City OKs utility infrastructure in Yellow Fever Creek Preserve
Plans to install utility infrastructure at Yellow Fever Creek Preserve has final approval from the Cape Coral City Council.
Council amended three policies within the city’s Comprehensive Plan on Wednesday, reducing the preserve by 14 acres to allow water tanks and other facilities to be constructed.
Councilmembers Rachel Kaduk and Keith Long voted against the two enacting ordinances – 85-24 and 6-25.
Ordinance 85-24 is a city-initiated text change to reduce the 200 acre site by approximately 14 acres for Utility Expansion Project infrastructure for water storage and a water pumping station to provide water and sewer to the northeastern portion of the city, Principal Planner Chad Boyko said.
“This proposed change would remove the acreage from the park,” he said.
The ordinance amends three chapters:
• Chapter 2 – Coastal and Conservation Element, by “adding language allowing a portion of the Yellow Fever Creek Headwaters Area to be utilized for an essential service.”
• Chapter 4 – Future Land Use Element, to “reduce the size of the Yellow Fever Creek Park from 200 acres to 184.5 acres.”
• Chapter 7 – Recreation and Open Space Element – “to reduce the size of the Yellow Fever Creek Park from 198.70 acres to 184.5 acres.”
Boyko said Public Works identified this project as crucial for the future development of the UEP.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 4-2.
Ordinance 6-25 accomplished an amendment to the future land use map from Parks and Recreation to Public Facilities for 14.2 acres of the Yellow Fever Creek Park.
Many members from the Village of Entrada community spoke Wednesday, expressing their disapproval and unhappiness about the ordinances saying the project will directly affect their homes and the animals at the preserve. They said they do not disagree with the need, as water is a necessity, but disagree with the construction of four, 45-foot towers being built 200 feet from their backyard in what was designated as a preserve.
Those speaking begged council members to move the project down a little to a new area.
After the residents spoke, Kaduk made a motion to deny Ordinance 85-24, which was only supported by herself and Long.
She said she could not vote yes in good conscious, as the preserve should not be repurposed.
“I have not received one email saying yes. They don’t want it. For that reason I am definitely not supporting this,” she said.
Councilmember Bill Steinke asked when the project began — the thought of its location.
Utilities Director Jeff Pearson said staff first started trying to find a site eight to 10 years ago. He said the previous parks director was approached, as they had a grant and wanted to build a retention pond on the site.
“I presented that to council back in 2019 and said here is what we are doing. It’s been a long time in the planning. We had a town hall meeting with folks in Entrada with Councilmember Cosden, that was in 2020,” Pearson said. “We selected this site because it is in an upland portion of that area.”
He said it is needed to meet the water demands and the location within the hydraulic distribution transmission is ideal.
“That location would save millions of dollars as in utility ratepayer costs. When projects go over budget it could increase rates,” Pearson said. “We try to do a good job to make sure whatever we are constructing, it’s not impacting future utility rates.”
Steinke emphasized such decisions are not easy ones to make. He said the city has a number of citizens who are in a water crisis right now.
“To stop it right here at the end, I think it would be a bad decision,” Steinke said.
Councilmember Jennifer Nelson-Lastra said they are talking about 14.2 acres and using it for a necessity.
“There is no other option. This is a necessity, and I don’t see where else we can put it; that is going to be extremely costly to us, the taxpayers,” she said, adding that they are looking at alternatives and some sort of compromise to give acreage back somewhere else in the city.
With the passing of both ordinances, Noelle Tolbert asked the council about mitigation. She said the Village of Entrada can possibly negotiate for tree buffers between the current community and the proposed project. In addition, Tolbert said she would like to know mitigation is taking place to ensure the lighting is consistent with lighting in a nature preserve.