Pine Island Plan focus of recent GPICA meeting
The main topic of discussion of the Sept. 6 meeting of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association was the Pine Island Plan for land use.
The Pine Island Plan is the part of the Lee County Development Code that sets out specific rules for development on the island. It governs building height and density along with other zoning rules designed to protect Pine Island’s natural areas while allowing for smart growth.
Bill Spikowski of Spikowski Planning Associates was asked to speak to members on the subject. Spikowski was the consultant to the GPICA in the 1980s, when the plan was first being developed.
GPICA President Helen Fox emphasized the importance of familiarization with the plan, as the future may hold incorporation for islanders.
Spikowski began by telling members the importance of what happens just beyond the island. Other incorporated cities in Lee County have their own power of planning and zoning, he said, and are not in need of a community plan like Pine Island.
“Since we are in the unincorporated area, our city council is the County Commissioners and those same five commissioners are supposed to know about what’s going on throughout unincorporated Lee County — it’s an impossible task at best,” Spikowski said.
Pine Island is just one of 17 other communities where land use plans were developed. The Pine Island Plan, he said, is in effect up to Matlacha Isles. The area just east of Matlacha Isles is interesting, he said, as it’s neither Pine Island nor Cape Coral. It is the mutual intention of Lee County and Cape Coral that this area will be annexed by Cape Coral, he said.
“I know that’s pretty disappointing for a lot of people to hear, but that’s sort of the official policy … everything up to the Pine Island Plan area and everything that’s not wetlands will belong to Cape Coral. That doesn’t mean it has to happen that way,” Spikowski said.
The Pine Island Plan began in 1977, with the next big step in 1984, said Spikowski, when Lee County reared a future land use map. This differs from a zoning map, which specifies what is permitted on a particular property. A future land use map is far more general, he said, pointing out areas that may be suitable for development in the future.
“This was something new. A group of Pine Islanders got together and said the future land use map of Pine Island ought to look like this and it actually became a law for Lee County — I’ve got to tell you it’s amazing -it’s very similar to what we have today,” Spikowski said.
Two years later, due to state law, the county was required to redo its comprehensive plan, said Spikowski, who was director of county planning at the time. This time, he said, it had a lot more meat to it than height requirements. This time the plan focused more on environmental protection. It got adopted in 1990, in a way favorable to Pine Island, said Spikowski.
“The 1990s was a period of great change on the island. We went from having a few orange groves and some nurseries to farming palm trees and tropical fruit,” Spikowski said.
The state of Florida, Greater Pine Island Civic Association and Lee County, along with two environmental foundations, he said, sponsored to expand the Pine Island Plan to a new level. This new expansion plan, which was mostly adopted, was put in place in 2003. The most recent changes, he said, came in 2016.
“There’s a hierarchal arrangement of planning regulations that’s governed by the state. At the top there’s a state law called the community planning act that says every city will have a comprehensive plan, and every city will have a land development code … and everything we do has to be consistent with these laws. The next level down — there are a lot of counties in Florida that have a county charter that basically has a whole new set of rules and often says that the county has authority over the cities when it comes to planning,” Spikowski said.
The Lee County Comprehensive Plan (also called the Lee Plan) relevant to Pine Island, is the future land use map, which indicates most of island is off-limits for intense development, Spikowski said. This is perhaps the most important aspect for Pine Island as it pertains to quality of life, he said.
Some of the most important items outlined in the Pine Island Plan, he said are: There will be no new canals or channels within 1 mile of Pine Island.
Most commercial or industrial land uses will be at Pine Island Center, with architectural regulations.
“If someone wants to rezone property or create a new subdivision or get a variance, they are required to have a public meeting here on Pine Island to talk about it. It’s not a public hearing, it’s basically to inform the public and hopefully hear what the public has to say in advance — sometimes they listen and often they don’t, but that’s one of these regulations that I believe has been a very useful addition,” Spikowski said.
If Pine Island stays as unincorporated Lee County, none of the plan or its regulations are guaranteed, he told members, as county commissioners could take it all away in a matter of months. If Pine Island where to incorporate and remain as its own city, he explained, the former regulations would be enforced as the regulations for the new city for up to three years. Lee County officials, at that point, would have no jurisdiction over the city, which would have its own council. After three years, the new city would have to have its own comprehensive plan, or development code, comparable to the Lee Plan, he said.
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC, please email pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com