City of Fort Myers Economic Development Advisory Board spent substantial time discussing land use, incentives and workforce housing as the county’s economy grows.
Several members said the city has too few shovel-ready commercial parcels and must be intentional about preserving land for commercial and light industrial uses. One board member argued that developer-managed affordable-housing contributions can produce lower-quality units and proposed directing funds to a city program to purchase or develop workforce housing instead: “I didn’t think it was good to put the money or funds in their hands,” the member said.
The board discussed zoning options to increase affordable supply, including reducing minimum-home square footage from the current threshold (members mentioned 1,500 square feet as a discussion point) and permitting accessory dwelling units or two small homes on larger lots. “If they’re gonna reduce the minimum size from 1,500 to 900... Now, not only gonna have more affordable homes … but you’d be able to have two on maybe one of those lots,” a committee member said.
The board voted to invite Carrie Mock (city zoning staff) or a staff pair (Steve Belden/Anthony Palermo) to the February meeting to walk the members through current land-development code, capacity for mixed-use or vertical development, and practical options to encourage workforce housing without sacrificing site readiness for employers.
Why it matters: The discussion directly links the county’s company growth and incoming jobs to the city’s ability to house workers nearby and to provide sites for industry; staff briefings were requested to inform possible policy actions.
What’s next: Staff will be asked to prepare a targeted briefing for the February meeting on zoning tools, accessory units, and options for using city-managed funds for affordable housing.
