CCPC Minutes 05/04/2023 TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
Naples, Florida, May 4, 2023
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier
County Planning Commission, in and for the County of
Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date
at 9:00 a.m., in REGULAR SESSION in Building "F" of the
Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the
following members present:
Edwin Fryer, Chairman
Paul Shea
Randy Sparrazza
Chuck Schumacher
Amy Lockhart, Collier County School Board Representative
ABSENT:
Joe Schmitt, Vice Chair
Robert L. Klucik, Jr.
Christopher T. Vernon
ALSO PRESENT:
Raymond V. Bellows, Zoning Manager
Mike Bosi, Planning and Zoning Director
Heidi Ashton-Cicko, Managing Assistant County Attorney
Derek Perry, County Attorney's Office
TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
Naples, Florida
May 4, 2023
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier
County Planning Commission, in and for the County of
Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date
at 9:00 a.m., in REGULAR SESSION in Building "F" of the
Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the
following members present:
Edwin Fryer, Chairman
Paul Shea
Randy Sparrazza
Chuck Schumacher
Amy Lockhart, Collier County School Board Representative
ABSENT:
Joe Schmitt, Vice Chair
Robert L. Klucik, Jr.
Christopher T. Vernon
ALSO PRESENT:
Raymond V. Bellows, Zoning Manager
Mike Bosi, Planning and Zoning Director
Heidi Ashton-Cicko, Managing Assistant County Attorney
Derek Perry, County Attorney's Office
P R O C E E D I N G S
MR. BELLOWS: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Mr. Bosi.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the
May 4, 2023, meeting of the Planning Commission.
Everyone, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
(The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Mr. Secretary, please call the
roll, sir.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Mrs. Lockhart?
MS. LOCKHART: Here.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Mr. Schumer [sic]?
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Here.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Mr. Sparrazza?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Here.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Mr. Klucik is not here.
Mr. Vernon is not here. Mr. Schmitt is not here.
Commissioner Shea is here.
Commissioner Fryer?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Here.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: We have a quorum, sir.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Quorum of four. Thank you
very much.
With respect to excused absences, all three absences
have been fully justified and are, of course, excused.
Addenda to the agenda; Mr. Bellows?
MR. BELLOWS: Good morning. We have no
changes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Planning Commission absences; our next meeting will
be on May 18, 2023. Does anyone know if he or she will
not be able to attend that meeting?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: I should be good.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I don't have any
conflicts.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. It all sounds good.
Thank you. So we hope we will have a quorum.
Then the meeting after that is June 1, 2023. Same
question: Anyone know if he or she will not be able to
attend that meeting?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you very much.
Approval of minutes; we have one set before us, those
are of our April 6th, 2023, meeting. Any corrections,
changes, or edition to those minutes?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, I'd entertain a motion to
approve.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I'll motion.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Second.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, all those in favor of
approval, please say aye.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It passes unanimously.
Thank you very much.
BC [sic] report/recaps, Mr. Bellows.
MR. BELLOWS: Yes. On April 25th, the Board of
County Commissioners approved the rezone for Justin's
Village. That was a rezone to RMF-12. The vote was 5-0
subject to CCPC recommendations.
On the summary agenda, they approved an LDC
amendment for the CBIIZO, and then the Growth
Management Plan amendment to add the U.S. 41 East
Overlay was approved by the Board 5-0.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir.
Chairman's report; none today.
Consent agenda; again, none.
***Public hearings, advertised; the first out of the box
today we will hear two companions. They are
PL20220003426, the Immokalee Road Estates Commercial
Subdistrict Small-Scale Growth Management Plan
amendment and its companion, PL20210003428, the
BCHD1 Commercial PUDA.
All those wishing to testify in this matter, please rise to
be sworn in by the court reporter.
THE COURT REPORTER: Do you swear or affirm
the testimony you will give will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
(The speakers were duly sworn and indicated in the
affirmative.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Ex parte disclosures from the Planning Commission,
starting with Ms. Lockhart, please.
MS. LOCKHART: Staff materials only.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Staff materials only.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: In my case, public record,
meeting with staff, communications with applicant's agents.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Staff materials
only.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Meeting with
staff and staff materials.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
With that, the Chair recognizes Mr. Davies.
MR. DAVIES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, Commissioners. Noel Davies with the
law firm of Davies Duke on behalf of the applicant, BCHD1
Partners, LLC.
I have the full project team with me here today. Eric
Mallory is our client representative. You'll hear from Chris
Scott shortly, our land-use planner with Peninsula
Engineering. Dan Waters, the project engineer, is also here
from Peninsula Engineering, as well as Bruce Layman, our
environmental expert.
This project was already approved unanimously in
2021, and all we're here for today is a slight amendment to
reconfigure the project boundaries a bit and shift around
some of the developable area at the north end of the site
only.
In order to do that, we were required to go back
through the public-hearing process, so this is our
amendment to the existing PUD and corresponding GMPA.
I think almost all of you were on the Planning
Commission when this was previously approved. This is
Barron Collier's project. It's located on the west side of
Immokalee Road where it turns north at Randall. We're just
north of the so-called Randall Curve mixed-use project.
Our property is located at the existing traffic signal at
Orangetree Boulevard and Immokalee Road.
Here's what was previously approved in '21. All
commercial up to C-3 uses, 200,000 square feet on just over
19 acres.
Since that approval, my client has received some
community feedback for more neighborhood-type uses.
For example, an Ace Hardware-type user within a small
commercial plaza. We do want to try to honor that request.
But in order to do so, we would need to tweak the site layout
a bit.
Today, this portion of the PUD would only be suitable
for, say, a bank or fast-food operator, two traditional
outparcels, not a small hardware-store-anchored plaza.
Chris Scott is going to walk you through the rest of the
specifics, but the short of it is that we're seeking to add
today just over two-and-a-half more acres at the very north
end of the property, specifically 2.69 acres. That would
allow us to reconfigure the location of some of the water
management and preserve areas so that we get a bit more
developable area to the northern end of the site. No vertical
structures would be constructed on the two-and-a-half acres
we're seeking to add.
We are not adding any new uses to the permitted-use
list, we are not changing any of our development standards,
and we are not increasing any net trips from a traffic
perspective.
We are requesting that the 200,000 square feet of
commercial be exchanged for 100,000 square feet of
commercial and 130,000 square feet of self-storage, all of
which would be indoors. But because self-storage use has
less trips than traditional C-3 commercial uses, there's no net
trip increase. And we are actually increasing the amount of
preserve, landscape buffers, and open space. Again, Chris
will share those specific numbers and those specific
increases.
So even though there's no material increase in intensity,
we're required to go back through the public-hearing
process, and that's why we're here.
The location of the area we're seeking to reconfigure is
only the northern portion of the site. If you look at the
side-by-side here of the existing Master Concept Plan
approved in '21 on the left versus the proposed Master
Concept Plan, you'll see that we're shifting preserve to the
new acreage. Then that gives us a bit more developable
area in this northern C Tract. This section of the PUD is
the only section we're seeking to reconfigure. Everything
else stays the same. No changes to the southern portion of
the site.
And because of that, there is a condition from staff that
staff is proposing. Staff has reviewed the applications and
is recommending approval with this one condition that we
do object to, respectfully. The thinking behind that is that
the portion of the PUD, as I mentioned, this northern portion
that we're seeking to change, is nowhere near the subject
area where staff wants an enhanced buffer, which is over
here.
The staff condition purports to require a 6-foot-high
wall and additional clusters of palm trees, three palms every
16 to 24 feet, none of which was required by the original
approval. The original approval included, in this area of the
site, a standard 15-foot Type B landscape buffer.
Staff recommended approval of that. This Planning
Commission unanimously recommended approval, and the
Board of County Commissioners approved it unanimously.
The subject area, again, here, where staff is seeking this
extra buffer, it's already heavily vegetated in this area. The
Type B buffer should be more than sufficient to provide the
needed buffering.
My client actually already obtained an SDP for a
portion of this area where the enhanced buffering is now
being requested by Comp Planning staff. And the county's
SDP staff did not require that enhanced buffer. So we've
got a serious inconsistency here amongst staff. It doesn't
make sense, and it's a significant and unnecessary additional
cost to my client.
We've tried to work through this with staff in good
faith. Unfortunately, we're at an agree-to-disagree posture.
We are already providing a 5-foot-tall hedge and shade trees
every 25 feet. The immediately abutting property owners
in here (indicating) are not requesting this, especially given
the dense existing vegetation from Fourth Street Northeast
and the project boundary.
And so the bottom line is that this was not required
before. We're not touching this portion of the PUD and
subdistrict, and we shouldn't all of a sudden be required to
enhance the previously approved buffer. So we are
respectfully asking that you dispense of that staff condition.
And with that, I will turn it over to Mr. Scott to walk
you through the rest of our PowerPoint.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I've got a question.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: You're not lit up, but go
ahead, Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: It's lit.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Not over here, it's not.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: What's the cost of what
the staff is looking for?
MR. DAVIES: I don't believe we've done a
calculation of that. It's the difference between -- well,
it's -- in addition to the 5-foot hedge, it's an additional
6-foot-high wall over this portion of the property right in
here (indicating), through the linear footage of that, plus
three additional shade trees every 16 to 24 feet.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Someone from the control
room, please come in. My deliberator is not working. It's
not reflecting the names of the people who are signaling to
be heard.
Anyone else wish to be heard at this time?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: No, not yet.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you.
MR. SCOTT: For the record, Chris Scott, planning
manager with Peninsula Engineering. I'll be relatively brief
since Noel gave such a good overview of the project.
Again, this is the location. As Noel had mentioned,
this PUD was initially approved along with the GMP
subdistrict in 2021.
Since the approval, the westernmost 361 feet that is not
colored in, it's 1.49 acres there along Fourth Street, has been
sold and conveyed to the adjacent property owner on the
north side of that. That was a developer commitment that
was included in the initial PUD.
Subdivision plans were approved last September. As
part of that subdivision plan approval, the landscape plans
consistent with the PUD approval were approved.
The site has been cleared. We have had a number of
projects that have been approved already on the southern
four commercial tracts. Tract D, there's a McDonald's that
already has received SDP approval. Tract B, which is the
southwestern commercial tract, has been approved for a
self-storage facility.
And then we've had two -- well, we've had one existing
pre-application meeting for a proposed NCH medical office
on Tract A, which is located here (indicating). And then
there is a -- it has not been scheduled yet, but there is a
pre-application meeting in the process of being scheduled
for another neighborhood health clinic on the southeast
commercial tract.
As Noel stated, this amendment is solely dealing with
the addition of property on the north side of Orangetree in
order to reconfigure the preserve shown in the darker green,
and the commercial Tracts E and F as shown on the north
side of Orangetree Road -- or Boulevard.
As Noel mentioned, there is a slight change to the
approved intensity. This actually results in less intense
commercial intensity that was originally approved. The
commercial intensity will go from 200,000 to 100,000
square feet, and we're breaking out that self-storage use that
was previously approved and capping that at 130,000 square
feet.
Again, it doesn't change the permitted uses, the
development standards; there's no increase in trips that were
approved, and that doesn't affect the four southern
commercial lots that have already been subdivided, and
some of them have already received site plan approval.
Again, these are the existing and proposed Master
Concept Plans. This table kind of shows the changes in
areas that were shown on the Master Concept Plans that
were originally approved and the proposed master plan.
The PUD rezone also does include one deviation
related to the property. That would be to the north of -- on
the northern side. That deviation is related to parking
requirements. The architectural standards require that you
limit the amount of parking between the front facade of a
building and the adjacent roadways.
We have a commitment in our PUD that we are
maintaining to provide internal access to the northern and
southern parts of the site. With that, and the desire to keep
parking away from the residential uses, we're asking to be
allowed to provide 100 percent of the parking between the
building and Immokalee Road. Staff has stated they are in
support of this deviation.
The other clarifications that were made, we were asked
to add the word "indoor" prior to air-conditioned
mini-storage. We updated the legal description to reflect
the additional acreage. The preserve requirement is
updated. And then we've updated some of the development
commitments that pertain to what could happen to that
western 361 feet to acknowledge that that land has already
been conveyed to the adjacent Estates property owner.
Again, staff has recommended approval with the
condition for an enhanced buffer along this southwest
portion of the site. As Noel, I think, explained, we
respectfully object to that condition. Again, the amendment
is related to the northern portion of the site, and there are no
material changes that warrant an enhanced buffer at this
time at that location.
I do have some slides that would show from Fourth
Street over to our project site if you'd like to see it to
visualize how the existing landscaping there shows -- I'll go
ahead and show it. But it shows that the existing
landscaping along Fourth Street shields our development
from that side.
So these kind of -- starting from the northern portion of
Fourth Street, you can see it's a lot of existing pine and
native vegetation, and then as you move further south, this is
looking directly east towards Immokalee Road.
And unless you have other questions, I'm happy to
answer those or...
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
The deliberator is not working, so if anyone has a
question, we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way.
Commissioner Sparrazza.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Good morning,
and thank you for your presentation.
If we could bounce back to maybe four, five slides
before the question area. In your description, I believe you
had Tract B at one point being self-storage, correct?
MR. SCOTT: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Is that now being
all added together to the upper area, which is now
self-storage? So you're not going to have two self-storage
units?
MR. SCOTT: No. The only self-storage has already
been approved in SDP, and it's located on Tract B, which is
the southwest commercial lot right here (indicating).
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. Then what
is the large building that's going up in the most northern
section of it? I apologize, I thought that was -- you were
shifting the self-storage to the northern area, but that's
incorrect?
MR. SCOTT: That is incorrect.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: All right. So
what is that large building with all the parking to the east of
that tentatively looking to house?
MR. SCOTT: Yeah. That would be a neighborhood
shopping center, and the intention would be to --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Yeah, up -- there
you go.
MR. SCOTT: A neighborhood shopping center, and
we were working to hopefully have it anchored --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Anchor store.
MR. SCOTT: -- with a small hardware store.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay.
Self-storage has not increased?
MR. SCOTT: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: You have reduced
the overall commercial by about 70- or 100,000 square?
MR. SCOTT: Total square footage went from
200,000 to 230,000 square feet, the overall square footage --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay.
MR. SCOTT: -- but we have broken it up to 130,000
of self-storage and --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: A hundred of
general --
MR. SCOTT: -- other commercial, which would be
100,000.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- commercial.
Okay. And the buffer to the most east side of where
all the parking is, I recognize you have an access road that
might exit to the north, but the buffering, we'll call it, on the
east side of that road to block visual of the cars is what?
MR. SCOTT: The 20-foot Type D buffer.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. Okay.
Very good. Thank you for your answers. I appreciate
them.
MR. SCOTT: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. Any other
planning commissioners have questions or comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I have a few.
And in full recognition of the talents and capabilities of
Mr. Davies, who's done a good job in presentation and
advocacy, nonetheless, I think it would behoove us to step
back a little bit and look at a couple of things.
First of all, when we approve a PUD or a GMP, it
involves a rather delicate balance of burdens and benefits
that are in front of us at the particular time. And when an
amendment comes back and a different set of burdens or
benefits is asked for, in my view -- and it's always been my
view, and I think it's staff's view, that it really puts
everything on the table. So it's not unfair or inappropriate
for staff to take another look at, for instance, in this case, the
condition from the standpoint of what, in its judgment,
would be in the best interest of Collier County. So I just
think that needed to be said.
And the other thing that I wanted to point out was the
trip -- the trip cap will go -- the needed trips will go down
from your current 681, because we all know that
storage -- storage is a very low-impact use, and you're going
to have considerably fewer trips on the road if the majority
of your square feet is going to be storage.
So it seems to me that since p.m. peak-hour trips are
the coin of the realm in the county, and everyone wants
them, and we want to be sure that we don't leave,
unnecessarily, too many trip caps -- or trips in the hands of a
developer who doesn't need them, it seems to me we need to
give serious consideration to reducing those trip caps.
And, finally, the -- and, again, no fault at all to
Mr. Davies the way he characterized it, but, basically, what
we're talking about is increasing commercial from 200- to
230,000. I don't have a problem with that, but I just want to
be sure that it's been stated in that fashion.
Having said that, anybody else want to be heard?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Before we go to staff,
anything else from the applicant?
MR. DAVIES: No, Mr. Chairman. I would like to
respond to your comments, but after staff.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: You're welcome to.
MR. DAVIES: After staff.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Oh, okay. That's fine.
Then we'll hear from staff at this time.
MS. HANSEN: Good morning. Rachael Hansen
with Comprehensive Planning.
Nancy and I have a brief presentation to contextualize
the condition that we are requesting.
That one's -- there is, again -- sorry about that.
Okay. So the applicant has already given you an
overview of the application for the two companion petitions
and, like I said, we just wanted to provide some context for
the conditions that we are imposing -- or, rather, the single
condition that we're imposing for the Growth Management
Plan amendment as well as the PUD rezone.
So for site-specific Growth Management Plan
amendments within the Golden Gate Area Master Plan, we
typically impose the neighborhood center subdistrict
language for a 75-foot buffer. When this was adopted in
2021, that buffer -- and to clarify, that buffer is used when
Estates residential directly abuts commercial zoning.
So, again, when this was adopted in 2021, that buffer
was not used. And so upon this rereview, staff is
recommending an enhancement to the Type B buffer that
was approved to mitigate for those existing conditions along
just the southern portion of that western boundary that the
applicant did point out.
And so for the Growth Management Plan amendment,
the subdistrict text refers directly to the provisions in the
PUD language. And so I will let Nancy go ahead and
discuss the specifics of that PUD language.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Ms. Gundlach.
MS. GUNDLACH: Good morning, Commissioners.
For the record, I'm Nancy Gundlach, principal planner with
the Zoning division. And I just wanted to mention, the
previous speaker was Rachael Hansen, and she's also a
principal planner, but she's with Comprehensive Planning.
And also, Commissioners, just for the record, I'm also a
licensed landscape architect, so I'm speaking about the
buffer today.
Okay. This is -- this is the view of a typical -- and this
is at infancy -- 75-foot-wide preserve separation in the Rural
Estates adjacent to commercial. And we have that on part
of the BCHD on the northern portion, okay, and -- however,
on the southern portion, where you see that yellow
highlighted line, we just have a minimum Type B buffer.
And we took some photographs while we were out
doing a site visit. And this shows the BCHD next to and
adjacent to a residential property, and you can see the
residence there. And here's a view where the proposed
NCH offices are going to be installed, and you can see that
there's not much obstruction there, and certainly not a
75-foot-wide buffer.
I took a picture, so you can see what a Type B buffer
looks like. It's a hedge with trees 25 feet on center, and that
happens to be next to a storage facility, which we have
proposed here as well.
And that is what was presented at the pre-application
meeting for the NCH offices, and you'll see the other
concern we have as staff is we have parking similar to what
we have in the photograph there that will be right next to a
Rural Estates residence. So that is the reason we're
requesting an enhanced B buffer.
You know, keeping in mind normally we have 75-feet
requirement there. We're not asking for 75 feet. This
is -- this is our compromise. Just supplement the 15 feet
that are already there with a 6-foot-high wall and trios of
palms at staggered heights just so that initially we can get a
little bit better buffer going between commercial and Rural
Estates residences.
And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you
might have.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Could you explain
again -- I didn't fully grasp what you said about what was in
effect at the time that the original PUD was approved
without the wall and why it wasn't in effect at that time.
MS. GUNDLACH: Do you want to respond?
MR. BOSI: Mike Bosi, Planning and Zoning director.
I'm not sure in terms of effect at the time. The PUD
was approved with a Type B buffer along the western edge
of the PUD. Staff's recognition that traditionally, within the
Rural Golden Gate Estates, when you have commercial that
abuts Estates lots, we have a 75-foot buffer. Now I
wasn't -- I wasn't involved with the original rezone, and so
I'm not sure what the discussion was, but we felt that that
was inadequate. That's a 15-foot-wide landscape buffer that
was approved when -- the GMP, the Growth Management
Plan, states that when you have commercial next to
residential for Estates lots, it's a 75-foot buffer to protect
those residency [sic]. We felt that asking for the addition of
a wall within that B [sic] with some enhancements was an
adequate compromise to protect those existing residents.
One of the uniqueness -- and Mr. Noels -- or
Mr. Davies expressed that there was disagreement among
staff because the SDP staff didn't require -- didn't require a
wall. Well, what's approved in the PUD is a 15-foot Type
B buffer, so a wall wouldn't be required. So there's not
disagreement. The SDP staff was only -- was enforcing
what the regulations were.
A sidenote, within our land development when you
have commercial next to residential, a wall is required. It's
required when -- anytime that you've got a commercial
property that's being developed next to a residential
property. But because this is in an Estates zoning district,
it's a subdivision of the agricultural zoning district. It's not
zoned residential; therefore, a wall is not required by our
LDC. It's somewhat of a loophole.
So every condition within your urbanized area -- every
condition within your urbanized area, a wall is required next
to residential when you have commercial.
The Golden Gate Estates has a provision that says, we
are rural. We want to maintain ourselves rural. So when
you have commercial next to Estates lots, we want a 75-foot
buffer to really kind of buffer our residences from those
commercial properties.
This was approved with a 15-foot buffer with no wall
requirement. Staff, we reserve the right to get smarter.
And when you open up a PUD -- and I understand they're
not affecting the southwest properties, that it's more towards
the northern area that they're adding properties in the
arrangements going forward, but we felt it was appropriate
at least to raise the question that we feel that there's better
protection that would be provided by the addition of the wall
and that we feel -- the question was, what's the justification?
Well, I rely upon the Growth Management Plan to say that's
the -- those are your goals, objectives, your policies. Those
are -- your highest regulatory document that's supposed to
guide development. That requires a 75-foot buffer when
you have commercial next to Estates lots.
So we feel asking for a wall to be added to the Type B
buffer with some enhancements is appropriate and is
supported by the Growth Management Plan, by the Golden
Gate Area Master Plan.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So would you accept the
75-foot buffer?
MR. BOSI: I wouldn't -- would I accept -- if we were
at the beginning, we would -- that's where I think our
starting discussion point would be.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Okay.
MR. BOSI: But we recognize that that horse is kind of
out of the barn. But we do think adding a wall to -- not
even increasing the size of the buffer. We're not asking for
additional buffer. We're not asking for additional size
within the buffer. We're still comfortable with that 15-foot,
we think that that wall would at least block the headlights
for -- if you saw the site plan for NCH, the parking spots
were -- if you're going in forward, you're going -- you're
looking right at -- and you saw the photos of the cleared lots.
Those properties will have light intrusion upon them at least
until that Type B buffer is five -- is adequate to provide a
little bit more opacity.
So for all those reasons, that's why staff is suggesting
it. We're not requiring it; we're not imposing. We're
suggesting that this would be an enhancement that could
protect residential Estates-zoned properties as promoted and
as stated within the Golden Gate Area Master Plan.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Commissioner Schumacher.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: So the current
buffer is 5 feet, correct, 5 feet in --
MR. BOSI: Fifteen.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Fifteen feet in
height. And does that go in at 15 feet, or is that just a
proposed growth height that will eventually get to?
MS. GUNDLACH: It's 15-feet-wide buffer.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: But the height
of the plantings going in is --
MS. GUNDLACH: The height of the trees going in
are 10 to 12 feet tall.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Scrubs going in
are --
MS. GUNDLACH: Shrubs can be planted between 4
and 6 feet tall.
MR. BOSI: And on your screen you're going
to -- what you're seeing, that is --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I see that.
Those aren't close to 4 to 6 feet. That's like an infancy
there.
But the question comes back to, I don't
understand -- and maybe Mr. Davies can kind of chime in
here -- is it a cost issue, or is it just an argument of we
just -- we were approved for this, and we don't want to go
back? I'm trying to -- and I understand where the staff's
coming from because, quite frankly, if I lived on that
property and had headlights coming in, I'd be your biggest
nightmare. So I'm trying to figure out what is the conflict
here in between this request.
MR. DAVIES: Sure. Thank you, Commissioner.
So I've got a number of points to rebut, and I'm happy
to answer your question and also tie that into the rebuttal.
I'm trying to think about headlights for medical office
uses that aren't going to be open at night, so that doesn't
make sense to me. But I think this is a bigger issue of
precedent when you open back up a PUD, okay.
The code says what it says. The Growth Management
Plan says what it says. There's no -- I think
everyone -- everyone understands and wants to try to apply
the regulations, you know, in place at the time, but I want to
unpack that a bit further as well.
So I think from a precedent perspective it's important to
think about any time -- so if you support staff's -- oh, and
this is not mine, but that's fine.
If you support staff's position here, I think you want to
be careful in thinking about the precedent of opening every
single PUD up or Growth Management Plan subdistrict in
that even if you're doing what we're doing, which is just
tweaking the northern portion of the site, every single thing
is potentially up for grabs for new requirements.
The neighborhood center concept that Mr. Bosi talked
about -- and, again, all due respect to Mr. Bosi,
Ms. Gundlach, Ms. Hansen. I think it's important that we
walk through the actual legal language that's being cited to
in the Growth Management Plan. So I'm going to try to put
this on the visualizer.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, before you do that, are
you now at rebuttal, or are you going to want to speak again
after we hear from the public?
MR. DAVIES: I would like to reserve the right to
speak after the public.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. So are you in the
process, then, of answering the commissioner's question
still, or are you going beyond that?
MR. DAVIES: I'm just trying --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I understand it's
going to come in rebuttal, and if I have more, I'll ask him at
that point in time. So if we -- we can --
MR. DAVIES: I'm happy to reserve until after the
public, and if there's more questions --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah, I'd rather do it that
way --
MR. DAVIES: Sure.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: -- because I've got some
questions for staff as well, and just not to break it up --
MR. DAVIES: Sure.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: -- if you don't mind. Thank
you.
Ms. Gundlach, did you want to be heard?
MS. GUNDLACH: Yes. Commissioners, I just
wanted to bring to your attention Comprehensive Planning
has a slight tweak to the subdistrict language that we'd like
to share with you at this moment. Would that be okay?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Of course.
MS. HANSEN: Rachael Hansen, again, for the
record.
So the final item in the subdistrict language that lists
the Type B landscape buffer, we've changed that to read,
"The Type B landscape buffer along a portion of the western
property line shown on the PUD master plan shall be
enhanced in accordance with the CPUD provisions." So the
only change there is just adding that language that says "a
portion of the western boundary." We didn't want to imply
that it was the entire western boundary within the subdistrict
text.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MS. HANSEN: That's the only change.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. Thank you.
No one else is signaling at this point. So I'm going to
ask if Mr. Sawyer could come forward, please, if he's here.
Oh, there he is.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: He's here.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Mr. Sawyer, I want to talk, of
course, about traffic.
And we've been schooled at your hand for a number of
years with respect to the considerably lower impact that
self-storage units have in relation to other commercial uses.
And I think your points have always been well taken, and I
think it aligns with common sense that fewer people are
going to come visit their stored merchandise, their stored
property, than are going to come to, you know, a retail
outlet, for instance.
And so right now the entitlement for the PUD as it was
previously constructed was, I think, for 681 peak p.m. trips,
and that was for 200,000 square feet of commercial uses.
Now we're going to 230,000, but fully 130,000 of those are
going to be uses dedicated to self-storage.
So my question for you, sir, first of all, generally, do
you anticipate a reduction in the needed peak p.m. trips
given this proposed change? And my second question is, if
so, could we quantify that?
MR. SAWYER: Certainly. For the record, Mike
Sawyer, Transportation Planning.
There would be a significant difference between what
is currently in the PUD itself from a trip standpoint and what
is now being proposed. What the agent did submitting this
time was just simply showing that there would -- the
combination of the uses that they're doing is actually going
to wind up being less than the current PUD itself. We
don't -- they didn't provide that differential number between
what they've got now. What we simply have is a reflection
of what was originally permitted.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, I'm asking for your best
judgment in being conservative in your estimates in favor of
the applicant, but what number could we assign that would
be more reasonably related to the new uses proposed?
MR. SAWYER: Quite honestly, I'd want to go back
and actually take and actually do a calculation on that
number. We want to make sure that we had that correct for
130 square feet [sic] of self-storage and the 100,000 of
commercial.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Thank you.
Then I have a question for Mr. Davies, please. We
had a conversation about this when we spoke yesterday, and
I wasn't able to read you altogether perfectly as to whether
you would be willing to reduce that number and, if so, by
how much; would you comment on that?
MR. DAVIES: Yes, sir. I needed to talk to my client,
and I have done that this morning.
I think in concept it's fine. We don't object to the
concept of reducing the trip -- the max trips, right, the max
p.m. peak-hour trips, which there's a cap on the prior
approval. As has been shared today, what we're proposing
has less trips than that, and I think your request,
Mr. Chairman, is that the applicant would agree to a
reduction in the trip cap that corresponds with the reduction
in intensity that's contemplated by the proposal.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Exactly.
MR. DAVIES: The short answer is, yes, we were able
to agree to that. The tricky part is how, right, and what that
calculation is. We've got some time between -- I think our
BCC hearing's June --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, I'm going to stop you
right there.
MR. DAVIES: -- 13th.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: My proposal is going to be
that if we can't -- if we can't come to an agreement today,
my proposal would be that we continue it so that you can
determine what you think you could reduce it to and so staff
can also come to a number. I don't want to just send it off
incomplete like that, so...
MR. DAVIES: Can I offer a suggestion to that,
Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Sure.
MR. DAVIES: Rather than continuing today, I
think -- I'm sure that the -- you know, the client team -- and
we don't have a transportation expert here because one was
not required because of the reduction. But I think that a
condition could be imposed that the Planning Commission's
recommendation would be that this corresponding trip
reduction be reflected in the trip cap number, and we just
need to figure out what that number is. So that's, as
Mr. Sawyer pointed out, a calculation that can be done by
county staff, a calculation that can be done by a
transportation engineer. My client is willing to hire a
transportation engineer to do that calculation --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right.
MR. DAVIES: -- and then we reach an agreement on
what that actual number is since we can't do that.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. But we all agree, do
we not, that a reduction is in order in order to truly reflect
the number of trips? It's just a question of how much; isn't
that correct?
MR. DAVIES: That's correct. There's no objection
to that concept, sir.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Okay. Well, then,
I think maybe we could work with that. I just -- I don't
want to send it off without any understanding with respect to
a reduction going to the Board of County Commissioners
because, frankly, they expect us to do that level of detailed
work, but if we impose some parameters on it -- and I think
the words you've used are good ones -- that we might be
able to get beyond that. So thank you for that.
MR. DAVIES: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Anything further
from staff at this point?
MR. BOSI: Nothing from staff.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Ms. Pedron, do we
have any members of the public who've registered to speak?
MS. PEDRON: Good morning, Mr. Chairman. Our
first speaker is John Pelletier.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: That -- is that a person in
person?
MS. PEDRON: Yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right.
MR. PELLETIER: I came in person.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Please approach the podium,
sir. You've been sworn in, I take it?
MR. PELLETIER: Yes, I was sworn in.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you.
MR. PELLETIER: I'll put some documents on there
to show that.
Good morning. Good morning. John Pelletier. I
live on this street right next to the development here, and
buffering is all we have on this street, you know. I know
we're not talking about the 47 acres next to it with the
four-story apartments -- and there's also another storage unit
on that one, too. I felt like I needed to mention that.
So four years ago or, well, maybe three years ago, we
were promised -- that was approved right there (indicating).
So I went with pink on the preserve here, and then I went
with yellow on the Estate properties. And I'm glad that I
did get to see that there is a stipulation about buffering here,
because this preserve was really thick, if you look at it -- and
I'm going to show what they're going to propose. In my
guess, 300 feet maybe. That's a guess. I don't know if
anybody wants to say otherwise, but -- and then down there
the lower is that three-story storage unit.
So a lot of Estate property back here. I've talked to the
owners to the left of the water management, and he's
somewhat distraught, and he's not coming to talk about this,
so that's why I'm here.
So this is what's being proposed. Look how thin it is.
It got a lot thinner, and that C is much bigger. That's all
this is.
So I'd ask for a little leeway here and approve, no
matter what -- either nix the whole idea -- because the
preserve was there. We were promised that during the
neighborhood informational meeting, and now it's being
changed, and I don't like that.
So if this does go through, please consider what staff is
recommending with the wall, but also I'd like to enhance
that. And this idea was mentioned at the current
neighborhood informational meeting.
Yeah, so there's the yellow that they're proposing.
Now, the pictures that were shown, Mrs. Nancy there, that is
a tepid water management pond. It's really ugly right now.
So this is what I'm proposing, and if you please maybe
go with me on this. That area I just drew, extend the whole
thing, a wall, trees every 25 feet, a four-foot hedge, and
three sabal palms within the 25-foot buffer or the trees.
You don't come across very often, that I know of, that
you have a four-story -- or a three-story storage unit right
next to Rural Estates. So I can see why the yellow is
definitely needed. But you can actually see -- sorry, I'm a
little nervous. But you can actually see from the
street -- the street's right here. You can see straight through
there, right over that pond, right into that. So that's all I'm
asking.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you, sir.
Next speaker, please, Ms. Pedron.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we do not have
additional speakers.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I think there may be a problem
with your mic.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we do not have
additional speakers for this item.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Okay.
Any questions or comments from the Planning
Commission before we --
MR. YOUNGBLOOD: Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yes.
MR. YOUNGBLOOD: We have one online speaker
that just changed his mind.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Okay. We'll hear
from that person, please.
MR. YOUNGBLOOD: Ty Vigil is our next speaker.
Mr. Vigil, can you hear us?
MR. VIGIL: I can hear you fine. Can you hear me?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yes, we can, sir. Please
proceed.
MR. VIGIL: Awesome. I'll be quick; I won't take
five minutes.
I'm concerned about the commercial creep. Our area
has made substantial concessions with Randall Curve, and
then there's a shopping center on the east side -- or the east
side of Palmetto Ridge High School with another 450
apartments. Randall Curve is going to be 450 apartments,
some outparcels.
That property was originally zoned ag. It went a large
jump from ag to mixed-use commercial, which is a big jump
from the transitional-use standards as applied by the Collier
County Commissioners.
So to continue this commercial creep north -- I'm not
opposed to some kind of development, but not necessarily a
hard warehouse, commercial, industrial project. If the
applicant would like to purchase additional land as a buffer,
please do so, but keep it agricultural use. You don't have to
change the zoning to keep -- landscape isn't a zoned
proposal.
So, I mean, that's just really the standpoint -- I'm sorry I
can't be there, as a lot of us can't be, can't take time off of
work and go across town to sit at a meeting. But I think I
can speak for most of our neighbors in the community that
we're very much opposed to a commercial creep, a hard
commercial, but would be receptive to something of more of
a soft commercial play such as a church or an assisted living
facility or something as we go further north to the Oil Well
Road corridor there, that intersection there.
So that's my only comment; very much opposed to
commercial creep.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right, sir. Thank you very
much.
Anybody who has not registered to speak, nonetheless,
would like to be heard on this matter, please raise your hand.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Seeing no raised hands, we
will close the public comment segment of this hearing and
call upon Mr. Davies for rebuttal.
MR. DAVIES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
So a number of comments in response that I previewed
a bit earlier. The mention of other projects; I've got to say
that your decision-making today is based on the petitions
before you, not other projects.
I do want to walk through, as I mentioned, the Growth
Management Plan language that I think staff is saying
applies to this property. So I'm going to try to do that on
the visualizer.
Okay. Okay. This is the Rural Golden Gate Estates
Sub-element, right? So this is the portion of the Future
Land Use Element of the Growth Management Plan that
could potentially apply to the subject property.
Remember that we're in an already approved
subdistrict. It's a subdistrict that's site specific that was
previously approved in 2021.
This is the section for Estates. You can see Estates
designation here. Then you walk to Estates mixed-use
district, residential Estates subdistrict. It starts to go
through the mixed-use subdistricts, okay. This is the
neighborhood center subdistrict. There are a number of
provisions that apply to the neighborhood center subdistrict.
Two, three pages.
I'm now on Page 12 of this document which cites -- I've
got an arrow here that -- I think staff's referencing for the
75-foot separation. That is a provision that applies to the
neighborhood center subdistrict. We are not in the
neighborhood center subdistrict. We're in our own
subdistrict. Yes, we are seeking to amend that subdistrict
pursuant to this process. We're not governed by other
provisions within other subdistricts.
I'd also like to put on the visualizer the map. This is
the county's future -- excuse me -- Rural Golden Gate
Estates Future Land Use Map. Sorry, I've got to turn this
the right way. There we go. Where are we going here?
Okay. Here is Immokalee Road. This is Immokalee Road
going east/west, okay, traversing east -- I'm sorry. Up here.
MR. SCOTT: I'll point at it while you're --
MR. DAVIES: Yeah, that would be good, Chris.
Going this way, okay.
Okay. So here's Immokalee Road, and then it
turns -- we're right here, yeah.
Right here is our subdistrict, is the point I'm trying to
make, okay. That's color coded on your map. That's based
on the approval in 2021. These red outlines are neighbor
center subdistricts. The provision that staff's citing to
applies to the neighborhood center subdistricts outlined in
red. There's the legend. It doesn't apply to our subdistrict,
so I don't think it's appropriate to borrow provisions from
one subdistrict and force them upon another subdistrict.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: This project received a
commercial designation in an area where it was previously
not allowed. I think staff is telling you that they would
have required that, or they would right now be requiring
that, but they don't think they can. I think for compatibility
you can require whatever you think is necessary for this
project and make that recommendation to the Board.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: And, actually, I think that the
provision that he's showing actually supports the argument,
you know, but that's going to be for you to determine, and
you've heard staff's input today.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: But I don't want you to think
that you can't require it, because I think that's what you're
being told.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I appreciate that. Thank you.
Mr. Davies.
MR. DAVIES: My point is that you -- I think it's
important that you understand the origin of the provision
that staff's citing to. It's not this subdistrict. You certainly
have discretion, but there has to be a legitimate basis for
requiring additional buffering, especially when you're
dealing with a previously approved project. This was not
required when this came through in 2021, and now that
we're opening up a small portion of it, it's being required or
recommended by staff.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: And you have the ability to
require that if you want for compatibility, and I think you
heard testimony from staff that they would be requiring it
but they don't feel like they can, and I think they can.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I agree with the County
Attorney. And, furthermore, I -- Mr. Davies, you and I do
not agree, apparently. In my view, this is not the same
PUD. This is a different PUD, whether you like it or not.
And when you come forward wanting a change, I believe it
puts everything in play. And I think that everyone who
then must pass judgment on it, staff, this commission, and
the Board of County Commissioners, need to review from
the standpoint of what we believe is in the best interest of
Collier County.
And so that's exactly what I think we're about here.
MR. DAVIES: Understood, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Commissioner
Sparrazza.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: I may be a little
ahead of the game, but if we want to break this down to, I
believe, a simple fact, currently you have been granted a
15-foot Type B buffer, correct --
MR. DAVIES: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- with 6-foot trees
and 4-foot hedges, whatever, and the county is suggesting,
to be neighborly to your friends to the west, that you still
maintain that 15-foot-wide buffer, include those trees, but
add a 6-foot wall at least for the southern portion, as it
wasn't suggested or required for the rest, but we did have
that gentleman just make a request for that.
If we were to keep it to the southern portion only, we're
talking about whatever that linear footage is, to be
neighborly, to work hand in hand with the county and your
neighbors to add the 6-foot wall. Is that what it boils down
to?
MR. DAVIES: Yeah, that's the staff condition, sir;
that's the recommended condition.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. So that's
something that this board, the county, you, and your client
need to discuss and come to an agreement to, really, on the
basis of doing the right thing.
What you've been promised before may or may not
play into it because this is being reviewed and revised as a
project, whole or partial; doesn't matter at this point. But it
comes down to probably the cost of that 6-foot wall for
however many hundreds of feet that is to, quote, do the right
thing, correct?
MR. DAVIES: No, I don't agree with it as being "do
the right thing." I think these proceedings are governed by
regulations of the county. I think that you need to consider
the precedent argument that I made. We're only dealing
with the very northern portion of the site. And, in fact,
we're doing that to try to accommodate some of the feedback
we got from the community to try to create more
neighborhood-style uses, rather than the outparcels, which is
what I explained in my presentation.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Right.
MR. DAVIES: So I don't think that it's, respectfully,
Commissioner, appropriate to position this as no wall is not
doing the right thing and adding a wall is doing the right
thing. There has to be -- there has to be proper legal basis,
and there has to be appropriate thought behind these
requirements.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay.
MR. DAVIES: The property owner has property
rights. Those rights are not simply subject to provisions in
other subdistricts.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Right. The
original proposal in '21 had a 100,000-square-foot mini
self-storage unit, correct?
MR. DAVIES: So the original approval, it had
200,000 square feet of commercial uses. It was very
generalized. So there was 200,000 square feet of
commercial, and then you got a list of permitted uses, which
is C-1 through C-3 uses. And --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: C-1 through C-3.
MR. DAVIES: -- self-storage was included within
that, correct. There wasn't a specific allocation to it.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: There was not, all
right. My mistake.
But you have now gone to the point of 130,000 square
on the self-storage and roughly 100- on the general
commercial --
MR. DAVIES: That's right.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- 100,000 square
[sic] up on the northern area?
MR. DAVIES: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. I'd like to
reserve, possibly, other questions later on.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
One other point where we may not agree on,
Mr. Davies, is having to do with precedent. And it's a
learning process being on this county Planning Commission;
I've been up here since 2017. One thing I've learned from
repeated admonitions from our County Attorney,
Mr. Klatzkow, is that there is no such thing as precedent for
us; that each of these deals is specific and unique and stands
on its own 2 feet. And so I think I've learned that lesson to
the point that I'm not really willing to entertain statements
that we're setting a precedent. I just don't think we do.
Anything else, sir?
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: And the self-storage use,
they're here because it doesn't fall under the C-1 or C-3 uses,
so it's a higher intensity.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Right. Mr. Davies?
MR. DAVIES: It's not a higher intensity with respect
to the trips generated.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It's higher intensity, lower
impact.
MR. DAVIES: Correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah, I agree with you.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: C-4 -- C-4, C-5.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Self-storage.
MR. DAVIES: And was previously included in the
permitted-use list.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah. It is considered -- it's
considered higher intensity, but I think it stands -- the way I
understand self-storage -- I don't -- I mean, it's intense in
that there's bricks and mortar, so in that sense it is, but when
I think of self-storage, particularly nowadays, and the reason
I'm more favorably inclined to approve self-storage the way
that Collier County developers are doing it is because, first
of all, it ends up looking like office space, which I think is a
visually appealing and, second, it's very low impact from a
traffic standpoint.
So, you know, if I were voting on whether to go -- you
know, go back and grant you the C-4 or C-5 use, whatever
self-storage is, I would have -- I would have voted to
approve that. I probably did.
MR. DAVIES: You did.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah, okay.
So anything further, sir?
MR. DAVIES: Nothing from me.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Anything further from
staff?
MR. BOSI: Staff will --
MR. DAVIES: Mr. Chairman, I think Mr. Scott has
more comments.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Mr. Scott, you have
the floor.
MR. SCOTT: Thank you. Again, Chris Scott, for the
record.
I just wanted to point out -- you had mentioned unique
circumstances, and I want to put on the record that BCHD
has worked extensively with the abutting property owners
throughout this process. We have a very good working
relationship with those Estates residents who are directly
adjacent to the property.
And to the point we've constructed fences for them,
they are not here objecting. And I just wanted to point that
out.
But the uses that are going in on the southern
commercial where staff is recommending the enhanced
buffer and walls, one, it's a self-storage, which is somewhat
of a benign use as far as trips. And the medical office,
which would be opened up during the daytime, it's not going
to be a nighttime use to where you're going to have
headlights as some of the higher commercial uses that would
be allowed within the development, which would not justify
the wall requirement. So I just wanted to --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. And I -- and that
certainly is noted for the record.
I don't have extensive experience with you, sir, but I'm
sure you're of the same frame of mind as Mr. Davies, with
whom I do have experience, and I know that he's -- he
endeavors to be flexible and rational and working with all
parties to see if he can't work something out. So I'm
confident that's the case.
Commissioner Schumacher.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Mr. Scott, did
you say that you constructed fences? Because when the
staff showed some pictures there, I didn't see any fencing in
that abutting property that was there.
MR. SCOTT: Yeah. I'm not sure where they were
taking those pictures from. There was a portion of a fence
that was on an adjacent property that had to be replaced that
we took over. I don't know -- it was a portion of the -- if I
can --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: But you're not
saying you didn't construct a fence along the site to those
adjacent properties to those properties -- to those owners?
MR. SCOTT: It was in this area.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Okay. On that
site.
MR. SCOTT: But, again, we've had a very good
working relationship with the Thamels, who reside here, and
they are the property owner who acquired this piece; the
Hardies, who own this property; and the property owner to
the south. They live in Colombia. But we have been
working with them throughout the original PUD application
and -- since then, as construction's been going on, and have
an excellent working relationship with them.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Okay. Thank
you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Anything further on rebuttal, Mr. Davies?
MR. DAVIES: Nothing further. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir.
At this point it behooves us to -- oh, I'm sorry.
Mr. Bosi.
MR. BOSI: Yeah. You had asked if staff had some
additional. I think Mr. Sawyer had something to add, and I
just wanted to add --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MR. BOSI: After Mr. Sawyer, I just wanted to add a
little bit as well.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. Mr. Sawyer.
MR. SAWYER: Yeah. Again, Mike Sawyer,
Transportation Planning.
We do have an estimate, and this is just an estimate, on
what the potential trip cap could be, at least as a starting
point.
Additionally, we want to mention that there have
already been SDPs that have been approved for the project
for the overall PUD. So that would also need to be at least
considered in what a new trip cap would be.
But just going off of the standard ITE numbers,
including pass-by, the number would be approximately plus
or minus 410 p.m. peak trips.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. So we're at 681
now, I believe.
MR. SAWYER: Correct, yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Plus or minus what, again?
MR. SAWYER: Plus or minus 410.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay.
MR. SAWYER: And, again, that's just an estimate.
That would be a starting point.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. I understand.
Mr. Davies, did you want to comment on that? And
then Mr. Bosi.
MR. DAVIES: So, I mean, I can't agree -- have my
client agree on the fly to that back-of-the-napkin calculation.
Again, the concept is not objectionable. We will have our
transportation engineer look at Mr. Sawyer's calculation and
work with Mr. Sawyer like he does on a number of different
projects. And, again, I think, for purposes of the record,
Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, we are agreeable to a
commitment to work with staff to reduce the trip cap in
accordance with the corresponding reduction in intensity
that this proposal includes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right, sir. Thank you.
Mr. Bosi.
MR. BOSI: And I just wanted to clarify, staff
recognizes that they have their own individual subdistrict,
and their individual subdistrict has the specifics related to
the requirement or non-requirement for their buffers.
I do want to point out within the Rural Golden Gate
Estates, the commercial -- the conditional-use subdistrict
also requires a 75-foot buffer when you have a
nonresidential use against Estates lots, as well as the Randall
Boulevard commercial subdistrict requires a 75-foot buffer
when you have commercial uses against an Estates-zoned
lot.
So what we were saying, the Golden Gate Area Master
Plan, the rural sub-element in three instances of subdistricts
where you have nonresidential uses next to Estates lots
requires the 75-foot. We are asking for a wall because we
think that enhances the buffering, and that's just -- I just
wanted to clarify that position.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Anything further from the Planning Commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, then we will take the
case for deliberation and decision. If I may begin a
summary, perhaps, to point the discussion.
I think both parties have agreed that a reduction in peak
p.m. trips is necessary. Staff and the applicant have agreed
to endeavor to come to an agreement on the amount of that
reduction, and if they can, that agreement would be
presented to the Board of County Commissioners, and if
they can't, then each of staff and the applicant would offer
their recommended number -- reduction number for the
Board of County Commissioners to decide.
So I think, without objection, is there anyone on the
Planning Commission who disagrees with my summary of
where I think we are on that point?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. So then the second
point, which I think maybe is open and in need of some
discussion, has to do with the condition about the 6-foot
wall on the southern portion. And staff has proposed that it
be on the southern portion only. We've heard from a
member of the community wanting it to go all the way up
north as well.
And I would like to know what the Planning
Commission feels about that, and first recognizing
Commissioner Sparrazza.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Quick to the
button.
This is a difficult situation. Obviously, it's been in
discussion for two, if not three years, probably longer in the
entire planning. But I would personally like to see some
type of a collaboration between what the county wants, what
possibly the neighbors want, although they are not here, I
recognize it, other than this one gentleman that stated, and
maybe there's something even easier for both parties or all
parties to agree upon. For example -- and I'm not an
expert -- if the wall on the southern portion is financially a
burden to the developer, is there something we can do as far
as slightly taller vegetation and maybe slightly closer
together but do it for the entire western perimeter that maybe
comes into the price point of the wall for just the south, but
now you've enhanced your property by your property not
seeing into neighbors' yards and, of course, the other way
around, where the neighbors don't see into your property,
with a more visual pleasing higher-density vegetation along,
we'll call it, almost a sideways T on all of the western area.
Just a point to possibly discuss amongst us and the
petitioner to see what we can do to make both parties happy
without an exorbitant amount of money placed as a burden
to the developer. Just as a discussion point.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Yeah. I feel like
Commissioner Sparrazza, but I don't think we're going to get
there. I happen to support staff's position. As far as the
wall up north, you have a lot more protection with the water
management and the preservation which is -- area, which is
going to grow in. And I'm not worried about a precedent
either. I take Jeff's comments very seriously when I first
joined that every case is going to be heard on its own merit
and doesn't establish a precedent for the future.
So where I'm heading is I support the staff's
recommendation with your caveat on the trip cap.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: So that's just on the southern
part?
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Yes --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: That's the staff --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: -- the staff's
recommendation.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Commissioner Schumacher.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: So going back
to the wall thing, which is -- I can understand Mr. Davies
and his client saying this is what was approved, this is what
was needed. That's what they're falling with. I understand
staff, where they're coming from, and I do believe there has
to be some type of compromise there.
If the height is on 6 feet, perhaps the client and the
county could agree on, perhaps, maybe a berm, so you're
still using your same plantings, but maybe you're building a
berm to get to that 6-foot height instead of putting a 6-foot
wall up. I can understand, from a maintenance aspect, that
would be difficult, because you've got a 6-foot wall.
You've got to paint on both sides and also maintain.
Perhaps if the height is the stickler here, is there a way to
work that out? Because, I mean, Mr. Scott you're the
project manager. You're moving dirt right now, correct?
MR. SCOTT: Chris Scott, for the record.
Yes, the site is currently under construction.
(Simultaneous crosstalk.)
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I mean, does
that seem like it could be something you guys could come
together on? I mean, I'm just -- I understand what you're
saying with the buffer and the height that was required. I
understand what staff -- I'm just trying to get this a little bit
closer together.
MR. SCOTT: Yeah. In terms of the berming, I don't
think there's enough room in there to meet our
required -- I'm not the project engineer, so bear with me.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Gotcha.
MR. SCOTT: I will note that the buffer that does go
along that entire perimeter where you were
highlighting -- so it does go around the entire perimeter of
both -- along the northern side of the preserve, the western
side of the preserve, the western side of the stormwater, all
the way around the other stormwater and down to the
southern boundary. That is all a Type B buffer.
And staff previously had put up some pictures of a
buffer where you saw really minuscule scrubs.
Those -- that may have been a Type B buffer, but that may
have been at time of planting. The Type B buffer is
required to have 80 percent opacity up to -- be fully opaque,
basically, up to 5 feet, which is almost equivalent and can be
maintained higher, a minimum of 5 feet. So it could be
maintained at a higher level to be fully opaque up to 6 feet,
your scrubs, and then you also have the trees, which are the
large shade trees, planted every 25 feet, and those large
shade trees have a 25-foot spread. So that is what's in there.
It's not going to be a sporadic opening.
But in terms of berming, there's not enough space
within that location to provide additional berming.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Got it. Thank
you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. Let me say a few
things here. First of all, we're barely at quorum here with
four voting members, and so in order to send a
recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners,
we're going to have to be unanimous, and I loathe the idea of
not being able to send a recommendation -- what?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Do we only need
three?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Doesn't it take -- doesn't it
take more than three to send something, or is it a majority of
the quorum?
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: I think it's --
MR. BOSI: Majority of the quorum.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Three? Okay. All right.
Well, I stand corrected. Thank you very much. All right.
All right. So we're going to need -- we're going to
need three out of the four in order to send something on.
And my apologies for misstating that, but thank you for
correcting me.
And I don't -- I don't want to see us splitting 2/2,
because then that is no recommendation.
So to summarize where I think we are, both -- we've
got two points. Both parties have agreed that a reduction is
appropriate. They haven't yet come to terms with the
amount of that reduction. It sounds like it's going to be
significant. The applicant is going to go back to its experts,
and the county will go back to its experts, and then they will
collaborate and try to come up with a number. But we
know that there's going to be a reduction; that part has been
agreed to.
So by sending that to the Board of County
Commissioners without an exact trip count doesn't offend
my sensibilities because there's been a significant
concession by all sides that there's going to be a reduction.
So I'm okay with that.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Can we put the caveat that
that has to be agreed upon before the commissioners'
meeting?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: We could. But let's -- you
know -- well, let's hold that open for a moment.
Now, on the second thing, the wall, if we don't -- if we
don't take a stand of some kind -- and, personally, I am not
espousing the need for a northern -- a wall extending north
on the west side. I'm not going that far. That's a wall too
far for me. But I do accept and agree with the county's
recommendation about a 6-foot wall on the southern portion.
Now, if we were to have a recommendation that says
6-foot wall on the southern portion, that doesn't preclude
further conversations, including conversations that there be
no wall at, all between now and the Board of County
Commissioners. It's just that we've gone on record
supporting the staff -- staff's recommendation.
So it is my hope that we can have a motion along those
lines, number one, about the reduction, as I expressed it and,
number two, that we approve and concur with staff's
recommendation for a 6-foot wall on the southern portion
recognizing that that doesn't foreclose further discussions
between the applicant and the county between now and the
Board of County Commissioners.
So having said that, are there any --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So moved.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Second.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. And before we take
a vote I just -- I don't want us to go into 2-2. So I'd
appreciate if someone's going to vote against that, please let
us know, and we can re-craft a -- all right. It doesn't
sound --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: We're good.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. It sounds like we're
good. So that -- does anybody need further clarification of
the resolution that we would be voting on?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It seems like -- oh, here comes
Ms. Gundlach.
MS. GUNDLACH: Commissioner, are you
supporting just the wall or the supplemental palm plantings
as well?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I am wanting the full staff
recommendation, so the palm plants as well as the wall. I
misspoke. Thank you for --
MS. GUNDLACH: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I'd ask the mover and the
seconder if that's part of their --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay, it is. All right.
Okay. Good. Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, all those in favor of
approving the application both -- and this is a joint
vote -- both on the GMPA and the amendment to the
PUD -- no EAC vote is required -- with those two
conditions, as I've expressed, please say aye.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It passes unanimously.
Thank you. Thank you, applicant, staff, members of
the public.
MR. DAVIES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman and
Commissioners. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
All right. It's 10:22. Let's take a break right now, and
we'll return at 10:35.
(A brief recess was had from 10:22 a.m. to 10:34 a.m.)
MR. BOSI: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Mr. Bosi.
***Ladies and gentlemen, next to come before us is
PL20190001540, which is the Brookside Marina rezone.
All those wishing to testify in this matter, please rise to
be sworn in by the court reporter.
THE COURT REPORTER: Do you swear or affirm
the testimony you will give will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
(The speakers were duly sworn and indicated in the
affirmative.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Ex parte disclosures beginning with Mr. Lockhart,
please.
MS. LOCKHART: Staff materials only.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Staff materials only.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Public record,
meeting with staff, and communications with applicant's
agents, and site visit.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Staff materials
only.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Staff materials
and a meeting with staff.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Mr. Brooker, you have the floor, sir.
MR. BROOKER: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My
name is Clay Brooker. I'm with the law firm of Cheffy
Passidomo here in downtown Naples on Fifth Avenue
South.
I represent Naples Marina Holdings, LLC, which owns
the lands known for decades as the Brookside Marina. The
matter before you today is a request to rezone the submerged
lands or waters generally associated with the marina.
With me today is John Giglio. He is the owner of the
property, the sole member of the LLC which owns the
property; Hans Wilson, professional engineer and principal
of Hans Wilson & Associates, a marine engineering and
environmental consulting firm; and Stephanie Caldwell,
professional engineer and principal of Greensite
Engineering.
On the screen is an overall aerial. The applicant of the
property. The applicant, my client, Naples Marina
Holdings, owns this property, approximately 7.6 acres. It's
located -- let's see. Here's Davis Boulevard. Here's the
East Trail. Brookside Drive, to orient yourself. So it's just
east of Tamiami Trail East on Davis Boulevard.
This property, the 7.6 acres, as you can see here,
contains both uplands, here (indicating), and privately
owned submerged lands.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: With apologies, Mr. Brooker,
I'm going to have to interrupt you because I've gotten
another technological problem. I need to call for someone
from the control room. The very same thing has happened
again. I've lost my availability to see people signaling on
the deliberator.
Sorry to interrupt, sir.
MR. BROOKER: No worries. Usually technical
difficulties happen with me, so I'm perfectly happen that it
happened to you.
The next slide is an aerial of the actual subject property
that's at issue here today. The subject application involves
only this parcel comprised primarily of the submerged lands.
Here is the zoning map -- the county's zoning map for
the area. You'll see that the subject submerged lands are
currently zoned RSF-4, or Residential Single-Family 4.
The associated uplands that my client owns here are zoned
C-4 commercial.
Before I address this slide, there are three fundamental
premises of this application. First, we are seeking
permission to reinstall wet slips in the submerged lands that
have existed for decades, albeit with a temporary pause over
the last few years, which I'll explain in a minute; number
two, the subject property submerged marina use and wet
slips are the only logical, reasonable use that can be put to
this property; and then, third, the submerged lands are
owned privately by Mr. Giglio. They are manmade. They
are not waters owned by the state.
While subject to regulation by the DEP and the Army
Corps of Engineers because they are navigable waters, they
are not subject to a sovereign submerged land lease.
Now, I'd like to take a couple minutes to show you that
what we're proposing is no different than what has existed at
this site for decades.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Mr. Brooker, pardon me
again. Just to correct -- or to be sure I understand the
current status of the basin, there is sort of a dividing
structure in this picture. Is that -- is there a dividing
structure right now?
MR. BROOKER: A dividing structure? Can you --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah. When you look at the
vertical piece, the basin, there's something going on in the
middle of it.
MR. BROOKER: Here?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. But the picture that
you have on there has a divider in it, but the divider is gone
right now, correct?
MR. BROOKER: Correct. And I'm going to show
you much more legible aerial photos once we get to that
point.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Sorry to interrupt.
MR. BROOKER: So what we're proposing here today
is no different than what has existed at the site for decades.
In fact, what we're proposing is less intense, a fewer number
of wet slips that were there previously.
On the screen is an aerial from 1979. Here is Rock
Creek coming in from Naples Bay, essentially, or Gordon
River. This is -- this is natural. All of this here is created
by man in the 1960s. It was dredged. That means these
are submerged lands that are privately owned. My client
owns these waters here, and the Brookside neighbors that
own these lands right -- this property here, they all, for the
most part, own the submerged lands that abut their
properties, with the exception of a couple swaths of land that
as owned by the Brookside HOA. So all of this land is
privately owned. "Land" meaning submerged land.
So this aerial shows that from no later than 1979, some
42 years ago, the western basin, which I'll call right here
(indicating), held numerous covered wet slips, and then on
the uplands you can see the marina building which still
exists today.
Fast-forward about three decades to 2012, first and
foremost, you'll see that the covered boat slips in the western
basin continue to exist at this time.
And, Mr. Chairman, hopefully this gives you a little bit
more clarity. These three fingers, if you will, are all
covered wet slips. That's what has been in existence or was
in existence since at least 1979.
A few years prior to this aerial photograph, in 2002 or
2003, the DEP, the Army Corps, and the county approved
additional slips, the slips you see here along the southern
shoreline.
For installation of those slips, these submerged lands
were dredged to remove any contaminated sediment, and the
additional slips were then installed. These additional slips
here continue to exist today. I just wanted to show you that
in 2003 the county did approve, through a Site Development
Plan amendment, the addition of the 39 slips here.
I just give this aerial to give a different perspective of
what it looked like for the first decade or so of the 2000s.
Here are the submerged lands at issue, and here you see the
three fingers of covered wet slips; however, in 2014 -- well,
this is a 2014 aerial. What this shows is sometime between
2012 and 2014 -- I believe it was 2013 -- a predecessor
owner removed those covered wet slips from the western
basin due to their dilapidated state.
Prior to that removal, these waters held a total -- or
what was approved for the site was a total of 234 slips, 137
in the water and 97 on the uplands. So that was what was
approved in the first -- in the first decade of the 2000s.
After these covered wet slips in the western basin were
removed, the submerged lands were dredged a second time
to remove any contaminated sediment. Then in 2018,
Naples Marina Holdings, my client, Mr. Giglio, purchased
the property. Mr. Giglio entered into a lease with Freedom
Boat Club to use these boat slips that still are there today.
There is no formal relationship between Mr. Giglio and
Freedom Boat Club other than as landlord and tenant.
Freedom Boat Club is a tenant on the property.
As previously stated, Mr. Giglio's goal is to reinstall the
wet slip in the basin, albeit at a lower number than had
existed for decades. This slide shows the conceptual layout
of the proposed reinstallation, it shows 73 slips in the
western basin, for a grand total of 112 wet slips in the
submerged -- in the subject submerged lands.
If you recall, a total of 137 wet slips previously existed
in the submerged lands for decades. This layout proposes
25 fewer than what previously existed.
The first step in achieving this goal was to secure
permits from the DEP and the Army Corps, and that has
been done. Here is the DEP permit that was obtained in
2018 by Naples Marina Holdings. This permit approves the
conceptual site plan that you just saw.
Our focus then turned to the county, hoping it would
approve the 73 wet slips through the Site Development Plan
process, just like the county did back in 2003; however, we
were advised that a rezone is required, and so we are here.
The rezone request before you today seeks a rezone to a
limited restricted C-4 which basically allows marina uses.
The rezone, if approved, would be restricted as shown here.
At the top, these are the permitted uses, essentially, a
marina, and whatever's associated with a marina: Piers,
walkways, boatlifts, and so forth.
Number two is water transportation to passengers.
This is akin to a water shuttle or a water taxi. A water taxi
could moor at the marina and take customers to Tin City, for
example.
Water transportation services; that allows for
commercial boat rentals, like a fishing guide.
And then, finally, number four, amusement and
recreation services. That is the zoning lingo for
recreational boat rentals.
Prohibited uses would be liveaboards and personal
watercraft such as Sea-Doos, jet skis, WaveRunners, those
sorts of things.
County staff is recommending approval of this
application, having found it consistent with the county's
Growth Management Plan and its Land Development Code.
In fact, the county's land-use regulations prioritize and
prefer this site for marina operations. Here is Policy 10.1.1
of the Conservation and Coastal Management Element of
the Growth Management Plan. You'll note here the
priorities for water-dependent and water-related uses, which
is what we're talking about here.
The first priority is recreational facilities. This site
doesn't lend itself to recreational facilities. The second
priority is public boat ramps. While a ramp has existed for
decades on the uplands, it's private. The site would be
overwhelmed if open to the public. And I also imagine that
the Brookside neighbors to the north would not want to open
this site to unlimited public use.
And the next priority use in the Growth Management
Plan is marinas. So the county's Growth Management Plan
prioritized this site for marina use. The application before
you implements this prioritization.
You also note, in Objective 10.1, above the reference to
the Manatee Protection Plan. Here is a summary of the
Manatee Protection Plan codified at Land Development
Code Section 5.05.02. The Manatee Protection Plan is the
county's only land-use regulation that specifically addresses
how many slips are authorized at any given marina site, and
it does so in this way. It takes a look at three criteria:
Water depth, native marine habitat, and manatee abundance.
I'll spend a few seconds on each.
Water depth; they're just making sure there's at least
four feet mean low water. Native marina habitat; they're
looking for existing seagrasses, salt marshes, manatees,
things that manatees like. Manatee abundance; the way
they apply that criteria is they look at watercraft-caused
manatee deaths within a five-mile sphere, a circumference
around the site.
When you apply all those three criteria, three ratings
can be assigned: Preferred, moderate, or protected. And
based upon those ratings, boat slip densities are imposed. If
you are preferred, you get 18 boat slips for every 100 feet of
shoreline; moderate is 10; protected is 1. The county has
confirmed that this subject site ranks as a preferred site. It
checks all the criteria I just described.
And with the amount of shoreline we have here, that
Manatee Protection Plan authorizes up to 311 boat slips on
this site. So while the Manatee Protection Plan authorized a
total of 311, the proposal before you today seeks permission
for 112. That's just 36 percent of what the Manatee
Protection Plan authorized for this site.
The county encourages outreach to surrounding
neighbors for land-use applications like this one, and the
rezone process requires one neighborhood information
meeting.
As you can see by this slide, we have gone beyond
what the code requires in this regard. We have had two
neighborhood information meetings and several other
meetings and phone calls. In my opinion, the
communications have been amicable and informative. I
happen to have personal friends who live in the Brookside
neighborhood. We've learned of the neighborhood's
concerns and taken efforts to address them.
Perhaps the most repeated and discussed concern was
excessive speed of vessels traveling in Rock Creek to and
from the marina. So Mr. Giglio asked me to investigate. I
learned that since 1979 the county has designated all of
Rock Creek as ISNW, idle speed, no wake; however, Fish
and Wildlife -- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, which has preempted regulation in navigable
waters in state law, designates Rock Creek as SSMW, slow
speed, minimum wake, which is slightly faster than ISNW,
idle speed, no wake.
Regardless of the speed designation, I toured Rock
Creek on my own boat and noticed that there are no official
vessel speed zone signs anywhere within or at the entrance
to Rock Creek.
So we contacted Fish and Wildlife back in early 2022
to ask them about the speed designation and lack of signs.
We spoke to Captain Yanez and Lieutenant Lynn. They
responded that on March 2022 they took a vessel, unmarked,
through Rock Creek and witnessed no problems. No
excessive speeds. Moreover, they emphasized that there
were no watercraft-caused manatee deaths in Rock Creek,
no boating accidents in Rock Creek, and no complaints to
Fish and Wildlife about vessel speed in Rock Creek;
therefore, Fish and Wildlife told us that they are disinclined
on their own to change the speed zone or post additional
signage.
Not to be discouraged. I then researched state law to
try to find out any other ways we could try to get Rock
Creek designated ISNW, idle speed, no wake. I discovered
one statutory section that recognizes a possibility of ISNW
designations 300 feet on each side of blind turns in narrow
creeks.
In my opinion, we have two blind turns in Rock Creek
as you travel to and from the marina. So I drafted this letter
and sent it to the county in May of 2022. Essentially, it
asks the county to propose to Fish and Wildlife -- which
again has exclusive control over speeds in
navigable -- ISNW zones around the blind turns. The law
does not allow private property owners like Mr. Giglio to
make such proposals, but it does permit local governments
to do so.
So as we sit here today, Mr. Giglio's done everything
he can as a private property owner on this issue. We fully
support any efforts by the county to continue to push for
ISNW zones, and my client has offered to bear all the cost
of installing and maintaining any approved speed zone
signs.
It is my understanding that the county staff has made
efforts in this regard. They have engaged with Fish and
Wildlife, but I hear that they have received the same chilly
reaction that I did.
Moreover, back in July of 2022, the County
Commission did authorize staff to engage a consulting firm
to study Rock Creek in this regard. Several months ago, a
firm did submit a proposal to gather data on boat speeds in
Rock Creek, and the cost of that Rock Creek boat speed
survey is $24,000. I'm not aware of whether staff has
accepted that proposal, but I can say that, based on my
experience with Fish and Wildlife on this issue, I'm not sure
the survey will actually persuade Fish and Wildlife to do
anything other than leave Rock Creek as a slow speed,
minimum wake speed zone.
At the second neighborhood information meeting in
July 2022, we made several other offers to the Brookside
neighbors after hearing their concerns conditioned, of
course, on the rezone being approved, and here they are.
I'll run through them quickly. First, we agree that the
existing boat slips -- the existing docks on that southern
shoreline would not be extended any further north into the
basin to ensure that there would be clean and easy access to
the Brookside neighbors' docks and homes that live on
Harbor Lane right at that location.
Second, we would install two cameras within the
marina basin. We are still working on that today.
Technologically, it might be a little difficult due to distance
of WiFi, but we're working on that.
Fish -- Freedom Boat Club would explore cooperating
with Mr. Harms, who owns a property right there at the
entrance of Rock Creek, to install a third camera at the
entrance. Freedom Boat Club is to send a manned vessel to
the entrance of Rock Creek to have a person monitor the
activity at anticipated high-use times.
Naples Marina Holdings would offer 10 additional
cameras to property owners along the waterfront or Harbor
Lane and Rock Creek, first come, first serve, so they can
monitor themselves. What we're hearing -- and for -- by
way of explanation, the cameras, what we've heard is a boat
goes by, it might be going too quickly. It can't capture it
quickly enough to report it to Freedom Boat Club. So these
cameras would record and would be able to send video
snippets to Fish and Wildlife and to Freedom Boat Club and
take action against the offending vessel captain.
Naples Marina Holdings would offer one wet slip to a
marine law enforcement vessel. The idea there is that
would theoretically increase patrols up and down Rock
Creek and just serve as a deterrent by being there.
And then, finally, you see the liveaboards and personal
watercraft prohibitions.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: Clay, some of those
commitments are from Freedom Boat Club. Does your
client control that company?
MR. BROOKER: We do not, but the condition could
be made clear that we would -- the client, the property
owner, would take full responsibility.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: Okay. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: And in our conversation
yesterday, Mr. Brooker, you indicated that your client would
agree to include these points in the conditions of approval.
MR. BROOKER: That is correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you.
MR. BROOKER: Since the second neighborhood
information meeting back in July, we haven't heard much
from the neighbors; however, we have since learned that
they have been busy. Over the past -- over the last few
months, two or three neighbors have lodged many
complaints with various agencies: Collier County Code
Enforcement, fire marshal, DEP, Collier County sheriffs.
And that's fine. We expect nothing less than to be held
responsible for compliance with all applicable codes,
regulations, and permits.
Some of the complaints were just fishing expeditions
for violations. No pun intended. And the responses from
the agencies were that no violations exist; however, other
complaints resulted in the finding of noncompliance issues.
And in every such case, once we were alerted, we resolved
the issues. As I stand here today, I am not aware of any
outstanding noncompliance issues with the site.
I'd like to now take a couple of minutes to address
some of the issues the neighbors have raised and explain
what was done to resolve them. Around the time
Mr. Giglio purchased the property, a temporary-use permit
was obtained from the county for the placement of a
temporary trailer on the uplands to serve a dual purpose, a
construction management office for repairs to the existing
on-site buildings damaged by Hurricane Irma which had hit
in 2017, and the second purpose for the trailer, an office
from which Freedom Boat Club could temporarily
administer its operations.
Repair and construction work began in 2019;
completed in 2022. Thereafter, Freedom Boat Club moved
into a permit building on site, which is where they are today,
and for the last few months of 2022, the temporary trailer sat
vacant. It was removed from the site with the help of a
crane in January this year.
During the construction period, the temporary-use
permit expired. By code, such permits have a two-year
lifespan. No one realized it, not even the county, that is
until one of the neighbors lodged a complaint with Code
Enforcement. Code Enforcement contacted us and,
ultimately, the trailer was removed before any Code
Enforcement hearing.
Gazebo. Freedom Boat Club installed a wooden deck
on the uplands with a roof, described as a gazebo, to give its
customers some shade from the sun while their boats were
being readied. One of the neighbors lodged a complaint
with Code Enforcement which resulted in a violation
because no permit had been pulled. The gazebo and its
shade was gone within a month.
In-water hull cleaning. About eight months ago we
were informed by the Brookside neighbors that Freedom
Boat Club was cleaning the hulls of their boats while sitting
in the marina in the water. That is not permitted by our
permit. So we immediately directed freedom Boat Club to
cease those activities. They did so, and no in-water hull
cleaning has occurred for many months now.
Fueling. For years Freedom Boat Club was using two
larger sized portable fuel tanks situated on the uplands to
fuel their boats. Fueling from the uplands is permitted by
the DEP and the county. During those years, the fuel tanks
and the fueling operations were inspected and approved by
fire officials on an annual basis, that is, until August 20,
2022, when, in response to a complaint from a neighbor, a
new fire official disagreed with her predecessors from years
past and red-flagged the fuel tanks.
We could have challenged the alleged violation based
on the previous years of approved inspections and the fact
that the same type of fuel tanks and operations currently
exist in other marinas around the state; however, we elected
not to fight it, and the tanks were removed. Fuel is now
brought to the site on an as-needed basis, and we are told we
are in full compliance with applicable fire code regulations.
Fish cleaning table. In response to a recent complaint
from one neighbor, the DEP conducted a general inspection
of the entire marina one week ago, coincidentally. In a
letter we received two days ago, the DEP reported just two
minor violations. A fish cleaning table was installed on the
docks, and no fuel spill containment equipment was
observed. As I stand here this morning -- we received it
two days ago -- the fish cleaning table's gone, and a fuel
spill containment kit is now on site. There was one on site
at the time during a DEP inspection, but Freedom Boat Club
didn't know where it was. So we are now in full
compliance with the DEP letter that we received a day and a
half ago.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my initial presentation.
I do request the opportunity of rebuttal after public
comments, and I'm happy to answer any questions you have
at this time.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Mr. Brooker.
Anyone from the Planning Commission have questions for
the applicant?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, we'll turn it over to staff
for staff's report.
MR. BOSI: And just -- Mike Bosi, Planning and
Zoning director.
Staff is recommending approval as contained within the
staff report as well as the additional commitments that
Mr. Brooker highlighted. We agree that we will
incorporate those within Exhibit B of the ordinance to be
additional conditions of approval, because they were
obviously offered at the -- at the neighborhood information
meeting; therefore, we want them -- to make sure that
they're enshrined within the ordinance as well.
But with that, staff would ask -- or be happy to
entertain any questions that the Planning Commission may
have.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Commission, any questions?
If not, thank you, staff.
Ms. Pedron, do we have registered speakers?
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, our next speaker is
Dom Cotugno. His time is exceeded [sic] by the following
people -- so if you could all please just wave your hand once
I call your name.
Rick Groveman?
MR. GROVEMAN: Yes.
MS. PEDRON: Stacey Cotugno?
(Raises hand.)
MS. PEDRON: Alison Gleason?
(Raises hand.)
MS. PEDRON: And Peter Lang?
(Raises hand.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: And so that is a total of how
many minutes, Ms. Pedron?
MS. PEDRON: Twenty minutes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Twenty minutes for the
speaker. Thank you.
MS. PEDRON: I'm sorry, 25.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Twenty-five minutes.
MR. COTUGNO: Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yes, sir. Approach the mic.
MR. COTUGNO: I'm going to request that Todd
Morrison precedes my presentation.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Identify yourself, sir.
MR. COTUGNO: Dom Cotugno.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay.
MR. COTUGNO: And the second comment I'd like to
make is I doubt very much I'm going to need those 20
minutes. I just wanted to make sure we had enough time.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Understood. Okay. Without
objection from the Planning Commission, we'll change the
order.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. So who is the
speaker now? Please approach, sir. Either podium.
MR. MORRISON: I have a PowerPoint presentation
as well.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. And identify
yourself, and let's -- I'm going to ask Ms. Pedron how many
minutes you have.
MR. MORRISON: I shouldn't be much longer than
five to six.
MR. YOUNGBLOOD: Mr. Chairman, Mr. Morrison
has been ceded time by Linda Groveman.
(Raises hand.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. So up to 10 minutes.
MR. MORRISON: Thank you, sir.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I didn't catch your name, so
when -- before you start.
MR. MORRISON: Yes, sir.
I have a flash drive.
Thank you. Good morning. My name's Todd
Morrison. I reside in Brookside neighborhood at 2095
Harbor Lane.
And some of the information I'm going to present has
also been discussed by Mr. Brooker today, and I may even
mention some additional items to that.
On that slide you'll see two parcels that are part of the
marina, which he's also pointed out. These parcels have a
designated-use code of 95, rivers and lakes, submerged
lands, as recently as two weeks ago. Neighbors who live on
the water observed as many as 68 boats docked in the
floating dock slips in those two parcels as the additional
boats were being rafted up to other boats.
This is 76 percent more than what is permitted. It's
also important to note that no taxes are currently being paid
for the use of these two parcels. A business should be
required to pay taxes on properties they use for commercial
purposes, similar to how they are paying for taxes on the
yacht basin, which is the other parcel that's underwater.
That parcel's 00386200003, and taxes for that particular
piece of parcel is $11,819.
THE COURT REPORTER: Could I ask you to slow
down just a little bit?
MR. MORRISON: Sure. I'm just trying to get my
five minutes in.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, you've got 10, so don't
worry.
MR. MORRISON: The following are some code
violations that have occurred on parcels of Brookside
Marina recently related to the lessee, Freedom Boat Club.
As mentioned, the temporary trailer was used by Freedom
Boat Club as an office. It was granted a temporary permit
for 730 days. Despite Freedom Boat Club being notified of
the infraction being in violation and noncompliant, which
resulted in Freedom Boat Club -- and I'll just refer to them
as FBC going forward -- being instructed to not utilize the
trailer for any future use, their trailer wasn't removed until
1,012 days beyond the permit. The trailer was on the
property in violation longer that it was permitted;
139 percent more. That initial code enforcement complaint
was made in August of last year, and the trailer wasn't
removed until January of this year.
Also mentioned, the gazebo deck was built next to the
trailer on the property without a permit after a complaint
was made to Code Enforcement, and, as mentioned, it was
removed sometime in November of last year.
On August 19th of last year, Greater Naples Fire
Rescue District fire and life safety notified the lessee, FBC,
of a stop work order that provided the following comments:
The two gasoline storage tanks at your facility do not meet
fire prevention code. Your site will need to pull a permit
for a permanent installation. I think that's important to
note. And no further use of the gasoline tanks may occur.
I think that's also important to note. And 10 days have been
provided to allow removal of the tanks.
Again, as mentioned, despite these actions being
required, they failed to comply.
On August 30th of last year, they were issued a red tag
by the fire district and fined $250, as a result, on
August 31st. What was concerning about the fuel was how
the hose and pump handle was being stored on the docks
and the amount of oil slicks in the water that have been
observed by homeowners living on this waterway.
After FBC received their red tag from the fire district,
they began to bring fuel to the dock on their own via gas
cans, as you can see in the picture on the right. On
April 27th, the FDEP, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, visited FBC, and on -- two days ago, on
May 2nd, the FDEP noted that a fuel tank was at the
location, and they mentioned Permit 01731790-003EI. It
clearly states no fuel storage shall be allowed on the docking
structures.
During the FDEP inspection, department staff
observed, as mentioned, a fishing cleaning table, and it is
prohibited for the life of the facility. Department staff also
did not observe any fuel spill equipment on site.
Department staff spoke with the manager, Mike Gallagher,
who stated that the marina has contracted responsibility to
fuel spill -- response to a fuel spill contractor. The name
and contact information for the fuel spill contractor was not
immediately known.
I know Mr. Brooker mentioned that there's actually a
fuel spill containment that's actually on the property. For
me, I think part of the concern here is the fact that the lessee
or the tenant is not aware of, you know, safety measures that
are actually on site. He actually thought they had actually
contracted it out. So if a fuel spill happens, how is it going
to get cleaned up?
Excuse me, sorry. Going off my notes. I should just
stay on my notes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Slow down a little bit when
you're reading your notes, sir.
MR. MORRISON: Based on the information I have
provided, it's clear that the operations at this location have a
history of dismissing codes and regulation. And although
all or most of the violations have occurred as a result of the
lessee, Freedom Boat Club, ultimately the owner is
accountable for the lessee's actions, at least in my opinion.
Before any rezoning is considered, it's important that
the marina understand that one boat slip equals one boat;
otherwise, the proposal total of 112 could be as many as 197
additional boats placed at the marina if the current rate of 76
is continued to be used with mooring boats to other boats
like it currently is on the floating docks.
I would encourage the Planning Commission, the
owner, and the tenants currently, Freedom Boat Club, to
look closely at Collier County code requirements,
environmental requirements, and fire code requirement to
ensure the property remains compliant and to ensure that
they have a clear understanding of what those are.
I'd also like to request that the use code for the two
parcels mentioned at the beginning of the presentation be
changed to a use code of 20, like the yacht basin currently is,
as airports, bus terminals, piers, and marina.
Also, I would like to ask that these parcels be
appropriately valued and taxed. Currently they are valued
at $100, and zero dollars are being paid in taxes.
Mr. Brooker also mentioned the ramp on the property.
He said that it's only uplands and that it's private. I'm not
sure how that can be when the ramp actually goes into the
water. I realize that those that live on the water may not
want that boat ramp to be utilized due to the increase of the
number of boats within there. I particularly do not live on
the water, so to be able to have access and use of a boat
ramp close by would be nice.
So along those lines, I'd like to also request that if any
of this works out as far as whether the boat ramp's deemed
as -- and, again, the boat ramp's on the commercial property,
so -- and I'm going to go through some of the Florida
Administrative Code in regards to ramps in commercial
operations.
So whether the -- if the boat ramp stays private, I guess
my ask would be -- because in the past there's a lot of
long-time residents that live within the neighborhood of
Brookside where we actually used to have riparian
rights -- that's before my time of living in the
neighborhood -- but we had riparian rights to be able to
utilize the boat ramp.
So if it's continued to be private, I would like to ask
that those riparian rights continue to remain and be offered
to the residents within the Brookside. If not, then I
would -- you know, then it will be considered, I would have
to think, a public boat ramp. Because, again, whether it's
on the uplands or in the water, I think it's still considered a
commercial operation. You'll see on the next slide what I'm
talking about.
So along those lines, I'd like to request that a minimum
one slip space be provided to utilize the boat ramp for
loading and unloading a boat, kayak, or paddleboard in the
water. Specifically, I'd love to see it for the Brookside
residents.
According to the Florida Administrative
Code 62-330.417, general permits for construction,
alteration, operation -- which I think that's the key one -- and
maintenance of boat ramp facilities, Letter C, commercial
entity, provided such ramp is open to the general public for
the life of the ramp or without a fee and without any
membership or qualifying requirements. I'd like to ask that
Brookside Marina within the time period that -- if and when
this is approved, that they fully execute the binding
agreement in the official records of Collier County in which
the boat ramp is located. If that hasn't already been done,
which it doesn't sound like it is because they're claiming it's
private, as it is required by the Florida Administrative Code
based on the code shown on the screen, commercial entities
shall execute and record the agreement to main [sic] public
access incorporated herein as Form 62-330.417(1), ensuring
the facility will remain open to the general public for the life
of the facility.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: You have one minute left, sir.
MR. MORRISON: Okay. And then I believe Dom's
going to review some of this. I know that there's been
Army Corps of Engineer studies. I do know that there's
been DEP studies as well that have been conducted. But
one of the things, too, as you look at these maps, the size of
the chokepoint within that waterway is not very large at all.
And I know Dom will review some of this. But I think it's
important -- and I know this is probably out of your
purview, but I believe that the county needs to look at traffic
studies not only on the roadways, as they've done with this
particular project, but also looking at them in the waterway.
Whenever you're putting in a marina or a dock, what's
the impact on that traffic within that purview as well on the
waterway? And that's something that was actually
discussed at some of the neighborhood information meetings
as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this
information for your consideration, and it's greatly
appreciated. Have a good day.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Mr. Morrison.
MR. MORRISON: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Next speaker please.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we're going to go back
to Dom Cotugno.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MR. COTUGNO: It's still morning, so I'm going to
say "good morning." My name is Dom Cotugno.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Please spell your last name.
MR. COTUGNO: C-o-t-u-g-n-o.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MR. COTUGNO: My wife, Stacey, and I have lived
in Naples, Florida, since 2003 and reside at 2072 Harbor
Lane, Naples, Florida, in Brookside community.
On behalf of the Brookside community board, HOA,
and numerous community residents that sit here today, we
thank you all for this opportunity.
Our objective, since speaking on behalf of the entire
community, or most part of it, is to share the experiences,
the issues, and requests relative to the Brookside Marina that
is located in our residential waterway community,
specifically the multitude of issues we have experienced
with the existing members based on commercial marina
operations, which is Freedom Boat Club, and also our
committee's concern is -- with the adding of 73 additional
vessels to the basin, the concern is that this will only
compound these ongoing issues and make matters worse
than they are today if changes are not made.
Before addressing the commercial marina issues in
detail, we believe it's appropriate to express our
community's concerns with the Collier County Planning
Commission staff study and that -- and their approval
granted to move forward with expanding operations. It's
unfortunate to us and very concerning that the Planning
Commission study paid no attention to our community's
various concerns with Freedom Boat Club's ongoing
operation which has set the precedent for these issues over
the last five-and-a-half years.
No study nor any mention in their report was made
regarding the Freedom Boat Club's extraordinary and
disruptive vessel traffic, ongoing nonconformance to DEP
rules and regulations, numerous violations cited by local
code enforcement, and potential negative effects,
notwithstanding, very importantly, the water quality of this
canal, nor did they study or report the effects of vessels
that -- vessel traffic from adding 73-plus vessels in the basin
that could cause further consequences to the overall
well-being of the waterway, its residents' properties, and the
general quality of our living. Instead, they provided a total
what we consider to be arbitrary and inaccurate study with
no consideration or regard for the real circumstances at
hand.
Let me just illustrate to this point. Here are some
ways that prove that none of this was done.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Just for the record, you say
"Planning Commission study," this is really the staff's study.
MR. COTUGNO: Yes, sir, sorry. Staff study.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: That's okay.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you for the clarification.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Mr. Bosi?
MR. BOSI: Clarification. Staff does not study.
Staff provides a staff report based upon the application
material that's required by the Land Development Code and
what's supplied by the applicant related to the requirements
of a rezoning petition. Staff does not commission a study.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. So this should be
called a planning staff report?
MR. BOSI: I think it's criticisms of the staff report,
would be it.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Staff report. Okay. Thank
you.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Go ahead, sir.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you for the clarification.
Notwithstanding, if you look at -- some of the things
that they cited is whether the proposed changes would
adversely influence living conditions in the neighborhood,
and what we're saying -- and they said that it will not
adversely influence living conditions in the neighborhood.
What we're saying is we need an impact study of the vessel
traffic and to what extent that number of traffic is going to
create some consequences to the water quality.
It also states that -- whether the change suggested is out
of scale with the needs of the neighborhood or the county.
It's staff's position that the proposed rezoning to C-4 is not
out of scale with the needs of the community or the county.
What we're saying is, but it's not the perspective of the
citizens, and that's why we're here today.
The other thing it says is whether proposed changes
will create or excessively increase traffic congestion or
create types of traffic deemed -- and you can read. I'm not
going to go word by word, but the statement was, as noted,
transportation planning staff finds this petition, excuse me,
consistent with the GMP. But that study was on vehicles
entering their premises. None of it was on the vessel
traffic.
Two more -- three more quick points. Whether the
proposed changes will be consistent with the goals and
objectives and policies of future land use. The petition is
consistent. What we're saying is those are land-use goals,
not residential waterway goals. It was ignored.
Whether proposed changes will adversely affect
property values in the adjacent areas. And what we're
saying -- and they said it would not. What we're saying is if
you continue to ignore the amount of traffic and further
operations' disregard for rules and regulations, local and
Florida, DEP, of course it's going to affect the value of our
homes and the quality of our living in those homes. No
one's going to want to live there. The values of our homes
will go down, and it will be very difficult to sell a home
when you have 110,000 passages of boats on a very small
compatible waterway from a commercial marina.
And I'd like to just parenthetically say, Clay Brooker
mentions that this basin used to have a lot of boats and
covered slips, but those were on a rental basis. They
were -- this is in a commercial marina that has, even at
75 percent of utilization, 110,000 passages by neighbors'
homes every day. So if it's 75 percent, 75,000. That seems
like an extraordinary amount of vessel passages on a very
small waterway.
And then, lastly, it says that -- such other factors,
standards, or criteria that the Board of County
Commissioners shall deem important to the protection of
public health, safety, and welfare. We're asking that the
Planning Commission make traffic and sediment study
condition -- conditions of approval before it goes to the BCC
for a decision.
And having said that, let me take you through two
major things that we're asking for. We ask that before any
approval is granted, the Collier County Planning
Commission and the Board of County Commissioners make
the following what we consider to be only fair and logical
conditions for any final approval.
The first condition is an impact study be done to
evaluate if Rock Creek waterway can safely accommodate
the current 75-plus vessels which equates to 55,000 at
100 percent utilization. And they're in business to make
money, so even if you go 75 percent, it's still a high number
of boat passages on a small residential community.
So we're asking somebody look at the impact of this
many trips and also study to what extent, by adding the
basin boats, which is going to be 73-plus, which is another
55,000 -- so we're going to have 110,000 passages. That's
one out and one back. Let's say it's 75 percent utilization,
which I doubt it will be because they want to make sure that
these members are using their boats.
So on an annual basis, if you calculate that, it's 110,000
trips up and down this very small waterway.
Especially since there's a very narrow and potentially
dangerous area that every one of these vessel passages need
to go through, we are fearing that it's an accident waiting to
happen, since small vessels used by residents and those
rented by patrons of local hotels make passage on this
waterway as well, and these being kayaks, standup
paddleboard, canoes, Gheenoes, on a regular basis,
particularly since the commercial -- existing commercial
marina lessor hasn't effectively provided a permanent
solution to prevent their crew and their clients from
continuously speeding. I'm going to get to, in a moment, a
record of what's going on.
Nor has anyone measured the ill consequences, most
importantly, to the water equality and the general hygiene of
the environment by having over 100,000 trips per year on
this very small waterway which, by the way, we did some
research, and this is the only residential community that has
commercial marina operations on it in our county. We even
extended that research and looked for where else does
Freedom Boat Club operate in a residential community
along the West Coast of Florida. There are none. They're
out in open bodies of water. So that's why this is a major
concern.
And we get it, it compatible. They have a business to
run. They own the property. But we believe we need to
put some governance and more attention, particularly since
Freedom Boat Club set a very bad precedent over the last
five-and-a-half years.
The final note is, on the extraordinary volume of vessel
traffic, both existing and forthcoming, we've asked for an
impact study several times in writing to Clay Brooker, who's
the attorney, obviously, for NMH Holdings -- withholdings
[sic]. Unfortunately, these requests have been ignored.
It's very important to note that these requests were not
only ignored but, rather, added to a list of contingency
items. We'll give you all of this stuff. We're going to put
markers in the water. We're going to put patrol in there.
We're going to allow -- we're going to -- we're going to
manage this better for you, but at the time, a year ago, Clay
came back and say, unless you agree to this right now in
writing -- I'm going to send you a letter that everybody
needs to sign -- then we're not going to do any of this. He
failed to point that -- all that list of things they proposed to
do, it was contingent and a condition of if we signed it right
there, and we consider that to be a little bit forceful.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Are you talking about the
other offers?
MR. COTUGNO: Yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Well, that's been
conceded at this point.
MR. COTUGNO: Right. Thank you.
The second condition is Freedom Boat Club perform a
sediment study in order to demonstrate whether or not their
operation has contaminated the sediment under their docks
and vessels during the last five-and-a-half years. Should
contaminates be found with exceedances above allowable
levels -- excuse me -- then Freedom Boat Club and the
less -- and/or the lessor should be required, as a condition of
any of approval, to dredge and restore to safe levels.
Also the lessor or lessee be required to conduct this
study each year and required to restore annually to
acceptable levels based on outcomes.
And the final note is -- on the sediment study testing is
we have and sent written requests to Scott Ward, who's the
senior vice president of operations for Freedom Boat Club
who reports to Brunswick Corporation. Scott has deferred
that to Mr. John Giglio recently.
So let me give you an example of -- and some of this
Mr. Brooker and Mr. Morrison discussed already. They
have done in-hull scraping of their hulls -- in-water scraping
of their hulls, which contain -- and they've scaped
anti-fouling paint which, by the way, contains carcinogens,
for those who don't know, and proven to cause birth defects
in a pregnant woman. It's a very, very bad thing to do, and
the DEP is very strict about this.
Next is the use of harsh and environmentally toxic
chemicals to clean boat hulls that sit above the waterline.
We've witnessed and have pictures of them using rust
remover to clean their boats' exteriors.
Another is fuel spillage. We talked about this. We
have photos, and the residents are very disturbed about the
collection of fuel spills on incoming tide at the non-flush
end -- the east end of the canal. There's no way for water to
go any further.
It's important to note that these issues were observed
and recorded way prior to Hurricane Ian, nor the result of
Hurricane Ian. This has been ongoing way before that.
And the fact that the DEP just cited -- we are busy because
we're concerned, that -- that Freedom Boat Club does not
have any fuel spilling equipment on premises nor do they
know who to call when asked if it is, indeed, out-sourced to
a third party.
To make matters worse, there is constant daily
disruptive movement of 75-plus vessels currently around the
marina and waterway causing further distribution of any fuel
spills, whatever toxins they've created in the water or on the
sediment, especially when crew members -- crew and their
clients propel vessels that force their way during extreme
low tides. So not only do they exist, but we have videos of
them propelling boats, kicking up dirt and sand during
extreme low tides, which the concern is, if there are
sediments, indeed, they are being spread further.
So here's their in-hull cleaning -- in-hull scrubbing
of -- using a diver. We've recorded this. This is a pontoon
boat bringing containers of fuel, which, by the way, we
understand it's not forbidden to do that, but the concern is
spillage is very likely when lifting heavy and awkward
containers, and we have proof of that. You see in the
bottom picture this is a repeated situation.
We have videos -- I think you might have to help me
out here with --
MR. BOSI: Hit "media player," and then hit "okay."
MR. COTUGNO: I got it thank you.
Here is an example of a boat that is propelling through
very low tide, and in all due respect to John Giglio and Clay
Brooker, I think that's a disconnect between what Freedom
Boat Club is telling you and what is actually happening.
(A video was played and narrated.)
MR. COTUGNO: Here is an example of a speeding
member, excessive speed, and this was taken on the day that
the neighbor right next to this home that has the video
recording had three children on standup paddleboards, and
that gentleman ran down to the marina and made a formal
complaint.
To date, nothing has been done by Freedom Boat Club
to incorporate some practices that would make sure that this
doesn't happen again. They simply tell you it's under
control. We'll deal with it. But there's nothing -- there's no
processes. It happens randomly all the time.
MR. BOSI: Hit X up at the top.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you.
And the last. Here's another member speeding by
these homes. And, by the way, this is a video camera that
sits on Fred Harm's property that was referenced before, and
this is Fred Harm's video camera.
And the last comment I'd like to make here is the
concession that Freedom Boat Club or Mr. Giglio will put
cameras on our premise. Our contingent is, why are we
being held responsible for watching all of this disruptive
behavior? It should be their cameras on their premises or
their people preventing this from happening.
Here's the chokepoint we constantly refer to. The
upper line is 49 feet across, according to Google. Low tide,
probably 35. You're going to have 100,000-plus vessel
trips go by that point each and every year. We just think it's
an extraordinary number. The one below it is 39 feet
across, probably 24, 25 feet at extreme low tides. We just
think this is an accident waiting to happen.
And I'm going to flip now to my last page. We, being
our community's recent study to determine to what extent, if
any, there may be contaminated sediment in waterway,
earlier this year our community contracted with Turrell Hall
& Associates, a reputable marine consulting firm here in
Naples, to study and analyze to what extent, if any, the
residents' submerged land may be contaminated, recognizing
that would be unlawful for us to go into the submerged lands
owned by John Giglio.
So in doing so, testing our own submerged land, seven
different metals were tested. Results were compared to the
sediment collected that Clay referred to before, studied in
'06 and '16, and copper and zinc were noted to have
exceedances above allowable levels in all three studies, so
it's consistent. Copper and zinc keep on showing up and
showed up in our report. Not only ours, but in '16 and '06.
Hence, we think it's only fair and reasonable Freedom Boat
Club be required by you folks to conduct a study of their
premise's sediment to demonstrate if they have or have not
caused contamination on the waterway since their inception,
which was five-and-a-half years ago.
So two key asks, if there's anything folks can remember
is impact study on this extraordinary amount of traffic, not
just the addition of 73 more boats that Mr. Giglio is
proposing but also the existing 73-plus -- the 80-plus boats
that Freedom Boat Club currently has in their 39 slips, and
also a sediment study of whether or not Freedom Boat Club
has contaminated. And we'd like not only this to be a
one-time occurrence but to govern these behaviors going
forward, make this a condition of approval that they be done
today and they also -- before any approval is granted and
they be done on a year-to-year basis so everything's under
control and there's checks and balances.
So with that, I thank you very much for all of your time
and appreciate you guys looking at these things.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir. I have a
question for you.
MR. COTUGNO: Sure.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: To your knowledge, are there
any current uncured violations of law today?
MR. COTUGNO: The only one that comes to mind
is -- and John -- we saw a note that is going to tend to -- and,
John, we appreciate this -- the DEP's concern that there's no
fuel spillage equipment or recognition by the crew there, the
manager, of how to address the fuel spills.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you very much.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Ms. Pedron?
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, our last speaker is
Phid Pollis.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MS. PEDRON: And then we will proceed with our
online speakers.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. And this is -- this is
a five-minute --
MS. PEDRON: That is correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: -- segment?
Thank you. When you reach the podium, sir, please
spell your last name.
MR. POLLIS: Pollis, P-o-l-l-i-s.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MR. POLLIS: Yeah. I just wanted to make the
Planning Commission aware that not everyone in the
neighborhood is against the marina being allowed to put
their slips back into the basin where they historically have
been.
I've been living in that neighborhood since 1977. I've
been there for 50 years. There's always been a marina
there. There has always been boat slips. There has never
been a problem as far -- I don't know where -- those
numbers of trips he's come up with, but that's -- that has
never been the case. I've lived in that neighborhood for
almost 50 years.
It's just -- well, just -- not everybody in the
neighborhood is against the marina. It's always been there.
It's always been a good neighbor. And it's a boating
community. It's -- we would love to have this community
have this marina there as an asset to our boating community,
and that's about it.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
MR. POLLIS: You're welcome.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Next speaker, please.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we have two new
speakers. Peter Lang followed by Frank Perrucci.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: These are people who are
present? Is your name Lang, sir?
MR. LANG: Yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Please approach.
MR. LANG: This is okay?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It's fine, yeah.
MR. LANG: Hello. I'm Peter Lang. I live at 1884
Harbor Lane. I don't really know an awful lot about where
everybody lives, but I live right at the chokepoint of the area
that we're talking about. And I will say that since I've been
there now, for six-plus years, that the amount of vegetation,
the amount of fish, the amount of wildlife that is visible
from my dock, my house, has gone from abundant to close
to zero.
When we moved in, we were fishing there every day.
We had tarpon, snook, redfish, every imaginable thing, and
especially an overabundance of bait fish and different items
of that nature. It is all gone, and it is all gone since
Freedom Boat Club.
Unlike most people, I rented a slip in 1992 on that
location, and to consider that, what that was, anything other
than the complete opposite of what they're asking us to do or
give into is ridiculous. Comparing Naples, Florida, 1979 to
2023 is unfathomable, if you ask me.
The last thing I'd like to talk about is the lack of aerial
footage of what that basin looks like as it's being used today.
I notice that they have all kinds of aerial footage of 1979,
what it looks like after they put in the amended docks along
the main canal. But what I would wonder is why hasn't
anybody showed what it looks like at 5:00 Monday through
Sunday or Sunday through Saturday every single day?
There are a hundred boats lined up in an area that is not
wide enough for 10 boats.
The abusive behavior by the people at Freedom Boat
Club has warn me thin. I don't go outside my home at 8:00
in the morning, noon, or 4:00 p.m. anymore because I
cannot look at the abusive behavior of their members. They
have done nothing in regards to tampering that, absolutely
nothing.
I am not in any way, shape, or form a member of
CAVE, the citizens against virtually everything. I'm a
construction owner -- I own a construction company -- and I
make my living on the very good decisions that the planning
committee makes. And all that our neighborhood is
probably asking from you is to treat us the same way you're
treating the people out on Immokalee Road, you know, not
to look back at all of the legal mumbo-jumbo that
Mr. Brooker brings up as to why he can do this, but look at
the common sense as to what is going on in the
neighborhood. It is a residential neighborhood. It is not
able to handle the amount of boat traffic that is there.
And I believe that the evidence of no changing of the
behavior of those Freedom Boat Club people is [sic] going
to make it any different.
Thank you for your time.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir.
Next speaker.
MR. PERRUCCI: I was waiting for my name, I guess.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, who is the next speaker,
Ms. Pedron?
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, our next speaker is
Frank Perrucci.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Is that you, sir?
MR. PERRUCCI: That's me.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: You're on the air.
MR. PERRUCCI: Good morning.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: And spell it, please.
MR. PERRUCCI: P-e-r-r-u-c-c-i.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MR. PERRUCCI: I am also a resident on the
waterway of the Brookside community. I just want to
follow up very quickly. Very important fact that came
out -- and I'm respectfully requesting you and Clay and John
to follow up on this. That speed zone area is declared as a
slow speed, minimum wake. That's really not a defined
action. What really is defined is idle speed, no wake. And
let me correct. I think -- I think I said "no wake." It's slow
speed, minimum wake.
Idle speed, no wake, really defines what a boat is
supposed to do. I've -- as past president of the Marine
Industries, I deal with this every day with managing two
marinas on Naples Bay.
You need to chat with the county. The county has the
ability to be able to change that. Fish and Wildlife, I know
their criteria as to why they don't want to move on that, but
they also will say that you -- you, the county, can change
that.
It needs to be idle speed. It will correct a lot of the
issues that are happening. One issue that is really
happening, and it does happen. And I know they've had
their boats out there to say, oh, we were out there; not too
much happening. Live on the water, and you'll see what's
happening.
And all due respect to the marina, I'm all for boater
access. It absolutely is a great thing for the community, and
everyone should live the dream as a boater. It's the best
thing ever.
The traffic study, as president of the Marine Industries
for 11 years, past president now, we did a traffic study when
we were involved back in 1997 with speed zone issues on
Naples Bay. And we came to a conclusion, and it worked
for a long time. But we did do a study as far as traffic
count itself. Boat traffic count can be done.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Next speaker, please.
Oh, Mr. Bosi.
MR. BOSI: Chair, I was just was IM'ing with
Mr. Youngblood. I guess we had a hiccup within our
network connectivity. He needs to reset the Zoom meeting
so we can have the rest of the public speakers. I'm not sure
if you want to take a break for lunch now or whatever your
discretion. But we need to at least have a short break.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah, okay. So let's take that
as a point of deciding what we're going to do for the rest of
the afternoon.
Typically it's my sense of what the Planning
Commission frequently likes to do is to have a later lunch
and try to continue rather than stop for lunch and come back.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Yeah.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Which I think is potentially
doable here. I see heads nodding yes.
So let's do this. We'll take a 10-minute
break -- nine-minute break to 12, noon, right now, and then
we'll return and continue. We're in recess.
(A brief recess was had from 11:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
MR. BOSI: Chair, you have a live mic.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, ladies and
gentlemen. We're back in session.
Mr. Pedron.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we have two
additional speakers. Patricia McNamara followed by
Brooke Sykes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Ms. McNamara.
MS. McNAMARA: Yes, hi.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Before you start, you hadn't
ceded your, had you, or did you?
MS. McNAMARA: No.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. I'm sorry. I thought
you did. Go ahead.
MS. McNAMARA: No, I didn't. I just -- I just
wanted to let you know -- reiterate what's already been said.
THE COURT REPORTER: Can you speak into the
microphone.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yeah, and say your name, too.
MS. McNAMARA: Pat McNamara, and I'm at 2096
Harbor Lane.
And I want to just, like, emphasize it's not even just
like the further growth for the boat club. It's the damage
that they have already done. Like the gentleman said, the
wildlife there, there are no fish there. You can't go fishing
on the dock. You can't -- you know, we used to have the
dolphins, we used to have the manatees. The quality of life
since they've been there...
And also it's like -- you know, they say it's like they
have -- they haven't had any complaints. That's just an
outright lie, because I've complained, and I know a lot of
people have always complained. But we've been trying to
be good neighbors and complain to Freedom Boat Club.
And, apparently, that's where it ended.
You know, my dock has been damaged by their
members hitting my dock. And I had -- you know, they
would just tell me -- it's like, well, docks are made to be hit,
you know, and that was the end of that.
And then, plus, like, you know, that -- and the wakes
that they cause -- because they also -- not just the speeding,
but they'll turn around right in front of my dock, and it
causes the wake. So the whole pilings are deteriorating.
I'm sorry. I'm short of breath.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: That's all right.
MS. McNAMARA: But -- yeah, that and the wildlife,
and the expansion of the boat dock -- it's not just the marina.
It used to have those docks there, but those docks weren't
used for commercial, you know. So it's -- it's not the
amount of the slips. It's the usage of those slips that's really
concerning.
So that's all I wanted to add to it. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Next speaker, please. Ms. Pedron, will you say the
name again.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, our next speaker is
Brooke Sykes.
MS. SYKES: Hi.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Your last name is Sites?
MS. SYKES: Sykes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Spell.
MS. SYKES: S-y-k-e-s.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much. Go
ahead.
MS. SYKES: Thank you. Hi. My name is Brooke
Sykes, and I live at 1800 Holiday Lane. We live on the
water also in Brookside.
That was the one thing I was -- I wanted everyone to
know, too, that there were boat slips before, but they were
residential, and I think that's important. To change all of
them to commercial, that makes a really big difference for
us.
And I'll speak for me as a mother and having kids, and
we're out in kayaks and paddleboards, and we have a boat as
well, and we're out there, and that really makes a big dif -- I
mean, we're on Rock Creek. I mean, it's labeled a creek
that -- we have, you know, all traffic funnels out and then it
goes out, you know, into the river -- but to just really, take to
heart for all of us that live there and are there day in and day
out and want to enjoy this as well -- I don't think any of us
are opposed to putting the slips back, but it's -- changing it
all to commercial will really, I think, make a big difference
for us that live there.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Ms. Pedron?
MS. PEDRON: Okay. Mr. Chairman, our final
in-person speaker is Nicholas Thomas.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Go ahead, Mr. Thomas.
MR. THOMAS: Thank you. I just wanted to talk
about a few things. We -- I represent Freedom Boat Club,
and we do have 63 vessels there today in the water. Some
of the fueling concerns that we had was we did have a delay
in removing the fuel tanks from the land because we had our
employees and their families impacted by Hurricane Ian, so
there was a delay. It's not like we were just disregarding
the notion that we had -- we weren't going to move it. We
certainly had every intention to.
We do not store portable fuel tanks on the docking
structures per code. We store them in OSHA-approved
containers, and when we do fuel, we use pumps associated
with those, so our employees aren't picking up fueling
containers and making it harder on them and potentially on
the environment as well.
We do have training and education to our staff when it
comes to fueling.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Slow down a little bit, sir, for
the court reporter.
MR. THOMAS: Can do.
We do have training and education to our staff when it
comes to fueling. We have standard operating procedures.
We operate out of 108 locations internationally, and to date
we haven't had any major fuel issues, and we believe that is
a direct reflection of our SOPs. Granted, we did cease our
continuing education program of some programs post-Ian
because of the local resources, but we are going to reinstall
them, and that way every employee knows what to do in the
event that something, unfortunately, happens.
We do have on site a fuel spill recovery kit. It is now,
as of yesterday, on the docks, bolted to the docks, so it can't
go anywhere and it can't float away or go anywhere else.
And we do use a boom for refueling procedures. In the
unlikely event that something is spilled, we deploy a boom
to keep the contaminants all in one area.
And then I would also like to address the third party.
In the event there is a major fill -- a major fuel spill, which
we hope never happens, we do have a third-party company
that we outsource to, just like the City of Naples does. It's
the same vendor that they use in the event that there's a
major fuel spill at the city dock.
For trips to adjust for utilization, is what we would call
it, up and down Rock Creek, in one of our peak weeks, we
do about 320 trips, or 300 trips in that week, which is about
1,300 per month, which would be roughly 16,500 trips per
year, to put it in perspective, not hundreds of tens of
thousands of trips.
FBC model is a subscription-based model. So it's like
Disney Plus or your cell phone. Our members pay us, and
it's up to them to use the club. Now, we want to get them
out on the water in a good, safe manner as much as possible,
but it's not every boat's going out every single day like a
rental business all of the time. That's not our goal. We
just want to make sure our members can use the water when
they want to use the water.
And we do operate in several marinas from
Bonita -- from here through Bonita, the Fort Myers area,
Englewood, Venice, and up to Anna Maria. All of those
marinas butt up against residences. So I don't know where
other people may have done their research, but we do
operate in marinas next to residential neighborhoods or
within residential neighborhoods.
We also use antifouling paint as nonabrasive. It's
called ablasive [sic] antifouling paint, which doesn't have
the traditional coppers and heavy metals that are found in
most of them. And since we learned that you can't clean
vessels there, we have not cleaned any vessels there on-site.
And then we do definitely use green marina chemicals
because some of the marinas that we operate in are part of
green marinas in the State of Florida. So all of our
chemicals are approved for green marina use. And the
Starbrite chemicals that we use have non-heavy metals in
them, and they're sourced at the local West Marine and local
marina stores.
We do take every compliment or complaint seriously,
and we've had three major complaints brought to us, one of
them being a member had struck a dock and done damage.
One of our directors went out on site, reviewed the potential
damage with the owner of the property, and no -- no major
and significant damage could be determined or deciphered
that wasn't unilateral to the entire dock. But we do take
every complaint that's raised to us very seriously.
We agree that when our members drive too fast, we
don't want that. We are 100 percent in alignment of
wanting to make that an idle speed zone and not just a slow
speed zone. When it is brought to our attention that a
member does drive too fast or is going too fast, on the two
or three that have been brought to our attention, we have
taken corrective action with our members, and that's
typically done for a 30-, 60-, or 90-day suspension of
boat-use privileges, and if they continue to show those
repeated actions, we typically terminate them from the club,
because we don't want those type of people representing our
club or doing that to the waterways.
With slow speed, minimum wake, the Florida State
statutes do define that as a means that a vessel must fully be
off plane and completely settled in the water, and that is
what slow speed means, and that's -- like I said, we do
encourage you, along with the neighbors, to have the county
continue to pursue with the state to change that to an idle
speed, slow speed zone.
I would also like to remind the Commission that post
Hurricane Ian for -- as part of our community investment
team, we had several employees reach out to the
neighborhood to find out what we can do and what they
want us to do, and that was cleaning up the waterways,
removing port-o-potties that had blown in there and had
clogged the waterways post Hurricane Ian, and we have
done that, and that's something that now we are continuing
to do on a regular and scheduled basis because, obviously,
sustainability of the waterways is very important to us.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: You're at your time limit now,
sir.
MR. THOMAS: Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much. And I
think you gave us a little preview of rebuttal. If there's
anything further that you want said at rebuttal, just let the
lawyer know, and we'll hear it then.
Next speaker, please.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, our first online
speaker is Mr. Joan Gross.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Gross is the last name; Gross?
MS. GROSS: That is correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. Ms. Gross?
Mr. Gross?
MR. GROSS: Hi. This Dean Gross. Joni couldn't
wait for meeting.
And only thing I would mention is that this is, again,
people who used to be in the neighborhood; a lot of them
have moved away, that -- just to make the point that
Brookside owned all of those marinas when the
development was built, and all the ones that are
along -- maybe not the cutout where the covered was [sic],
but all the way along there. And what happened, they let
everybody use it. The people in the neighborhood could
use it, all of Brookside, and they let other people across on
the other side use their marina.
And the crafty guy that took this and abused it, he put
all his boats in there, and it went on for three or five or
whatever years. And then -- this is part of history, I guess,
that wasn't covered. And then what happened is he had
boats that he was using there, and he said, well, that's
adverse possession. And legally what adverse possession
is, if you use that area without written permission, after three
or five years or seven, whatever it is, you can take the land,
and that's exactly what happened to the owners in Brookside
is we lost all those slots for the people that didn't live on the
canal, across the canal, to be able to pull -- park their boats
there.
So this has been kind of an abuse that's been going on.
And I wouldn't want to keep seeing the regulations derode to
the problems and future degradation of the owners for the
Brookside.
So that's about it. Joan would probably have more
comments, but I just wanted to make that point.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Mr. Gross.
MR. GROSS: Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir.
Next speaker, please.
MS. PEDRON: Our next speaker is Amy Eckenrode.
Amy, can you hear us?
MS. ECKENRODE: Yes. Hi.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Spell your last name for us,
and then you have the floor.
MS. ECKENRODE: Okay. It's E-c-k-e-n-r-o-d-e.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
MS. ECKENRODE: You're welcome.
I'm just going to make statements and kind of just
rounding up what everyone has already said today.
They will not disclose the use of the old building on the
property zoned C-4. I don't want a party in my backyard
daily, nightly.
Tiki boats create this disturbance. We can hear the
hotel pool parties. Commercial zoning creates more traffic.
Oak [sic] Farm is expanding as well. The triangle is
going to create more traffic.
Constant wakes. Frequent use of the rental program.
Twice-a-day rental creates an impact on the ecosystem.
Back when the slips were in use, they were for private
use. Private use is usually twice a month. There's no
patrols. I played Karen so many times; it's exhausting.
He would have put up the signs already if he really
cared about our ecosystem. The fact of the matter is, he
doesn't care about our ecosystem. He is a capitalist. And I
understand it, but there has to be a balance. There has to be
a balance for our ecosystem back here.
And I called the boat club, and they just give verbal
slaps to the clients. In the end, again, it's about our
ecosystem and quiet enjoyment, which we are lacking.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you very much.
Next speaker, please.
MS. PEDRON: Our next speaker is Fred Harms.
Fred, you may unmute your microphone. Can you
hear us?
MR. HARMS: Yes, I can.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right, sir, please proceed.
MR. HARMS: Okay. First of all, I'll give you a little
bit of my background. I'm a retired businessman, operated
my business on fairness, and I was never all about the
money. So that's a bit of my background there.
This is one of my properties that I reside in. I choose
to select properties that are peaceful and natural, and this is
why I selected this property here to live in the winter.
Anyway, it's very -- full of mangroves. My view is
mangroves. You've seen my cameras. You can see what
my view is, and I'd like to keep it that way.
Also, we have been impacted by Hurricane Ian, and our
residents and neighbors have spent thousands of dollars
repairing their homes in the hopes that it would still be a
nice place to live.
I was also impressed by the Chairman stating -- and
correct me if I'm wrong -- that the goal of the Board is to
protect the citizens of Collier County and not out-of-county
corporate entities like we're dealing with here from Venice,
Florida. Did I hear that correctly, or is that --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: You added to do it, but the
record will stand.
MR. HARMS: Okay. So, therefore, we have a
subdivision. And I'm just wowed at what I just heard about
the way it used to be there, that all of that property was sort
of like deeded to the community and it was taken away
illegally, or whatever, from us and, wow, I didn't even know
that. That was very interesting.
So I think the solution here is -- I'll just get to the quick
solution. Either tear out all the mangroves and open up this
whole area for a thousand boats or turn things back the way
it used to be where you would have resident -- people in the
area, like your neighbors, going by your home and saying
"Have a nice day," or "How are you today?" rather than
these inexperienced boaters who couldn't care less about our
properties. And they're always in a hurry to get back or to
get out, which makes sense. I mean, I would be no
different.
I've been threatened by people. And I don't know if
any of you people have ever been threatened by somebody,
but generally it's to your face and you know who they are
and you can respond to it. When you call the Freedom Boat
Club, who is also not the owner of the property, they said,
we'll talk to them.
I said, well, do I not have a right to know who this
person is? Because they know who I am, because I used to
post my family name (unintelligible).
So I also fear for my life with some of these people. I
wish I could slow them down, but maybe I will. I'll slow
(unintelligible), and we'll go over these things a little bit
more.
I don't even go out in my backyard either, because I
can't -- I can't stand it. And when I ask people to slow
down, they either laugh at you, give you the finger, or
just -- when I say "slow down," you know, just give
the -- my hands down, they pretend they're (unintelligible) to
me or something. It's just ridiculous.
This is a residential neighborhood. It was always a
peaceful, tranquil neighbor -- tranquil neighborhood where
your neighbors would come by occasionally, and you would
say, "Hi, how are you?"
I am going to invite each and every one of you Board
members to my property for a coffee as well as the media
and to see what I'm up against and what my neighbors and
their families are all up against.
So I've got more things to add, but I think we've pretty
much done it all. Other Freedom Boat Clubs, apparently,
have 10 to 14 boats in there operation. These people want
to have, I don't know, is it 150? It's ridiculous as it stands
right now, and they want to add more? It's just terrible.
Somebody's going to get hurt. Something's going to
happen. And I can't even put my boat out on my dock
because when these yahoos come flying by, they smash my
boat into my dock and destroy it. Who's going to pay for
my repairs? You know, I don't know. There's -- the other
side of this is, sure, you can have a business, but, come on,
man, be fair, and don't do it -- you know, think about the
impact you're having on families in a residential
neighborhood.
It's also on a cul-de-sac which is generally more
private. People seek out these locations.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: One minute to go, Mr. Harms.
One more minute, sir.
MR. HARMS: One more minute?
I told you they're inexperienced boaters. Also, the
owner has no control over who these people are in these
boats. The owner apparently used to own the Freedom
Boat Club. I don't know if you people are aware of that,
whether it's true or not. I mean, he said to me that he used
to. So, I mean, it seems like it's (unintelligible).
So there are other (unintelligible) that a fellow who
brings down from Rhode Island -- I believe he brings two or
three down. He carts them down from Rhode Island in the
winter, and they can't navigate those waters safely either
with these kind of (Unintelligible).
In the mornings is like one constant (unintelligible).
They come within 10 feet of these docks. Also there was
mention of these underwater submerged lands. I own that
land as well underneath -- right to the other side of the
mangroves. Can I put in -- I have 110 feet of waterfront.
Can I put in 20 more docks?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Sir, you're at six minutes, so I
want to thank you very much for your comments and
indicate for the record that -- no one's fault but technology,
that I'm sure the court reporter had some difficulty hearing
all the words you were saying. I know I did. But I know
she'll do the best she could.
All right. Who's next, please?
MS. PEDRON: And our final online speaker is Jason
Botta.
Jason, you may unmute your microphone. Can you
hear us?
MR. BOTTA: Yes, I can hear you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: And spell your last name, and
then you have the floor, sir.
MR. BOTTA: Last name is Botta, B-o-t-t-a.
Just a couple comments. I just wanted to take
exception to Mr. Brooker's statement about speeding being
the main concern. Although it is a major concern of the
residents, I think from my perspective of many of the
residents it's the total traffic at the use case [sic] of the
Freedom Boat Club as tenant that our issue is.
I've been at the property as -- you know, visiting the
property, living at the property for over 30 years, so we were
present when the docks in the basin that they're proposing
were in existence.
And the condition of the water and the use of the
waterways is significantly different since the Freedom Boat
Club became present in 2017.
As most of the residents can attest to, that the
waterway's condition has severely deteriorated, and the
wildlife is almost nonexistent. That's -- yeah, I think the
case -- or the statement that manatee deaths are primarily the
assessment of wildlife impact is unfair and not appropriate
in this case because, in the current condition of water, we
don't see any wildlife present at all, so of course there will
be no manatee deaths.
The presence of the Freedom Boat Club here as the
tenant, I think, is extremely unprecedented for this type of
waterway. As Mr. Harm stated, this is a cul-de-sac and,
really, the end arm of the Rock Creek waterway. So all the
residents along this waterway are impacted by the presence
of the Freedom Boat Club.
We have investigated several of their other properties
via satellite images, and there was -- we couldn't find of any
other case where the Freedom Boat Club operates at the tail
end of a residential waterway like this which impacts
absolutely everyone and especially the residents that are
directly here at Brookside community.
So, you know, our -- at least my concern, and I think
the main ask, is that the traffic and the environmental impact
be assessed because of -- at least our observations from the
Freedom Boat Club's presence since 2017 has been
extremely significant. You know, as I said, that the boat
slips that did exist in the aerial photos in the '70s, there were
boats present. As was stated, these were usually just
private boats that made very limited routes through the
waterway; whereas, the Freedom Boat Club operates very
much like a rental car agency where these are going out
multiple trips every day. So the total traffic change from
1979 when that image was taken to today is extremely
different. It's not -- also, though it's less boat slips, it's
multitudes larger total traffic. So we think that that
comparison is totally unfair.
So we wish that the traffic assessment is at least
reevaluated as was stated that there's no impact. We think
that's completely untrue, and the environmental impact is
significant just from the total amount of traffic being
present. And that's all I have to say about that.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir.
Ms. Pedron, any further speakers?
MS. PEDRON: At this time, we do not have any
additional online speakers.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Anyone in the room who has
not registered but, nonetheless -- has not ceded their time,
nonetheless, wishes to be heard, please raise your hand.
Seeing none, at this time we'll close --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: We've got one. He's got a
hand.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Oh, please approach. And I
take it you have not been sworn in, sir?
MR. WALSH: I was.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Have you already spoken?
MR. WALSH: No.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Then please identify
yourself, and then you have the floor.
MR. WALSH: My name is Kevin Walsh. I'm a
resident of Collier County. I am a member of Freedom
Boat Club and have been for a long time and, in full
disclosure, I also work there. But I'm speaking as a
member and not as a Freedom Boat Club employee today.
I wanted to just speak on behalf of the Freedom Boat
Club members that I know and live near who -- for whom
access to the water in Collier County wouldn't otherwise be
possible if it wasn't for Freedom Boat Club. We have a
number of -- hundreds of members here in Naples and down
in Marco and up in Bonita who, but for Freedom Boat Club
and their expansion over the last 10 years, wouldn't have
access to the water.
And I'm not talking access through a boat ramp or
whatever. But we don't own boats. We don't choose to
rent boats because they're too expensive and in not such
good shape, so we choose Freedom Boat Club as members
to get out on the water in a way that's less disruptive to the
waterways of Florida and Naples than if we all each had our
own boat.
So we're a boat-sharing community. Not a timeshare,
if you will, but, you know, a dozen or so people that
effectively share a boat. And do we get more use out of a
boat than somebody that might have been at Brookside
Marina 20 years ago? Certainly we do, but it's because 10
families or so are sharing a boat and access to the water.
So what I would like to respectfully request is that in
addition to listening to the Brookside neighbors who are
immediately impacted because the boat goes back and forth
in front of house once or twice a day, please listen to the
people that are up and down Davis Boulevard or as far out
as Collier Boulevard who otherwise would have no access to
the water in Naples and are looking to Freedom Boat Club
to be able to provide more slips so that we can have access
to boats in the busy season when right now it's hard to do.
So that's all I'd like to say. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Mr. Walsh.
Anybody else who's not -- yes, ma'am. Please
approach, state your name, and then you'll have the floor.
Have you been sworn in?
MS. GALVIN: Yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay.
MS. GALVIN: Hi. Thank you for hearing me today.
My name's Robin Galvin, G-a-l-v-i-n. We've owned a
home here in Naples from 1987, and we live within walking
distance of Brookside Marina.
I'm speaking in behalf of Freedom Boat Club right
now. I understand that the neighborhood of Brookside has
had a lot of boats passing by, and it has increased since
we've had the boat club there.
We used to rent at Brookside Marina. We rented a slip
many years ago. That marina was not well taken care of.
It was not well maintained. It was a commercial area where
that basin was, the covered slips. It was so poorly
maintained that it fell into the water. The cover fell in, part
of the pavement fell in, the seawall caved in.
Since John Giglio has owned the property, he's made
improvements in the property. He's complied with a lot of
the issues that the neighborhood has had. Speeding is one
of them. It is a designated slow wake area, not idle speed.
I know I was reprimanded as a Freedom Boat member
coming in at slow speed. I docked the boat, and I was
lambasted for coming in at slow speed and not idle speed,
and I was told that further action would be made against me
if I did not comply.
So that is reiterated all the time in the monthly
statements. We have monthly email newsletters from the
boat club about the speeding. All the time on the dock,
it's -- we're reminded of this. It's got a placard up there to
tell us that it's idle speed only, even though it's slow speed,
in recognition of the concerns of the neighborhood.
The prior property owners there, they had all kinds of
establishments where there was drinking and no restrictions
on the property. The slips that were rented out there had no
oversight. People could go there all hours of the day.
Freedom Boat is dawn to dusk operations only. I know that
they have used -- they have allowed the usage of their boat
ramp for neighbors to have to remove their boats out of the
area. They've allowed that. They have.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Ladies and gentlemen, if you
don't have the floor, please do not speak.
MS. GALVIN: Yes, they have. I was there when that
occurred.
So I just want to say that the Freedom Boat Club allows
a lot of people access to the water. We used to have a boat,
and then the slips became unaffordable, so we joined the
boat club probably more than 10 years ago. We try and be
very respectful of the neighbors. We wave. We say hello.
There was one day somebody was not watching their fishing
pole, and a snook was jumping out of the water, and I yelled
to the people to come get their snook, you know. So we try
and be good neighbors. We've been in that marina off and
on for years and years now.
The Freedom Boat Club also affords people who could
not get on the water, handicapped people, veterans,
disadvantaged youth -- they couple with Freedom Waters
and do a service for the community, the community at large.
They bring people who could not access the water out to the
water for the day, and the members volunteer their time to
drive these people around.
There are other things that the boat club does that is
not -- is not well thought of in the community, but they do
provide quite a bit of community support.
So I want to say thank you for allowing me to speak on
behalf of Freeman Boat. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Ms. Galvin.
Anybody else in the room who's not registered but
wishes to be heard?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I don't see any hands up and
so, therefore, we will close the public comment portion of
this hearing.
And we will now turn to rebuttal. Mr. Brooker.
MR. BROOKER: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm
going to try to be selective on my rebuttal. Some of the
points have already -- that I was planning to make were
already made by some of the speakers.
Mr. Morrison's request that we record a fully executed
binding agreement to maintain public access -- there was a
citation to a Florida Administrative Code provision. That
code provision applies to public ramps. The ramp here,
which is, by the way, not on the land subject to this rezone,
is not public. It's private. So the requirement doesn't apply
here.
Also, given some of the comments we've heard from
the neighbors, I'd be very surprised if the neighborhood
would want this ramp opened up to unlimited use by the
public.
Mr. Morrison mentioned the issue of the taxation of the
eastern two parcels. Taxation is surely an irrelevant issue
for this zoning proceeding. The Board of County
Commissioners and the Property Appraiser are distinct
authorities. The BCC has no power to dictate how the
Property Appraiser does his or her job; however, assuming
there is some relevance to this proceeding, which there is
not, no taxes are being paid because no taxes are owed.
Mr. Giglio has not done anything with the way the
parcels are coded by the Property Appraiser. That code has
remained the same for many, many years, long before
Mr. Giglio purchased the parcels.
If Mr. Morrison's comments or requests result in the
parcels being taxed, please understand that some of the
neighbors who you've heard from today have docks or
portions of their docks that are, in fact, located on
Mr. Giglio's property without his consent. He has not
pursued this issue, doesn't want to, because he'd prefer to be
a friendly neighbor; however, if taxes are imposed, he must
respectfully reserve his rights, which would include removal
of the docks from the property or the payment by those
property owners of a pro rata portion of the taxes for their
use of his property.
Mr. Morrison's comments about the "one boat, one
slip." We are aware of no documents or restriction that
limit each numbered slip, even if a slip is more than 60 feet
in length and there are some slips on the property right now
that are more than 60 feet in length, to just one vessel.
In fact, this one boat, one slip was the subject of one of
Mr. Morrison's complaints to county Code Enforcement.
The county found no violation.
The DEP's permit allows 112 slips in these waters, and
the county's Manatee Protection Plan authorizes up to 311
slips in the marina. So we respectfully disagree that there is
any violation with respect to the number of boats at the
marina presently. Having said that, one boat, one slip is our
goal. That's why we're here trying to get additional slips
added to the western basin where they were for decades.
Finally, the sediment and impact studies mentioned by
Mr. Cotugno. He asked the county to delay my client's
application and condition any rezone approval until these
studies are completed and somehow applied. Doing so
would amount to an egregious violation of my client's due
process rights.
The studies Mr. Cotugno requests are not codified
anywhere in the county's land-use regulations, yet he asked
you to create them from scratch and apply them somehow to
this application. What exactly would be studied? What
criteria would be applied to the results? Creating such
uncodified, standardless studies and criteria on the fly would
violate my client's due process and private property rights.
Having said that, with specific regard to the so-called
impact study, as I stated earlier, we encourage the county to
continue to pursue efforts with the Fish and Wildlife
Commission to impose an idle speed, no wake speed zone in
Rock Creek. But as I explained to you, Florida law does
not permit my client, a private property owner, to do
anything more than what we have already done. But we do
encourage county staff to continue haunting Fish and
Wildlife. We are in full support of ISNW.
With regard to the sediment study and dredging
requirement, the county has no such authority. To my
knowledge, the only agencies that can order the dredging of
lands under navigable waters are the DEP and the Army
Corps of Engineers.
In his recent complaint to the DEP, Mr. Cotugno asked
the DEP to support his request to force my client to study
and, if contaminated, dredge the submerged lands. The
DEP refused, likely due to the fact that my client's
submerged lands have been dredged twice in the last 20
years.
Moreover, the sediment study referenced by
Mr. Cotugno analyzed samples from their own submerged
lands, lands that, to my knowledge, have never been dredged
since they were created in the 1960s. That study confirms
only one thing; that the copper and zinc levels in their
submerged lands -- lands that they own, not lands that we
own -- are allegedly elevated.
If the county were to even consider imposing a possible
study and dredge requirement, a requirement that it cannot
legally impose and one which would violate my client's
rights, that requirement should be applied equally to the
neighbors' submerged lands that they own. They have
admitted that copper and zinc is elevated in their lands.
So if the county's going to treat my client equally, it
should immediately require the neighbors to dredge their
submerged lands. And, again, a lot of this is hyperbole
because the county does not have the legal authority to
dictate that.
In conclusion, the county staff recommends approval
because it has determined that the application before you
today is consistent with and satisfies all -- I'll use the words
of the neighbor -- legal mumbo-jumbo, otherwise known as
codified county regulations.
In fact, the county's Growth Management Plan and
Land Development Code prioritize and prefer this site for
marina operations. If this zoning application is denied, the
county would deprive my client of the only reasonable use
of his privately owned submerged western basin.
For all of these reasons, we respectfully thank you for
your time and request that you recommend approval.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. Mr. Brooker, I
have a question, and others who will signal and are signaling
will also have questions.
In my judgment, at least, I think you've gone a
significant way toward answering the questions and issues
and concerns that I had.
The "one slip, one boat" question.
(Cell phone ringing.)
MS. LOCKHART: I'm so sorry.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: The "one slip, one boat"
question, you said that's your goal. Would your client be in
a position to put a ceiling on the number of boats per slip so
that we have a clearer idea of what the magnitude and the
overall intensity might be of that area?
MR. BROOKER: So we are asking for the 73 to be
reinstalled in the western basin and the 39 that exist today.
We would agree today that would be a stipulated cap. No
more than 112 vessels moored at those slips.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. So it is one boat, one
slip at 112?
MR. BROOKER: That's what we would agree to,
although there's no document.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I understand. Okay. Well,
that fully answers my question and my concern.
Commissioner Sparrazza.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Thank you,
Chairman.
And thank you very much for your detailed
explanation, especially as you introduced this complicated
program to us and the community.
I apologize for, I'm sure, repeating a few things, but I
just want to confirm, all of these slips are dedicated/leased
to Freedom Boat Club, correct?
MR. BROOKER: The existing slips in the marina
today are leased to Freedom Boat Club.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Great. Thank
you. All of the new slips, so the 112 total, are leased totally
to Freedom Boat Club?
MR. BROOKER: No. That does not -- that is not a
true statement.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Oh, great. Thank
you.
Can you explain how many are to Freedom and if
Freedom will agree to the one boat, one slip, and how many
to -- please explain, is it private residents that can come up
and rent a slip and come to it dusk to dawn?
MR. BROOKER: So I'll try to explain. It's a -- it's
not exactly a concrete number as I stand here today. A lot
depends on what happens to the uplands. There is interest,
especially at the mini-triangle going across the street, of
what can be done with the uplands. For example, if there
were a mixed-use project developed in the uplands that has
condominiums incorporated in the upper floors, I'm not
aware of any developer that would come along and say,
we're going to build without any rights to any of those slips.
Mr. Giglio is keenly aware of that market tie between
what happens on his uplands and the ultimate use of the
slips in the water. So there is going to be some sharing of
what happens on the uplands with the wet slips in the water.
Right now Freedom Boat Club has the right to use
those slips that are there. If these slips are approved -- they
have been by the DEP. But if the county approves the wet
slips and they are installed, I imagine Mr. Giglio and
Freedom Boat Club are going to have a talk. How many do
you want? What are you going to pay for them? How are
we going to work this out?
So that's -- that's literally where we stand today --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay.
MR. BROOKER: -- is Freedom Boat Club wants
more slips, no doubt. Is Mr. Giglio willing to give them to
him? Don't know --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: That's a financial
decision.
MR. BROOKER: -- because the market will drive that
one.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Very good.
Thank you.
In conclusion, the number of slips for Freedom and
possible private ownership may change, may alter
throughout the course. But are you stating, as the Chairman
stated just a moment ago, there will never be more than 112
vessels in that entire marina?
MR. BROOKER: Yes. In the water, yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: In the water, okay.
MR. BROOKER: Moored -- moored there. You
know, people come up, transients. I can't control boats.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Very good.
And as we have seen -- and I've seen it myself. I've
been at Freedom Boat Club on a few. You do see multiple
boats tied together, and that's something you are trying to
eliminate.
MR. BROOKER: (Nods head.)
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: And we appreciate
that.
A couple other just common questions. Will -- the
landlord and the lessee, Freedom Boat Club, are they able to
be held either, together, responsible for any and all codes
that the county, the local fire, whatever, imposes and holds
them to it. Not only Freedom Boat Club, but the landlord, I
believe, is always responsible for their tenant. So if the
tenant is violating something, it can actually go to the
landlord.
Is that a conversation -- or something in writing that
can be presented as you move forward with this should it
pass?
MR. BROOKER: Well, what I can tell you, the lease
between owner of the land and the tenant, Freedom Boat
Club, expressly requires the tenant, Freedom Boat Club, to
comply with all applicable codes, regulations, and
permanent conditions.
Over the last few months, you've heard of complaints
and issues that have risen. You can rest assured that there
have been conversations between Mr. Giglio about that and
Freedom Boat Club.
Breach of a lease? But am I permitted to present as a
public record that lease? No.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: That's fine. And I
apologize if that's --
MR. BROOKER: Okay.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- how it was
interpreted.
MR. BROOKER: But I can tell you you are correct,
the buck stops with the property owner. We are --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Correct.
MR. BROOKER: -- ultimately responsible, but we
will be talking to our tenant when issues arise.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Wonderful.
Thank you.
All right. One last comment. I don't know how it is,
because I've heard various uses of it articulated today, but is
there some type of an agreement for the neighbors who
legally own on Harbor Drive, maybe the other one, Holiday
Drive, whatever is access to the waterway? Would the
owner be open to allowing -- I'm sorry -- the owner of the
marina be open to allowing those owners access for
emergency repairs or repairs getting their vessel in and out if
they can't do it on their own property to be able to come in
and use the dock that is currently there?
MR. BROOKER: So that request came from the
neighbors at the very beginning of our communications with
them --
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Right.
MR. BROOKER: -- and we have also said yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. I
apologize. I must not have --
MR. BROOKER: No. We're willing to
accommodate. I know it's expanded a little bit further.
Now they want one slip dedicated for their use. I don't
know if we can do that, but we are accommodating
and -- but with one condition: That's along Mr. Giglio
owns the property. He's owner right now; fine. While he
can encourage a successor owner to continue cooperating
with the neighborhood in this regard, we can't -- we can't
dictate anything in that way.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Wonderful.
Thank you very much for your answers. Appreciate that.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Just a follow-up to
Commissioner Sparrazza's. I'm assuming that you've
protected yourself by flowing down all the major
responsibilities you have on a contract because, if you don't
flow them down, then any kind of repair or anything that
needs to be done gets tied up in court between the two of
you. So I would assume you would have flown down those
clauses.
That's not my primary question, though. I want to ask
Mike a question. I've never sat here and looked at a petition
involving submerged land. So it was filled, and it was -- it's
zoned RS-4 [sic]. So can they fill that back in and build
houses there? Or what happens over a period of
time -- now it's officially a waterway and now they call it
submerged lands, and if that's the case, what -- what is our
obligation as a Planning Commission? We've never dealt
with this.
MR. BOSI: The -- I'm not sure -- Mike Bosi, Planning
and Zoning director.
In response towards can they fill that land back in, I
would have to probably lean upon our environmental staff as
to what the process is, but I imagine there would be a
process that we would have to follow and satisfy that
eventually they couldn't fill that land back in and develop
residential. That's what RSF-4 would allow for.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Well, right now they have
a piece of property that can't be developed as zoned. So
we've kind of done something with somebody's rights on
that land and limited it, right?
MR. BOSI: What I can tell you is at the time that this
marina was developed, the zoning that is currently on it was
not what it currently zoned. The zoning has changed. The
zoning has changed over time, and during the zoning
reevaluation, an RSF-4 designation was applied to this
property. I'm not sure what the criteria was when
this -- when that happened back in the early '90s when that
program went on. But that's what the zoning is now. It's
been utilized as a marina for over 50 years. They are here
to seek to try to provide for consistency with what the
underlying zoning is with the actual use of that property.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I can tell you, I am
somewhat sympathetic. I rent a lot of boats, and the best
place for a place like Freedom is not at the end of a river,
small stream like that, because of the 8:00 to 9:00, the 12:00
to 1:00, and the 4:00 to 5:00 rushes when -- the four hours
and the eight-hour or whatever time they have out, it's
pretty -- it's pretty overpowering when you're -- especially
when you're going through such a narrow passage.
But -- so from our standpoint, what -- what ability do
we really have as a commission on a submerged land?
MR. BOSI: Whether it's a submerged land or not, I
think the rezoning criteria is applied the same. The rezone
criteria that are contained within your staff report, which
you're making an evaluation upon, that doesn't change
regardless of whether it's upland or submerged land.
What I would say is, I think what staff has looked at as
the most pressing is the historic use of this property. It's
always been a marina for the last 50 years. They're aligning
the zoning with the use of the property. I think that is the
appropriate action that -- and they have satisfied the zoning
requirements.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So should we think about
it as a piece of land and think about it as commercial versus
residential, which means not having -- having private
residences using the docking facilities versus a commercial?
We look at land as residential or commercial. I look at
the submerged land as a commercial rental or just an
individual dock rental. Should we look at it like that?
Because they're two completely different uses, and they
have to go through that small waterway.
MR. BOSI: I will fall back on the historical use of --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I told you it wouldn't be
an easy day today, Mike.
MR. BOSI: The historical use of this property has
been a marina. The underlying zoning --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Commercial -- I'm
separating a commercial marina, because that's what this is
with Freedom versus a group of individual people that might
go out once in a while.
MR. BOSI: No. It has always been a privately
owned commercial marina. Now, whether they have a
lease with Freedom Boat Club or not, it doesn't change the
underlying nature of this marina. It's been a commercial
marina. It's not a residential. It is a marina that has
offered their slips for an individual throughout the world to
be able to rent and moor their boats there for
commercial -- for commercial property.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: So if it stayed RSF-4, then
the use that they have it for now in the waterway is
nonconforming. So they want to rebuild, so they can't
rebuild. And if it stays RSF-4, it needs to have an upland
residential, correct? You know, the -- because you have to
have a home or some kind of residential principal use, right?
So they wouldn't be -- am I -- I'm trying to answer his
question.
MR. BOSI: Yeah. I don't think that the underlying
zoning of this reverts back to changing the nature of the
existing marina.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: No. I'm just saying that if it
stays RSF-4 in just the waterway, there's no upland use, like
you require a residential principal use in order to have the
docking facility. It wouldn't be a marina -- I wouldn't be
able to operate as a marina, or there would be no docks
allowed which, you know, we have some -- we'd have some
exposure, you know, if we get sued over that.
MR. BOSI: Currently it is a nonconforming -- it's a
nonconforming use. If the request is to deny, it's still a
nonconforming use. It doesn't change the status. It's not
going to -- it's not going to change the status. They won't
be able to add additional -- additional facilities. And then
we're going to probably -- and then, in that regard they
wouldn't be able to expand the marina, but it still -- it's not
going to make the marina go away. It's not going to change
the commercial nature of it. It simply would be that they
would be restricted from adding additional slips because of
the inconsistency with the underlying zoning.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Commissioner Schumacher.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Okay. A
couple things. So going back to the zoning. I wanted to
talk to you about that, because I believe when this code was
written, I don't think anybody anticipated the popularity that
you would find with a boat club. I mean, typical marinas
might have two, three, four, five boats for rent. Here we've
got 63 tied up on 39 slips. I mean, I don't think anybody
kind of thought that was a possibility when that code was
written. I think that's something staff needs to take a look
at and, if possible, try to figure out a way we can work out
some wording in there to say if you're going to be running a
boat rental in excess of one boat, one slip, well, that's got to
be considered in the congestion that we're seeing from these
maps and from what the residents are saying on that small
waterway. I mean, I can understand their concern. If
you've got 63 boats going past you on a busy week, even on
the weekend when it's the busiest time, everybody wants to
be on the water, that's a concern. I think that that needs to
be looked at.
Mr. Brooker, thank you for your presentation. It was
well detailed, and I appreciate it. You just stated that when
it goes into permit, it will be one boat, one slip. That would
kind of put Freedom Boat Club in a pickle because they've
got 63 on 39 slips, so they'd have to drop down to 39 boats
as soon as you went in for permit, or is that after you get the
CO and complete it? After CO and completion?
MR. BROOKER: Right. Those boats would be
moved over to the western basin, so they would be one boat,
one slip.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Okay. I'll
reserve -- I have another question coming up, but I've just
got to review it a little bit more, sir. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Well, we're coming
close to the end here.
One point that I want to raise, and it had to do with the
emergency repairs allowing the neighbors to have
reasonable access for that purpose. If that finds its way into
the ordinance, it's going to run with the land. It's going to
be more than just binding on the current owner. So I want
everybody to understand that, you know, if that's what we're
going to recommend to the BCC, it's not going to be just for
this owner.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. Stay with
the land; stay with the property?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It would run with the land if
we put it in.
Okay. And I -- and what is your client's position on
that, Mr. Brooker?
MR. BROOKER: So, number one, that ramp is not
part of the subject lands today, so I don't know how you
would impose that requirement on land that's being -- that is
the subject of a rezone application to land that's not subject
to the rezone application.
We would -- we have also been
accommodating -- Mr. Giglio has always -- to my
knowledge, has always been willing -- he has never wavered
to be willing to work with the neighborhood.
One issue is there are a lot in the Brookside
neighborhood. You know, how often and how is that going
to be managed if it becomes a popular thing, you know, it's
something we need to work through, but Mr. Giglio is
willing to work through it. But we do not want it to be,
essentially, an easement being created and imposed upon
these lands that would run forever.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, that's the point that I
wanted to bring forth so we all understood that.
Okay. Anything further from the Planning
Commission?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Anything further in rebuttal?
MR. BROOKER: No, thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. I think -- let me
just double-check here that the concerns I had have been
addressed. The -- who was it? It was Mr. Thomas who
said that the fuel spill recovery kit is in place. There was
testimony from one witness, at least, that the only possible
current violation would have been having to do with tanks
and spills, and what you're saying is that that is not the case
because of this kit; is that correct?
MR. BROOKER: That is correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. All right. That's all I
have.
Anything else from the Planning Commission?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: No.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: One more
question.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yes. Go ahead,
Commissioner.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Waterway
traffic study; Mr. Bosi, is there a way that we can facilitate
that? Is that possible?
MR. BOSI: From staff's perspective, the application
has been submitted. To ask for additional information that's
not codified that's outside of the process would be not -- I
believe would be highly unusual, and I'm not sure if the
County Attorney's Office would even suggest that we could
impose that type of --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I'm just talking
about in general. I don't think we could impose it here.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, not retroactively.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Yeah, not
retroactively, no. I'm just wondering if that's something
that we would look at.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Prospectively, we can always
recommend to the Board of County Commissioners that they
have a study. We have that ability. But that wouldn't
apply to this --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: No, I'm not
looking -- I was just asking in general if there's -- if we look
at -- if the staff looks at the code and says, if somebody's
operating or -- leasing to or operating a marina with X
amount of boats for a rental business, much like a Freedom
Boat Club, can that tie into also having to do a waterway --
MR. BOSI: There's most certainly -- I mean, with any
of our land-use petitions that deal with upland -- and we
have traffic impact study requirements, we could -- you
could make a request to the Board of County
Commissioners for staff to explore the development of a
boat mobility study for future marinas --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Okay, thank
you.
MR. BOSI: -- as a possible addition to the code.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Ms. Cook, did you want to be
heard?
MS. COOK: Sure. Jaime Cook, director of
Development Review.
I'd just like to add that when Commissioner Taylor was
still in office, the Board did direct staff to conduct a boat
study in the Rock Creek area. The Coastal Zone
Management team is undertaking that study, however they
have -- we had a hurricane, and they have been very
involved with repairs and restoration efforts. So they
haven't had a chance to start it yet, but they are working on
that study.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Good. Thank you for that
update.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Can you stay there, Jaime?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Thank you. I just
wanted -- this is more for information. It's not necessarily
for this. But what is the county's ability to address issues
like sediment? Is that all by other state agencies, you know,
water quality by the state? Is -- the sediment and all that,
can the county initiate any --
MS. COOK: Collier County does not have any
regulations regarding sediment studies. DEP's website,
their watershed monitoring program, does contain a
subsection on sediment guidelines. The state or the federal
government do not have criteria or state standards for
sediment quality. That being said, they have guidelines if a
project or a landowner wants to take on restoration activities
or assist in any kind of restoration or water-quality
improvements. But there are no state or federal standards
or criteria to do so.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So if somebody dredges,
what do they have to do in terms of monitoring the quality
of what they're dredging and where they're putting it?
MS. COOK: If they want to dredge, a sediment
quality study may be the basis of why they want to dredge.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Okay. Okay. Thank
you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
No one else is signaling at this time. We should
probably take the matter up for discussion and vote.
Anyone want to lead off?
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Do they have the ability to
speak some more?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, if you call on them, they
do, but we've closed public comment.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Oh. Can I ask him a --
MR. COTUGNO: I'm simply wanting an opportunity
to rebut.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Can we allow that, or --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If a commissioner wants you
to, you can. I mean, it's -- go ahead. Go ahead. You have
five minutes, sir.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you. Appreciate it.
So we assessed there's going to be 112, right, vessels.
It's not the number of vessels. It's the traffic that is the big
matter here. So if you got your calculators out folks, it's not
16,000, right, because you're operating upwards of 75 boats
right now. It takes 75 vessels making two trips per day.
That's 150 trips per day. That's 54,750 trips per year. I
don't know why you minimize the impact down to 16,000.
How did you get there?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If you'll address your
comments to us, sir.
MR. COTUGNO: Thank you.
Number two, now, that's Freedom Boat Club today.
You take 112 set-in-stone vessels two trips a day, that's 224
trips per day, 365 days, that's 82,000 trips per year on this
very small creek.
So the request is, as I think we're hearing is, is there an
opportunity to look at the traffic, not the number of slips and
how many boats you put in there. You can put 150,000
boats in there. If they don't move, then we don't have a
problem with that. So point taken aside.
Relative to sediment study, Mr. Brooker claims that I
forced the DEP into getting involved with a sediment study.
I differ with that. What I did do was I requested to what
extent would they get involved in -- as were the questions
before, and we just heard -- a sediment study, and they
continuously said -- Elizabeth Hatchell -- that they defer to
the local government. That's the local government's
requirement if they determine need be so.
So if you're a citizen and nobody knows who has the
authority to do that, that's very concerning, right? And
that's not against you guys. I'm just saying, it seems like
the ball is bouncing around in terms of -- and that's all we're
asking.
And my other point is, when the dredging was
done -- and, John, you were kind enough to do that before
you took occupancy and ownership of the property -- that
dredging was, you'll see in the reports, before and after, and
that included our properties.
So we don't have, assumably, residual contamination
because, allegedly, when you did all of the dredging, it was
all cleaned up. And when you look at Terrell's and DEP's
report, it shows you two different levels for the whole entire
waterway. So that leads us to say allegedly all the
contaminates were removed. Freedom Boat Club's area that
they occupy, that was allegedly cleaned, and all we're saying
is, we notice some contaminates on our properties. Why
would you not, as the Freedom Boat Club, claiming to be a
very green organization and company, want to prove that
you didn't create any further contamination? And if you try
to avoid that, then our interpretation is you're hiding
something. Why not do it and prove to us -- we're not
saying you have to do it. We're saying why don't you do it
to demonstrate you did or didn't create further
contamination? That's a simple ask.
So that's really where our concern lies. And we want
to do this for the existing operation of Freedom Boat Club,
because that's the precedent in which we're concerned about,
the ill consequences and their lack of disregard, as we all
stated.
In going forward, how do we govern to make sure it
sticks to 112 boats? It sort of -- it's like a moving target.
We couldn't even come up with a number of boats until
today. How do we stick to and create some rules to prevent
any more arbitrary and capricious behavior by -- not you,
John -- by the Freedom Boat Club or any other lessee of
John's property? That's the comment. That's all we're
asking for.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, sir.
Any surrebuttal, Mr. Brooker?
MR. BROOKER: No, sir. The horse is dead.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you.
All right. Ladies and gentlemen at the dais, we
are -- the matter is now in our hands for deliberation and
vote. Anyone want to start off?
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Wow.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I don't
think -- listening to all the residents' comments -- and I
appreciate everybody who took time out of their day to
come here. When we look at this code, there's -- you can't
do enforcement on somebody's business practices. I
think -- I think what the residents have been doing is correct,
I think, documenting everything that you're seeing wrong,
calling it in to Code Enforcement, creating that paper trail.
That, unfortunately, doesn't end with us. That doesn't come
here. We're here for the code on this property, which, as
the applicant has shown, they could have up to 300-plus
slips. They're looking for 112. They've agreed to do one
boat, one slip -- I think that is going to be documented in
there as well -- so there is some adherence moving forward
versus the 63 tied to the 39 slips right now.
I think that we can't -- we can't go at the business
practice that's going. But if we look at the code and what
they're requesting, it's nonconforming, we're bringing it into
conformity, and we're taking it from 300 to the 112. I think
that's a good mix. I don't -- I can't -- I can't help resolve the
issues between Freedom Boat Club and the neighborhood,
but I can at least take staff recommendation, which they're
asking for a lesser number.
One question I did have for the county -- for the
attorneys are, how would they -- if they built docks on his
property X amount of years ago, wouldn't that have been
picked up in, like, permitting or something where they'd say,
hey, you're building a dock on somebody else's submerged
lands, or how does that get resolved? Or is it just
something where it's just granted to those owners since there
is no removal in X amount of time?
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: I don't know whether they
got county permits or if there was a permitting requirement
at the time those docks went in. So I would think, unless
he -- oh, did you want to comment?
MR. FRENCH: Yeah. For the record, Jamie French.
I'm not sworn in, Terri.
THE COURT REPORTER: Do you swear or affirm
the testimony you will give will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
MR. FRENCH: I do.
Anything beyond the seawall, you're -- you do not have
the authority. They go through the state.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: They go
through the state.
MR. FRENCH: So if the state allowed them to build
their docks on somebody else's property, that's the state.
That wouldn't have been us.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: The state.
MR. FRENCH: And the contractor would have had to
demonstrate that with a survey where the location of that
building would be. We'd go to the seawall. Beyond the
seawall -- any even the seawall, by the way, is issued by the
State of Florida.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Gotcha.
MR. FRENCH: But we would not have any local
permitting. Local permitting wouldn't even have been
established other than just a marker card back in -- until
probably the early '80s. This marina has existed -- and I
grew up here. It's been here probably since the '50s or '60s.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Gotcha. All
right. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Any other comments?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I'm going to try to summarize
where I think we are. And this is certainly not at all
without sympathy for the owners, as we have seen this
many, many times, those of us sitting on this side of the
dais, where expectations arise as a result of the passage of
time and then situations change.
We are a body of very limited jurisdiction. There's
only so much we can do, and what we can do is
recommendatory at most anyway. So we have to operate
within those strictures. And we listen to evidence, we
evaluate the evidence, and then we give it our best shot.
From my perspective, coming into this, we, as a
Planning Commission, have accomplished nine things, I
think, being added into the ordinance if we approve this for
recommendation. And the first one -- and I'll just tick them
off. They were the other offers that the applicant has
agreed to add in.
NMH to ensure that access to and from Brookside
residents' docks is not impeded and that existing docks will
not be extended any further north into the basin.
Number two, FBC to install two cameras within marina
basin.
Number three, FBC to explore cooperating with
Mr. Harms to install a third camera at the entrance to Rock
Creek.
Four, FBC to send manned vessel to entrance of Rock
Creek to monitor activity at anticipated high-use times.
Number five, NMH to offer 10 additional cameras to
property owners along Harbor Lane, first come, first served.
frustration and probably would be just -- if I vote against it,
it doesn't accomplish anything. And this -- and it probably
doesn't really help me comply with what I committed to do
when I got on the committee.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Any other comments or
questions?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, I'd entertain a motion.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: So motioned as
depicted by the Chair, including our attorney's additional
comment.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: The nine conditions plus the
County Attorney's additional comment?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Is there a second?
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Second.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, all those in favor,
please say aye.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Opposed?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It passes unanimously.
Thank you very much. Thank you, applicant; thank
you, members of the public, staff, and Planning
Commission.
Now, it's 13 minutes after 1:00. I had a conversation
with Mr. Mulhere, who I believe is ready, willing, and able
to go forward if we want to. I want to just touch base and
see whether we would like to continue and just postpone our
own lunch or whether we want to break for lunch.
There's probably no way of estimating, and we can -- I
mean, we can always -- we can always break for lunch. I
mean, if this goes another two hours, we can decide to break
for a meal.
My personal preference would be that we try to plow
through, but mostly because that's how I think you-all
frequently like to do it.
COMMISSIONER SCHMITT: Yep.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Okay. Having
said that --
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I'm good.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Then -- all right.
Madam Court Reporter, are you okay without a quick
break?
THE COURT REPORTER: (Nods head.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: ***So then our third and last
hearing today will be on PL20210002658, which is the
Stor-All Storage rezone.
All those wishing to testify in this matter, please rise to
be sworn in by the court reporter.
THE COURT REPORTER: Do you swear or affirm
the testimony you will give will be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
(The speakers were duly sworn and indicated in the
affirmative.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Ex parte disclosures from the Planning Commission,
ma'am, starting with you.
MS. LOCKHART: Staff materials only.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Staff materials only.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Public record matters, as well
as meeting with staff, and communication with the
applicant's agent.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Communications
with the applicant's agent and staff materials.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Staff materials
and meeting with staff.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
With that, Mr. Mulhere, the Chair recognizes you.
MR. MULHERE: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bob
Mulhere, for the record, with Hole Montes, here on behalf of
the applicant. Also with me today is Felix Pardo, who is an
architect who I've worked with in the past for the same
applicant; and Chris Mitchell, who is the civil engineer
who's worked on this project through several site plans and
site plan amendments; and Ellen Summers who works with
me. I do want to note that, unfortunately for Ellen, while
she's here today, it's her birthday.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Happy
Birthday.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Did she get a
brownie?
MR. MULHERE: She didn't know that I knew that.
MS. SUMMERS: No, I didn't.
MR. MULHERE: So you know where the subject
property is -- it's depicted on that aerial just east of Collier
Boulevard and accessed with very limited access from
Tamiami Trail. I'll get into the details of that shortly.
And we're requesting a rezone from C-3 to C-5 to
permit the full range of C-4 uses and the self-storage
facility. That's the only C-5 use. So that's limited to just
the self-storage.
This is a picture -- a snippet from the county's Future
Land Use Map. It's kind of interesting because that shows
you that this is a commercial mixed-use activity center at
that intersection, and the county's Future Land Use Map
shows the squares, approximately 1,320 feet in every
direction, north, south, east, and west, but that is not what
that activity center looks like, and we'll get into that in just a
minute.
This is the zoning map. You know, we have frontage
on a very busy Tamiami Trail that is six-laned that, you
know, has turn lanes. It's pretty wide at that location, very
close to the intersection.
We have commercial -- three other quadrants to this
activity center, and I'll get into the details of that. But,
obviously, the northwest quadrant, the southeast quadrant,
and the southwest quadrant, those are all within this
commercial activity center.
This is a copy of the conceptual site plan. I do want to
point out a few things here in particular. That's not on, so I
don't get to do my magic. I'll just have to use the mouse.
And you can see that this is an existing preserve, and
you can see that this is a stormwater -- significant
stormwater area that extends across this way. And north of
us is Falling Waters Residential PUD.
And we worked with the residents and homeowners
association in Falling Waters both the first time that we
came for the existing self-storage and this time.
We do have the HOA president who is going to be to
leaving to catch a flight at 3:00, but hopefully he's still going
to be available to speak via Zoom long before that. I don't
think I'll take that much time; I promise.
I do want to point out this is a very limited access, as I
said. There is commercial that runs to the east here, a farm
tractor store, some other kind of construction-related
developments, and then this is also owned by our client.
This is a vacant lot that, if this were to be approved, would
allow C-4 uses.
And you see there's an interconnection here, but there is
actually no real interconnection, because after spending
quite a bit money and a long time of negotiation, we've
never been able to come to terms with the CVS. The CVS
really controls that, and if they demand something that
makes no economic sense in terms of payment for
interconnection, then we're not going to interconnect.
And, really, I think that's an issue that the county
ultimately needs to consider. They did have a settlement
with that property owner when the interconnection in Collier
Boulevard was widened, and perhaps that was an
opportunity to require that interconnection. But as long as
you have people making exorbitant demands, those
interconnections are not going to happen.
This is a rendering that Felix, or maybe somebody that
works for Felix, did showing the existing self-storage right
here, the proposed right here, and, of course, the singular
point of access that we have, which is a right-in, right-out
from the East Tamiami Trail.
So this property is designated urban, urban commercial.
It's within the mixed-use activity center. In fact, on Page 10
of the staff report, Packet Page 539, under the GMP
conclusion by staff, the first sentence says, the GMP is the
prevailing document to support land-use decisions such as
this proposed rezoning. Staff concludes that this petition is
consistent with the GMP. I won't read the rest of the
sentence, because we'll get to that in a minute.
So you have a frontage road that would extend now
further to the west, and maybe some day we'll be able to
connect through the CVS and access -- traffic could access,
then, Collier Boulevard. It wouldn't change the only access
point, which is a right-in, right-out, and there's really -- you
know, it's that limited access that really dictates the kind of
uses that you're going to see on this property.
This is the site plan prepared by Chris Mitchell and his
staff, again, showing you the preserve and this stormwater
facility. There's a significant distance between Falling
Waters here and both of these facilities and, of course, even
whatever happens here in the future on the vacant Lot 3.
We spent a lot of time working with Falling Waters. We
improved this existing wall that was in a state of disrepair.
It was painted and, in some cases, reconstructed. We put in
extra landscaping on both sides. And I'll let the HOA
president speak for himself, but I think we've had an
excellent working relationship with them. As a result, they
support what we're asking for.
So it's 180 feet as the closest point on the proposed
building, and there is an existing 6-foot wall installed by the
developer.
We already talked about the uses, but there are some
other conditions on there. Lighting will be Dark Sky
compliant. No more than one fast-food drive-through
establishment is allowed. We agreed to limit the location of
the ordering window if we went with fast food on the vacant
Lot 3 to not be within 100 feet of Falling Waters, and that
the payment and ordering windows would not be located
between the building and U.S. 41. So they'd be on the side,
west or east.
Square footage is limited to 105,000 square feet.
Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
There is very limited exterior lighting on the building
itself. Only for security purposes. There's no parking on
the Falling Waters side of the building.
The self-storage units are accessed from the interior, so
we don't have a bunch of doors or sliding garage doors.
You come into the facility, and then you access your unit.
We have a maximum size -- we did on the original one.
We've retained that -- of 200 square feet. As I said, no
parking on the north side. No functional windows. There
are faux windows to meet architectural standards, but no
functional windows.
And the loading areas and building accesses are
prohibited on the rear or north side of the building.
We have very limited height because that was one of
the conditions we agreed to with our neighbors. So we
have a zoned height of 35 feet, which is the same as for a
single-family, generally speaking, and actual of 38 feet.
Very low traffic generator. You see that those
numbers probably appear a little high to you, but that's
because of the potential on the vacant lot of a fast-food
restaurant. The actual numbers for the self-storage facilities
are very -- I think they're 16 or 17 p.m. peak-hour trips.
So let's talk about the elephant in the room, the staff
recommendation, at least from my perspective. I was really
surprised by the staff recommendation. The East Naples
Community Development Plan has been accepted by the
Board, but it is not a regulatory document. The staff is
working through that process with GMP amendments to
create the overlay and LDC amendments. We've been in
this process since February. We have submitted a Site
Development Plan, and that's under review.
There was actual discussion at the Board as to whether
or not to implement a moratorium which would have
restricted those uses that were deemed less
desirable -- they're not prohibited uses even in the
recommendations moving forward -- but less desirable uses.
That moratorium did not go forward, and I think that's
important in your deliberations because, you know, my
client has the right to request this. He's in the mixed-use
activity center, and these restrictions have at this point no
regulatory element associated with them, and there's no
guarantee they're even going to get approved as
recommended right now, because that public policy
discussion hasn't occurred yet in front of either you or the
Board of County Commissioners.
However, we understood that we should try to comply,
at least to whatever extent it was feasible and appropriate, to
what we understand will be the recommendations as they
relate to -- let's just limit it to this use. There are
undesirable uses; car washes, gas stations, and
self-storage -- or less desirable. They're not
restricted -- they're not prohibited. They are restricted in
terms of certain proposed and, yet, not approved design
standards and maybe some locational restrictions as well.
One of the proposed conditions -- and it was raised at
our NIM -- was whether or not we would agree to 30 percent
of the ground floor of the building being some other use, and
we don't agree to that and we can't agree to that. It's not a
viable condition. But we do have a vacant lot immediately
adjacent to us which will be developed with some C-4 use.
What goes there is going to be a direct -- directly resultant
from the limited access here.
So a convenience-type use, and, in my opinion, based
on my experience, even a fast-food use, is highly unlikely
because of that limited access. I think more likely you
might get a credit union, a bank, a small office building,
something that doesn't need or rely on convenience because
it isn't going to be convenient to get in and out of there.
So, you know, you can only get in from traveling east
on U.S. 41, making a right. And you can't get through to
Collier Boulevard, so now you've got to go back out, go
through the intersection, and turn around if you want to go
back to where you came from. It's just not convenient.
One of the recommendations was that if you
didn't -- and for the proposed overlay is that you don't have
to provide this other use within the building. You can
provide it outside or elsewhere on the property, but it needs
to be in front of the self-storage. Well, I mean, if we go
back to the site plan, you know, there really is not the
opportunity for us to do that.
This is a frontage road. You come in here, there's a
frontage road right here. There's a landscape buffer that
runs along U.S. 41 right in here. It would make no sense to
jog this building back. We can't. We have the stormwater,
permitted, and this preserve. So this -- there's no place to
put Lot 3 in front of Lot 2; however, this does provide an
opportunity for some other use that, perhaps, under the East
Naples Community Plan is more desirable, that maybe
employs more people, such as an office or a bank or a credit
union.
I just want to make sure I mentioned there was no
moratorium. I mentioned that Lot 3 is available for some
other use, in some ways consistent with the
recommendations of the overlay. We have an existing
buffer along U.S. 41. You know, one of the
recommendations is to have a 25-foot buffer on all sides of
such a use but not on the 41 side, because they want -- they
want the buildings to be closer to 41 is my assumption. I
don't know why you have to have a 25-foot buffer between
an existing commercial use and another commercial use.
Again, that hasn't been debated as a public policy issue. I'll
be here to talk to you when it's on your agenda.
We don't -- we don't have any metal roll-up doors.
The building is accessed internally, which is also part of the
proposed conditions.
They have a condition that says no building shall
exceed 100 feet. We can't -- we can't really address that.
This is longer than 100 feet.
We're not having any outdoor storage associated with
this use.
Again, the primary -- there are two primary reasons
why this makes sense. Number one, the severe limited
access of this site does not lend itself to a whole lot of other
uses. To the east of us are -- is a Tractor Supply store.
People -- I think they're not going there for convenience.
They're going there for a purpose, a couple of
construction-related uses.
The CVS, when the county was going to take a
significant amount of property from them, argued -- I don't
know if they were successful, but argued as part of that
taking claims that their access was severely limited by the
revisions to this intersection and that there were damages
associated with that. So, I mean, it's not like the other
quadrants, and I'm going to show you that.
This is the actual map of the activity center. So if the
ideas espoused in the East Naples Community Plan have
some value, they have value where you have sufficient room
to accommodate a mixture of uses and different uses.
Down at the town center and in this activity center, for
example, you have this fairly large commercial quadrant
right here. You have another one right here. And this is
actually fairly large and is developed with a number of -- I
don't know if it's a regional shopping center, but Ulta and
these kinds of stores.
You can see that this is completely different here. It
has no depth sufficient to accommodate a wide variety or
mixture of uses.
And I guess the second reason is that the
individual -- the community that's most affected is Falling
Waters directly to our north, and they're 100 percent behind
this proposal. This exhibit shows you the actual
dimensions and depths. So, you know, these projects have
over 2,000 feet here -- on the northwest and southwest
quadrants have over 2,000 feet of frontage. This one is a
little odd-shaped triangular, but it's got a lot of depth in the
rear, so they designed it such that the buildings are where
the parcel is the widest, and parking is up in the front.
This obviously, just looking at it, is nothing like those
three configurations. The opportunities simply don't
present themselves there.
We had a neighborhood meeting. This is the comment
that, you know, that was made by the HOA representative.
There was a representative of the East Naples Civic
Association who did speak and ask us to commit to a
30 percent commitment of some other use. I would
argue -- although we said we couldn't do that, I would argue
that we have that immediately adjacent to us in vacant Lot 3,
that opportunity.
I did have one minor revision. It turns out we had
limited height to 15 feet, but the actual height for the lights
adjacent to U.S. 41 do need to be taller. They need to be
20 feet, so I'm proposing that addition. They already are
20 feet on the existing portions.
In deference to your already busy day, that concludes
my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions that
you have.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Planning Commission? Go
ahead.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: A couple simple
ones.
Thank you, as always. It was a great presentation.
You certainly do your homework.
A couple quick, simple questions. Your client owns
all three of those properties, correct?
MR. MULHERE: No. Well -- all three, well, Lots 1,
2, and 3.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Correct.
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: And Lot 1 is
currently --
MR. MULHERE: Self-storage.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- self-storage.
This one is called All Store something.
MR. MULHERE: Stor-All.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Stor-All.
MR. MULHERE: Stor-All. They were both called
Stor-All when we went through. I don't know --
MR. PARDO: Development arm, legal entity.
MR. MULHERE: Okay. So that's a legal entity
development.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Very good. And
as you depicted in your presentation, they're going to look
fairly similar on the visuals that drivers on 41 --
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- will see. No
one on 951 really sees it. Roughly the same size, 10,000,
15,000 square difference for --
(Simultaneous crosstalk.)
MR. MULHERE: Ninety-four versus 105,000, so
9,000, yeah.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Okay. So 9,000.
Height roughly the same?
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Thirty-five,
specked out at 38 actual. I'm just kind of going over the
notes, and you covered them very well. Nice job. I'm
satisfied.
MR. MULHERE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. I don't want all
this to go to your head, Mr. Mulhere.
MR. MULHERE: Don't worry. Don't worry. I'll be
here next time and be beaten up.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: And that possibly being the
case, I would be remiss in not also saying you do run a very
good NIM, and thank you for that. This was well done.
MR. MULHERE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: I -- I'm going to need some
clarification. Certainly I will want staff to weigh in. I'm
probably going to want to hear from the County Attorney.
The moratorium question's an easy one, because there
is none right now. There's talk of one, and there's one
County Commissioner who has expressed, perhaps, an
interest in it. I don't know where the other County
Commissioners are, and it wouldn't matter because there's
no moratorium yet.
Now, that takes us over to the East Naples Zoning
Overlay, and this is where things get a little fuzzy in my
mind. This is something where the Board of County
Commissioners, albeit, I presume it was a previously
constituted Board of County Commissioners,
accepted -- accepted this overlay.
Now, I'll start by asking the County Attorney. What
legal significance does that have as far as we're concerned
and as far as the developer's concerned, the fact that this has
been accepted, and what does that mean?
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: So at this stage of the game,
there is a pending Growth Management Plan amendment
for -- to create an overlay, and you-all saw the transmittal
resolution. It doesn't -- the overlay doesn't become
effective until you -- the Board adopts the ordinance, which
is probably going to be in another five or six months, and
Mr. Mulhere's client's application predated all of this.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: So it's generally not
effective.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. So I take it what
you're saying is is that the fact that it's been accepted is not
legally binding upon us at this point because it's premature?
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: Correct, there are no
regulations --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Right.
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: -- you know.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Thank you.
Now, the separation requirement -- I don't know if this
is partly what you meant when you were talking about
locational. But the two storage facilities are less than a
quarter of a mile apart. Is that quarter-of-a-mile
separational -- or locational requirement, is that part of this
EZO that hasn't been approved yet?
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay.
MR. MULHERE: It's recommended. No. It's not
even part of the overlay. The overlay is a GMP. And I
think Mike can speak to these issues. But it's a GMP
amendment to establish an overlay.
What you had already accepted is simply a plan and a
report. No regulatory authority. GMP gets -- if it gets
adopted in four or five months would then result -- and I
think they're going to run pretty much simultaneously -- in a
land -- set of land-code amendments that would implement
that overlay. In that proposed set of land code
amendments -- because I've seen them and reviewed
them -- there is a recommendation to have a quarter-mile
separation.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. So right now there is
no such requirement?
MR. MULHERE: Correct.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
All right. And the comment or the words that are out
there, five undesirable uses, that doesn't have the force and
effect of law yet, does it?
MR. MULHERE: I'm not a lawyer, but as a planner I
would say no.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. So those are my
questions and comments. How about from the other
Planning Commission members?
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I'm trying to
process this. So the East Naples Overlay, where did that
end? Like, what was the -- this seems like this is right on
the boundary; way down, right?
MR. BOSI: The proposed East U.S. 41 -- East Naples
Zoning Overlay runs all the way to Port of the Islands.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: That's right.
I'm just thinking of this, because when you get on the road,
there's nothing there.
So, I mean, I agree with Mr. Mulhere that it's a limited
site. There's really not a lot you can do with it, I mean, just
because the access to it is tough. The Tractor Supply Store,
which is one down, has its own left-hand turn to go into it.
You've got a sheriff's substation there and a security
company.
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: So there's not
really a lot you can do with this property, and --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Anything else from the
Planning Commission at this point?
Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I'd like to hear from Mike.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Well, that's next.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I don't have anything for
Bob.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Anything else,
Mr. Mulhere?
MR. MULHERE: No. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Then we'll hear from
staff. Mr. Bosi.
MR. BOSI: Staff -- or Mike Bosi, Planning and
Zoning director.
Staff -- for all things being equal, if it wasn't for the
East Naples Development Plan and then the overlay that has
been transmitted -- and the transmitted overlay basically
extended the Traffic Congestion Management Area to
extend from Rattle Hammock down to 41 but also allow for
additional qualified targeted industries. That's the only
thing that it did.
What was going to -- at adoption we were going to
bring the East Naples Zoning Overlay, and that zoning
overlay, which was based upon the recommendations and
the identification of those undesirable uses within the East
Naples Development Plan, had specific design treatments
for those five undesirable uses and had a specific separation
requirement for self-storage facilities.
And why we brought that to your attention, even
though it's not a binding -- because it's not adopted; it's not
law. But what we -- why we brought it to you, they have
C-3 zoning. A storage utility is not allowed in C-3 zoning.
They are asking for a rezone. A rezone -- there's a lot of
things that are brought into the considerations as to whether
the rezone is appropriate or not.
We felt that the direction that the East Naples
Development Plan suggested for these undesirable uses, and
then working with the community and what they felt was
appropriate, meaning having separation between these, was
at least a pertinent piece of information the Planning
Commission and the Board of County Commissioners
should you have while you're thinking about whether you
should grant the rezoning as part of the consideration.
But there's further complication. The further
complication -- and it became -- staff has become aware of it
about two weeks ago, three weeks ago, is Senate Bill
250 -- and excuse me, Bob, I've got to jump in here.
MR. MULHERE: That's okay.
MR. BOSI: And what Senate Bill 250 says -- and this
has been approved by both the House as well as the Senate.
And it says -- and this is -- this basically talks -- the
effective date of this proposed legislation is September 29th
of 2022, and why that's a significant date, that's the date of
Hurricane Ian.
And it says, it's going to run until October 1st of 2024,
and what it says is a county or municipality located entirely
or partially within 100 miles of where Hurricane Ian or
Hurricane Nicole made landfall. So that's Collier County.
We are included in that.
And, one, shall not propose or adopt any moratorium or
construction, reconstruction, and redevelopment of property
damaged by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole. That's not
the pertinent part. This is the pertinent part. Shall not
propose or adopt more restrictive or burdensome
amendments to its Comprehensive Plan or land development
regulations or propose or adopt more restrictive or
burdensome procedures concerning review, approval, or
issuance of a site plan, development permit, or a
development order to the extent that these terms are defined
by 163.3164, Florida Statutes, before October 1st of 2024.
So what that's saying -- and I had a conversation with
the County Attorney's Office yesterday. They are further
exploring it with commissioner -- or Mr. Klatzkow.
Upon -- that effect upon the proposed EZO overlay. That
EZO overlay cannot propose anything more restrictive than
currently that [sic] we have on our books today.
Therefore, that separation requirement that was being
proposed will have to be tabled until after -- if this bill is
signed by the Governor -- it's been approved by the House.
It's been approved by the Senate. There's only four
members of the Florida Legislature that voted against this
legislation. If it does get signed on July 1st, we will have to
have a conversation with the Board of County
Commissioners that says that we cannot adopt any
additional regulations. If some of the regulations that are
contained in that EZO overlay are more restrictive than we
currently have, we can't adopt it. Our hands are tied.
So our recommendation of denial was a little stronger a
month ago when our staff report was being generated. We
recognize that it's something we want to at least
provide -- make the Planning Commission and the Board
aware of that it's not -- it's not in alignment with what the
community was looking for within the EZO. But based
upon Senate Bill 250, what's going to be provided for within
the overlay may have to be tabled to a later date.
So staff does recognize that there has been some
changing conditions, and it most certainly will have an
effect upon what we will take forward or what we can even
take forward to the Board of County Commissioners,
because it doesn't -- the original bill said a county couldn't
adopt. This says they can't even propose it.
So I'm not sure where -- legally where that stands. So
we will have to work that out further with the County
Attorney's Office, but -- so that's a portion or a twist that we
weren't expecting. But, obviously, we wanted to share with
you that will have a profound effect upon what we can move
forward related to that EZO overlay.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Mike, I guess I'd go down
another avenue. This is in an activity center. I haven't
been here long, but the idea of an activity center is to
promote activity: Jobs, transportation, concentration where
we're building our infrastructure to support. To me it seems
like a storage facility should be someplace else other than an
activity center because it defeats all the intents of an activity
center.
And I'm not trying to get hung up on the legal side of it.
I'm just trying to understand. It seems it's contradictory to
our overall growth management intent, even if it's not a
regulation yet.
MR. MULHERE: The other thing I can speak to that
is I understand your perspective, and I don't disagree that
some more active uses would be something that you would
expect within an activity center, but it does allow for the C-1
through C-5 uses, and storage facilities are a permitted use
in C-5, a conditional use in C-4.
So it is endorsed -- the C-5 zoning that permits storage
facilities is a zoning that is promoted by activity centers.
Now, it may not be in alignment with what the average
person would want to see within an activity center, but in
terms of permitted uses and how activity centers allow the
zoning categories within it, it does allow that zoning
category that permits self-storage facilities.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So refresh my memory.
Why are we here, then?
MR. BOSI: Because it's currently zoned C-3. A
storage facility is a -- is not an allowed use in a C-3 zoning
district. It's in an activity center. That sets your future
land-use designation. The zoning is C-3. The C-3 zoning
district does not allow storage facilities.
A C-4 site would allow storage facilities but as a
conditional use. A C-5 site, which is being proposed for the
rezoning, it allows a storage facility as a permitted use. It
is -- and activity centers allow C-1 through C-5 in a variety
of our commercial uses. All of them are allowed within
activity centers. So they're consistent with the Future Land
Use Element. They're just inconsistent currently with their
current zoning.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So if we just vote to reject
this, they can't build a storage facility there?
MR. BOSI: If you would vote to -- if you would make
a recommendation of denial, that would be the end result.
Of course, you would have to express why -- what are the
conditions within the rezoning criteria that you found that it
didn't satisfy to justify that determination. But, yes, that
would be the end result.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: That's it.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Commissioner Sparrazza.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Real quickly.
Lot 1 with the current storage facility is was originally
zoned C-3, correct?
MR. MULHERE: (Nods head.) Rezoned to C-5.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Rezoned to C-5.
MR. MULHERE: With a limited use. Same
condition.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: We're doing the
same thing to the adjacent lot to a building that will look
very, very similar --
MR. BOSI: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: -- with limited use
on that property, correct?
MR. MULHERE: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Thank you.
MR. MULHERE: And if I may --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay.
MR. MULHERE: -- Commissioner Shea, I don't
necessarily disagree with what you said. That's part of the
reason why the East Naples Community Plan has been
adopted, but there are -- I think you have to look at some
unique conditions here. The location east of Collier
Boulevard, you can see that the geometry of these other
quadrants in the activity center are completely different than
the geometry of this one. This purple line represents the
actual boundaries of that activity center.
If you look at the criteria that Mike talked about, these
are the rezone findings. This is the staff responses.
Whether the proposed change will be consistent with the
goals/objectives of the Future Land Use Map and the
elements of the Growth Management Plan.
Response, staff concludes this petition is consistent
with the GMP.
Existing land-use pattern. The proposed rezone will
not affect the existing land-use pattern.
Possible creation of an isolated district. The zoning
will not create an isolated district.
Whether existing district boundaries are illogically
drawn in relation to existing conditions. The existing
district boundaries coincides with the lot lines. So, again,
not illogically drawn.
Whether the changed or changing conditions make the
passage of this rezone -- make the passage of this rezoning
necessary, and the response is, the proposed rezone from
C-3 to C-5 is not specifically necessary; however, the
petitioner believes the rezone is necessary to accommodate
the use. That's true of any rezone. They're not necessary.
They're necessary to get the use you want.
Whether the proposed change will adversely influence
living conditions in the neighborhood. Well, the only
affected people are strongly in favor of this, so I don't think
it's going to adversely affect the living conditions.
Whether the proposed change will create or excessively
increase traffic. We know it's far less traffic than almost
any other use.
Whether the proposed change will create a drainage
problem. We've got an improved stormwater plan. It
won't create. It will improve.
Whether the proposed change will seriously reduce
light and air. It won't.
Whether the proposed change will adversely affect
property values. It won't.
Whether the proposed change will be a deterrent to
improvement of development of the adjacent property.
Staff does not anticipate the rezoning would be a deterrent to
improvement of the adjacent property.
Whether the proposed change will constitute a grant of
special privilege. Well, yeah, the rezone will allow us to do
a use that we can't do today. I don't think that's a grant of
special privilege. There's a process here. Anybody can
avail themselves of the same process on their own property.
Whether there are substantial reasons why the property
cannot be used in accordance with the existing zoning. To
your point, no, there's -- there are uses that are allowed;
however, it's in an activity center, which allows C-1 through
C-5.
Whether the change is out of scale with the needs of the
neighborhood. This is the one that staff says, of all these
criteria, it's staff's position that the proposed rezone to C-5
and resulting facilities may be out of scale with the needs of
the community; however, typically, that's up to the -- more
to the market, because I can tell you my client wouldn't be
spending money for this property unless he felt like there
was a market.
But, you know, the staff does point out that should the
rezoning be proposed -- as proposed, there will be nearly
272,000 square feet of self-storage, because there's
another -- third self-storage building to the north on Collier
Boulevard, so that incorporates all of them.
Staff says, however, there is a growing need for
facilities that store goods for the surrounding community.
The proposed building will be limited to 35 feet of actual
height -- zoned height and 30 actual, which is consistent
with the building immediately to the east.
So of all that criteria -- there's 18 criteria -- there's
really one that staff raises an issue with, and that's driven by
the fact that this would be consistent with the East Naples
Community Plan, which isn't in effect. I think it's -- it's not
right to subject my client to this criteria which isn't in effect,
shouldn't be applied. The Board of County Commissioners
had the opportunity to approve a moratorium. They chose
not to do that. And this was discussed about existing uses
in process during that discussion.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. That was kind of
a rebuttal, but you got a head start.
Mr. Bosi, anything further from staff?
MR. BOSI: Nothing further from staff.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Do we have any
registered public speakers?
COMMISSIONER SHEA: May I ask Mike.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Oh, yes, of course.
Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Mike, are you changing
staff's recommendation based on what you've learned in the
last few days?
MR. BOSI: Based upon the direction and the
anticipation that Senate Bill 250 will become, if the
Planning Commission makes a recommendation, the staff is
going to get in line with that recommendation to the Board
of County Commissioners.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: What's your
recommendation?
MS. ASHTON-CICKO: I don't think you need to
make any decisions based on Senate Bill 250 today. So
proceed as you normally would regardless of what the bill
says.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: So would your
recommendation to this commission stand?
MR. BOSI: My recommendation -- our
recommendation --
(Simultaneous crosstalk.)
MR. BOSI: -- does stand, that we're recommending
denial because the neighborhood has expressed to us
through our interactions with them, through the development
of the East Naples -- or the U.S. 41 EZO Zoning Overlay,
that they have concerns with storage facilities and would
like to see better control of those land uses. That is a
constant whether we're prohibited or not prohibited from
implementing those desires.
But staff's perspective, we've heard from the
community. They have expressed concerns over these
auto-oriented type of uses such as storage facilities.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Registered public speakers?
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we do. We have an
online speaker and in-person. We will go ahead and
proceed with our online speaker first.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right.
MS. PEDRON: Frank Ferraiuolo.
Frank, do you hear me?
(Simultaneous crosstalk.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yes. Spell your last name for
us, sir.
MR. FERRAIUOLO: F-e --
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Yes.
MR. YOUNGBLOOD: Sorry about that.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: We lost him?
MR. FERRAIUOLO: Can you hear me?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Now we can. Spell it again,
please, sir.
MR. FERRAIUOLO: Okay. I'm sorry.
F-e-r-r-a-i-u-o-l-o.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right, sir. You have five
minutes. Please proceed.
MR. FERRAIUOLO: Okay. I'm the Falling Waters
Beach Resort master president. I'm also president of Phase
4, which is the six buildings that are closest to the wall that
we were speaking about.
I've had meetings several times with the developer
before it was built, after it was built. They met all our
conditions. The buildings are 70 or 80 feet from our wall.
They repaired the wall, finished the wall that was done.
They told me they would landscape our side, and they did.
They painted the wall. It's been an -- it's been nice for the
community. The wall is in good shape and good repair.
We have about 10 or 12 restaurants right across the
street about 7- or 800 feet from our opening. We have
Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, Miller's, Chipotle,
Starbucks, and a few other restaurants and, you know,
restaurants make smells.
The last two years we've had a problem with bears
because of all the construction in the neighborhood, and
bears have been on our property, upending our garbage and
our recycling and our regular garbage, that we had to have
special containers built to bear-proof ourselves.
So bringing anything other than a nice, clean business,
which is the storage business -- because there's very little
garbage, if any. There's no smells from those buildings at
all.
And to maybe possibly have a restaurant or a
convenience store there where their garbage will be
open -- and if you go by any of these restaurants -- I was in
business for 40 years. They don't take that great care of the
garbage and how it's processed and how it's dumped in there
and everything else. That will definitely affect our
community and bring the bears back. So I'm worried about
that.
The lighting that they put in doesn't affect the lighting.
I've had no complaints from my neighbors about the lighting
that was in the building there. And as far as I'm concerned,
they're very good neighbors. So I would like to see a
second storage facility put in there other than some use that
might cause problems for our community.
Anybody have any questions?
CHAIRMAN FRYER: No, but thank you very much,
sir.
Next speaker, please.
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, our next speaker is
Gordon Brumwell.
MR. BRUMWELL: Hi. Gordon Brumwell from
Crown Pointe.
I'd like to express that I'm grateful for the owner to try
to sync with some of the elements of the upcoming zoning
overlay even though it's still upcoming. I think that's a nice
thing to do.
The East Naples Community Development Plan has
been adopted. The 41 East Overlay is in the pipeline
regardless of legalities. Both show the community wish to
slow the trend of more and more storage.
And a separate element that hasn't really been touched
on yet is to preserve our fast-disappearing natural heritage,
both the aesthetics and the function. So the storage is not
consistent with that sentiment that the community has.
Separately, the five or so palm trees in those sunbaked
stark renderings certainly don't help preserve the aesthetic
and natural functions that this area's had in the past. Those
are blastingly white walls with, I think, four palm trees in
front of them along a rather long frontage.
So I guess one thing I might suggest is please keep the
desires of the community to not want more storage around
but, perhaps, also keep in mind there might be a happy
medium in which, if this goes forward, you know, maybe
take some of the landscape elements of the EZO, meet the
buffer system halfway, plant some canopy trees along 41.
That way what comes out of this would better match what
we hope to see the EZO provide this area.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Any further registered speakers?
MS. PEDRON: Mr. Chairman, we do not have
additional speakers at this time.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: All right. Anyone in the
room who's not registered but would like to be heard, please
raise your hand.
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Seeing none, we will -- no
members of the Planning Commission are signaling that
they want to be heard, so we will close the public comment
portion of the hearing at this time.
And, Mr. Mulhere, do you have rebuttal?
MR. MULHERE: No. I appreciate those comments.
And there is -- as I mentioned -- I don't know. It might
have got lost in the rest of the presentation -- but this
property -- the frontage of this property was reduced
significantly when that intersection was improved, and the
state came in and took property here and reduced this for a
long turn lane to go northbound on Collier Boulevard.
So there is only 10 feet in this area within which
landscaping can go. There's 20 feet down here, and there
are canopy trees within that.
I think that the gentleman was referring to the
architectural rendering. I forget exactly where that is here,
but -- there. This doesn't -- I mean, I should say a caveat.
This does not show the existing landscaping along 41. And
it does have some green elements in the building. It was
primarily intended to show you the building architecture.
We'll meet or exceed the code as far as landscaping, but
that buffer is already approved through an approved SDP
and was reduced right here, again, when the county went in
and -- or excuse me -- well, I don't know if it was the county
or the state. But whenever they created that turn lane.
That's why it was reduced. So when this happens -- you're
not expected to now replace that buffer -- you've lost that
land for public benefit.
Also, you can see that there's a frontage road here, and
it would make no sense to jog that frontage road north. It
would create a traffic condition that's very undesirable.
This frontage road goes all the way east and west. And
maybe someday there will be an interconnection through the
CVS to get to the north, so it doesn't make any sense to
change that.
I did appreciate the comments, though. I stand with
the position that, you know, maybe this will be the last one
that gets approved, if it does, prior to the actual regulatory
component of the East Naples planning. The county looks
at lots of plans. They don't force them until there's a
regulatory component.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you. No one is
signaling at this point. Any members of the Planning
Commission desire to be heard at this time? If --
Commissioner Schumacher.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: So going back
to Bob's point, I agree with him that it's a real limited use
that you could use with this. The neighbor to the north,
which is the president of the master association HOA, has
said they desire to have this. They already have a good
relationship with the developer on the first storage one that's
built in there. So I'm having a hard time on agreeing with
staff on this because it looks like this works.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you.
Commissioner Shea.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I have the opposite
opinion. I would -- I think we need more activity in an
activity center, and I support staff's recommendation.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Any further comments
at this point?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, we'd entertain a motion.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I move we
approve -- recommend approval consistent with the staff's
recommendation.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Staff's recommendation is
denial.
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Denial, yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Okay. Is there --
COMMISSIONER SHEA: I reinforce that.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Is there a second?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It fails for lack of second.
Entertain another motion.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: I'd make a
motion to approve as presented by the applicant against the
staff's recommendation.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Motion to approve. Is there a
second?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Second.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Any further discussion at this
time?
MR. MULHERE: Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to
mention, I did request the lighting be consistent with the
existing lighting on 41.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Twenty feet.
MR. MULHERE: Just on 41, yes.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Understood, yeah. The
movant and the seconder would accept that; instead of
15 feet, the lighting's going to be at 20 feet?
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Height?
MR. MULHERE: Correct.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: To match the
current?
MR. MULHERE: Yes.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Yes, approve.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Approve.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: So that's going to be part of
the motion. Any further discussion?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, all those in favor,
please say aye.
Aye.
COMMISSIONER SPARRAZZA: Aye.
COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Opposed?
COMMISSIONER SHEA: Aye.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: It passes 3-1.
Thank you, applicant. Thank you, staff. Thank you,
members of the public.
MR. MULHERE: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Thank you, Planning
Commission.
Is there any old business to come before the Planning
Commission at this time?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, is there any new
business?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: Any additional comments
from members of the public that were not covered in our
agenda today?
(No response.)
CHAIRMAN FRYER: If not, thank you very much.
Without objection, we're adjourned.
*******
There being no further business for the good of the County,
the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 2:04 p.m.
COLLIER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
_____________________________________
EDWIN FRYER, CHAIRMAN
These minutes approved by the Board on ____________, as
presented ______________ or as corrected _____________.
TRANSCRIPT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF FORT MYERS
COURT REPORTING BY TERRI L. LEWIS, RPR, FPR-C,
COURT REPORTER AND NOTARY PUBLIC.