Main Content


Forum Notes

April 27, 2010

North Fort Myers Public Library

North Fort Myers

 

 
Future
Community Vision		 Land Use/
Development		 Parks/
Conservation		 Transportation Public
Services

 

Future Community Vision:

  • Quality of Life
    • Preserve:
      • Tourism
      • Beaches
  • Community Character
    • Economic Development
      • Economic stability
      • Clean industry
      • Private mortgages for Lehigh and Cape Coral depressed areas to establish family oriented communities
      • More ecotourism and cultural development
    • Cultural/Social Development and Resources
      • Distinct communities
    • Environmental
      • Need to be better stewards of environment
    • Land/Community Development
      • Need community identification:
        • Farmland
        • Tourist
        • Marine areas
        • Urban
  • Community Features
    • Features:
      • Sports complex in NFM
      • Facilities for an active lifestyle
      • More comprehensive and larger facilities
      • More attractive shopping areas
      • Limit signage to one type
      • Too many private roads not maintained
      • Lack of sidewalks and lighting
    • Preserve:
      • Hide commercial properties with landscaping
    • Less suburban development
    • Low pollution
    • Health care
  • Lifestyles
    • Sunshine
    • Negative impact of absentee homeowners
    • Concerned about some areas becoming slums
    • Need regional coordination
    • Safe environment
    • Appeal to younger generation:
      • Jobs
      • Edison State

return to the top
 

Land Use/Development:

  • Development Pattern/Style
    • Reduce density in housing and demand more green space
    • Need to reduce coastal density
    • Become pedestrian friendly
    • McGregor Blvd:
      • Increase traffic
      • More high rises
  • Prominent features
    • Local community character reflected in buildings
  • Design characteristics
    • Buffers/Green space
    • Condense density in urban areas (Fort Myers, Cape, Bonita)
    • Standards/Architectural
    • Malls/shopping areas with specific theme:
      • Cultural
      • Arts
      • Sports
  • Development practices
    • Need better approach to density allocation
    • Need incentives for mixed use: change tax base
    • Encourage mixed use commercial and residential
    • Redevelopment of blighted/obsolete areas
    • Direct growth to appropriate areas
    • Preserve historical components
    • Infrastructure to proceed all development
    • Promote:
      • Small farms
      • Gardens
      • Farmers market
  • Urban form / Rural character
    • Maintain city boundaries
    • Preserve rural character, not sprawl

return to the top 


Parks/Conservation:

  • Parks and public spaces
    • Self supporting parks via:
      • User fees
      • Lease to commercial uses
    • Sports complex in North Fort Myers
    • Swim complex
    • Parks along river
    • Designated four-wheeler park
    • More pocket parks like Judd Park
    • Promote Lee Civic Center more
    • Parks need buy-in by adjacent neighborhoods/communities
    • Continue using 20/20 for passive recreation
    • Buy development rights to preserve land for passive recreation
      • In mobile home parks
      • Declining areas
  • Conservation areas
    • 20/20 continued & developed for enjoyment and management of exotics
    • Restore river to meet EPA standards
    • Standards for mature trees
    • Good job on regional parks
    • Retain water recharge
    • Require closed drainage
    • Maintenance of ditches
    • Limit fresh water flow from Okeechobee into Caloosahatchee
  • Open space areas
    • Utilize open spaces for agricultural use
    • Define open spaces
    • Large community gathering areas/ open space
  • Access and location
    • More kayak launching areas with ample parking
    • Community access to conservation

return to the top 


Transportation:

  • Roadways
    • Evacuation routes and alternatives
    • Less road use
    • Divert traffic to alternate routes
    • Identify future nodes
    • I-75 access (north)
    • Smart roads
    • Landscaping improved [for roads, trails, etc...]
    • Traffic calming
    • Make North River Road historic
  • Multimodal
    • Remove boundaries in communities/businesses
    • Amtrak
    • Golf cart trails
    • Use existing rail lines and cars for evacuation
  • Sidewalks/trails
    • Sidewalks/crossovers
    • Separate bike/hike trails from main roadway traffic
    • More sidewalks and lighting
  • Bikeways
    • Bicycle access
    • Shaded areas
    • Foliage hedges
    • More bike paths
    • Promote more biking as transportation
  • Transit
    • Connect public transportation to main attractors
    • Support LeeTran funding
    • Update bus routes
    • Keep cost reasonable for users and transit system
    • Need incentives to use public transit
    • More trolleys (circular routes)

return to the top
 

Public Services:

  • Utilities
    • Condition foreclosure to go energy efficient
    • More incentive to install solar panels and all energy efficient products
    • Improve/increase wastewater facilities
    • Desalinization
    • Localized on-site water treatment for groundwate runoff
    • Need more awareness of available funding for upgrading energy efficient-hurricane building upgrades
    • More underground utilities
    • Good public water
    • Utilities hook up done by builders before sale of home
    • Plan ample water and sewer plants
    • Promote use of gray water
    • Promote residential and commercial cisterns for rainwater
    • Inlet Drive sewer plant should be a county park
  • Schools
    • Higher education has improved
    • Less bussing
    • Use distance learning
    • Real education effectiveness
    • More open school buildings (meetings, use for summer)
  • Government services
    • Improved library system
  • Land development services
    • More places of assembly
    • Code enforcement active not passive
    • Neighborhood level license and permitting facilities
  • Emergency services
    • Consolidation of fire/EMS/sheriff
    • 911 improvements
    • More hurricane shelters
    • Urgent care facilities
    • Eliminate fire “fiefdoms”
    • More triage services in local communities

Click here to view next workshop