Council to discuss golf carts on residential streets
The Cape Coral City Council will again discuss today whether golf carts should allowed on residential streets.
In December, Robert Denis submitted a petition for golf cart use on roads bound by Southeast 10th Street, Southeast 11th Terrace, Southeast 17th Terrace and Southeast 20th Avenue, east of Del Prado Boulevard.
Council postponed the decision pending a review and discussion on the feasibility of golf carts on city streets.
Currently, residents may petition council for a determination that golf carts may safely travel on specific roadways, considering the speed, traffic volume, and the character of traffic and the surrounding neighborhoods. Specific elements must be met, such as the city Public Works Department deeming the road as safe for carts.
At present, only one area, located east of Santa Barbara near Saratoga Park, has that designation, approved in 2001. The approved area involves about 6.5 miles of streets, or an area of .27 square miles.
The city of Cape Coral is considering a request to allow golf carts on additional city streets, another two miles of roadway.
Golf carts can only be operated on public roadways and sidewalks as approved by City Council. They can be operated on multi-modal shared use paths along divided roadways and, currently, low-speed vehicles can be used on city streets less than 35 mph in accordance with Florida Statute without City Council approval.
In a memo, the Cape Coral Police Department and Public Works found no issues with the scope of the request, but neither recommended golf cart use on any public roadway.
The prospect remains and issue for some residents.
The Northwest Neighborhood Association took a poll and found nearly three-fourths of those taking part said the city should not allow golf carts on city streets.
The City Manager’s Office also conducted a poll, where nearly two-thirds were against allowing golf carts on public streets by licensed drivers. Even on local roadways with speed limits 35 mph and lower, 58.7 percent were against it.
As today’s meeting is a workshop, Council will be asked for a consensus to make no change, repeal the existing ordinance and grandfather Saratoga Lakes neighborhood approval, or enact a new ordinance and allow for use city-wide on appropriate city streets.
That decision will come in a future city council regular meeting, as there is no formal vote at workshop, or Committee of the Whole, meetings.
In other business, the city council also will:
– Get an economic activity report for the first quarter of the 2021 fiscal year, which will look at key economic indicators, residential permitting, non-residential projects and business attraction, retention and expansion.
– Get an update on the D&D Marina and Boat Ramp, where the Council will look at three concept plans of differing amenities and values, including one with an on-site restaurant, at a total cost of $12.7 million; one anchored by a bait shop at $7.1 million and a simple boat ramp design for $4.7 million.
– Discuss Phase II of the Cape Coral Mooring Field at Bimini Basin, where the council will again see three options on the design of the mooring field.
– Discuss upland canal rights of way and seek council’s direction on how to manage these areas.
The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Boulevard.
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com