Fort Myers staff outline planned rewrite of comprehensive plan and landscaping rules

Tony Palermo, assistant director of community development for the City of Fort Myers, told the Environmental Advisory Board that the city will begin a 12-to-18-month rewrite of its comprehensive plan and that the land-development code will be updated to match the revised plan.

"We're gonna be working on a rewrite of the land of the comprehensive plan in the next 12 to 18 months," Palermo said, adding the city hired consultant Calvin Giordano & Associates to help lead the effort. Palermo said the comprehensive-plan update will be followed by code changes where necessary so both documents remain consistent.

Palermo summarized how community development coordinates site-plan and permitting reviews with public works, engineering, building and fire, and he emphasized that Chapter 138 of the land-development code governs vegetation, open space and tree protections. He explained the code includes provisions for preservation of existing vegetation, installation of buffer yards and protection of mature tree specimens, and that developers can request deviations or variances when standard standards are impractical.

Board members asked how and when departments such as parks are brought into the process and whether landscaping requirements can be applied earlier in reviews; Palermo said parks manage their own park-design projects but that code changes would be required to force earlier involvement in private development reviews. He also noted staff lacks certified arborists and landscape architects on the permanent staff and that the city will rely on consultants or other departments for technical expertise where needed.