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Estero board approves rezoning to allow fire district storage building, limits commercial uses
Summary
The Planning, Zoning and Design Board unanimously approved rezoning that lets the Estero Fire District add a storage building and small station additions while converting the site to a community facilities plan to restrict commercial uses; the approval includes conditions on buffers, tree preservation, access and environmental protections.
The Village of Estero Planning, Zoning and Design Board unanimously approved a rezoning request that will allow the Estero Fire District to build a warehouse/storage building behind its existing station and make small additions to the station itself.
Mary (community development director) told the board the applicant amended an earlier request to rezone the entire parcel from Commercial Plan Development to Community Facilities Plan Development (CFPD) to limit non‑public commercial uses. "We struck out the commercial uses that were approved on the front half of the property, and we narrowed down the uses to basically fire station type uses," she said.
The board heard a presentation from Dan DeLisi, who identified himself as a planner representing the Estero Fire and Rescue District. DeLisi and project architects said the work includes a storage building to the west of the existing station, minor additions to the existing facility (a new in‑bay and living‑quarters work), and internal dry detention to reduce runoff. The plan reorients the station entrance to the north to reduce impacts on adjacent residences.
Scott Vandenberg, fire chief for Estero Fire Rescue, said apparatus bay doors were moved to the north side of the station to reduce noise toward the homes to the south. "We decided to move that from a drive through bay to 3 14 by 14 roll up doors on the north side of the building where there is nobody living," he said.
Staff recommended approval with conditions that will become part of the zoning. Those conditions include adopting the master concept plan as the controlling plan; limiting uses to fire/EMS, ancillary administrative offices, indoor storage and other accessory uses listed in the staff memo; a 35‑foot height limit (two habitable stories); adoption of the project's pattern book and substantial consistency with it; preservation of heritage trees "to the maximum extent possible" and replacement per code for trees removed; management of a single on‑site gopher tortoise burrow in compliance with state or federal requirements; and access restricted to 3 Oaks Parkway with no access permitted from Horn Lane.
During public comment, Jeanie Marshall, a resident of the nearby Colonial Oaks subdivision, asked whether vehicles would use Horn Lane. The applicant and staff responded that the condition prohibits access from Horn Lane. Mary also said the development order review will require a Construction Activity Management Plan that will address staging, noise and hours of work.
A board member moved to approve the rezoning as presented with staff conditions; the motion passed on a roll‑call vote with all present members recorded as voting yes (Board member Jenna; Board member Pavani; Board member Tatulis; Board member Williams; Chairman Gargano). The board's approval adopts the narrower CFPD uses and the environmental and access conditions outlined by staff.
The project will return for a later development order review with more detailed plans for landscape species, a heritage tree survey, and the construction activity management plan required by the staff conditions.
