“Exhibit A”
FUTURE LAND USE STRATEGIES
PLATTED LANDS PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Cape Coral began as a platted lands subdivision, consisting of more than 270,000 platted lots of which
approximately 71,283 are currently developed. Most of these platted lots measure 40' x 125', or 5,000
square feet in area. Single family residential is the predominant land use, with two lots required to build a
dwelling unit. These "double lots" are frequently called "building lots".
For this reason, Cape Coral is unlike most Florida communities. The problems and issues inherent in a
platted lands community require a strategy that differs significantly from those of other jurisdictions, such
as Lee County or the City of Fort Myers. The major, identifiable problems that must be addressed are as
follows:
Platted Land
The City of Cape Coral is a 114 square mile subdivision with more than 135,000 platted, zoned, and sold
building lots. Owners of these lots are scattered nationwide and abroad. Each owner believes that he or
she has a vested right to build at least a single-family residence on his or her building lot. While this may
not be technically true, the City certainly cannot prohibit the owner from building something of value and
use on his lot without "taking" the property, and thereby becoming liable to compensate the owner for the
taking.
Because the land is already subdivided, Cape Coral is not in a position to limit growth by withholding
subdivision approval until public facilities (primarily water and sewer) are available. Property owners
can put in private wells and septic tanks, and build on their homesites. Platted lands communities lack the
ability to realistically stop growth within their boundaries. Growth can, however, be managed by offering
incentives and disincentives that encourage growth in a pattern consistent with sound planning principles
and the City's ability to provide needed public facilities and improvements. Unlike most communities in
which investors own the undeveloped land in large parcels and plan to use it or hold it for speculative
purposes, Cape Coral is subdivided and owned by literally thousands of individuals. There is no way to
predict when the property owner in Virginia will decide to build his retirement home, or when the owner
in Pennsylvania will decide to sell the property to someone else who will build on it. It is all but
impossible to predict accurately which lots will develop at any point in time.
The existence of the platted lots also limits the flexibility to incorporate unique design features into
developments. Within a standard 10,000 square foot building lot, there are limited site design options.
There are currently no significant advantages or incentives to encourage assembly of lots prior to
development. With landowners scattered nationwide and abroad, land assembly is difficult. Without
significant incentives the difficulty of land assembly precludes the feasibility of assembling large,
buildable sites. Cape Coral needs to develop a set of incentives to encourage land assembly for large
public and private uses.
Zoning
Each of the 135,000+ building lots carries with it a zoning classification. Most of Cape Coral's lots are
zoned single-family residential, but there is a significant amount of multi-family and commercial zoning.
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The general zoning pattern is a carryover from the original subdivision, with strip commercial and multifamily zones concentrated along the four lane, divided parkways. The 80 feet x 125 feet building lots on
either side of the parkways are not popular sites for single-family residences because they are too close to
noisy (or potentially noisy) streets. Unfortunately, these multi-family and strip commercial uses create an
even greater traffic burden along four lane parkways, then the less intense single family residential uses.
Access is virtually unlimited on all streets in Cape Coral. The existing street and canal pattern, with very
few east-west routes south of Pine Island Road, creates strong development pressure on the north-south
routes. At the time water and sewer service becomes available, there may be tremendous pressure to
develop the land along the four-lane divided parkways into strip commercial development, although it is
presently not zoned for such uses. To allow development to occur in this manner will promote strip
commercial uses similar to development along Del Prado Boulevard, and strip duplex or multi-family
uses, with corresponding increases in traffic congestion and demand for services.
The original zoning pattern, with its massive amount of multi-family zoning north of Pine Island Road
could have resulted in a population for the whole City in excess of 500,000 people. The need to reduce
the overall population to a level to which we can reasonably expect to provide services, and the need to
prevent strip development along major corridors, necessitates a coordinated strategy that limits
development in the Reserve Area and provides alternative uses along the four-lane, divided parkways.
Strip Development
The City's street layout and canal system provides for a pattern of neighborhood "islands" and dead-end
streets. Most streets dead-end at canals, and then pick up again on the other side of the canal. The
original developers connected the City with a system of four-lane, divided parkways that cross the canals
via bridges. Because of the directional pattern of the canals, south of Pine Island Road there are a number
of north-south routes but only three east-west routes. These are Pine Island Road, Cape Coral Parkway
and the future East/West Corridor, which is presently under construction. North of Pine Island Road there
are more east-west and north-south routes, because of a less extensive canal system. These four-lane
parkways are spaced approximately one mile apart. The original developers placed few controls on
development along these major corridors. Previous zoning patterns allowed strip style commercial
development as well as residential development along the parkways, without limiting access or
considering the potential traffic flow impact. Prime examples of the results of these patterns are the strip
commercial development along Del Prado Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway. Resulting traffic
congestion along these corridors is the worst in the City.
The commercial/professional services provided in the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) and along
Del Prado Boulevard are needed in Cape Coral. However, they should be concentrated at major
intersections, or at shopping centers, rather than spread along an eight-mile stretch of road with driveway
access every eighty (80) feet. Other approaches are needed that limit access on the four-lane roads,
reducing traffic congestion, and concentrating commercial land uses rather than promoting strip
commercial development.
The collection of commercial land around transportation nodes will reduce some of the problems
associated with strip development but the land between nodes must be handled carefully. Multi-family
designations are one option. The current zoning category (R-3) permits development up to 16 units per
acre. Development of all of these lots with residential uses of that intensity would negatively impact
traffic circulation.
In addition, using multi-family land between commercial nodes potentially creates an undesirable impact
on surrounding land uses. The single family residences within the GAC units would be surrounded by
multi-family development. Access to and from the primarily owner-occupied neighborhoods would have
to be through multi-family rental residential development. The need, therefore, is to encourage site
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assembly and stricter land development standards, or alternative uses for the property bordering the fourlane parkways, to protect the value of the internal, single family residential neighborhoods.
Inadequate Infrastructure
The City's original developers platted a community with room for more than 350,000 people, but they
failed to provide the infrastructure, except for streets and drainage canals, to support a large city. A
significant portion of the streets are in a poor state of repair. Originally designed to handle neighborhood
residential traffic, the streets were inadequate to handle the more intensive uses they now experience.
Even the residential streets in some of the outer, undeveloped portions of the City are in need of repair
because regular maintenance is not cost effective for unused streets.
The overwhelming majority of the City's land mass is not served by water and sewer lines, or storm
sewers. Homes built in unserved areas must install a private well, drawing from the Upper (or mid)
Hawthorne aquifer, and a septic tank. Many of the storm sewers that were constructed by the original
developers, particularly within the CRA, were poorly designed and constructed. The City is in the process
of a phased-planned replacement of these storm sewers. The drainage system, which relies heavily on
swales and the canals, is often inadequately maintained or designed, resulting in flooding during heavy
rains. Utility transmission lines traverse all of Cape Coral, and telephone service is available anywhere
within City limits.
Because most of Cape Coral is platted, the City cannot control which lots develop and when. The
scattering of development increases the demand for infrastructure to areas where the provision of such
infrastructure is not cost effective or economically feasible. At buildout, private wells and septic tanks
will be unacceptable. Therefore, the City's land use strategy must attempt to manage unlimited
development until appropriate infrastructure needs are met.
Large Tracts
The original developers failed to set aside large, conveniently located tracts for commercial or industrial
development. In fairness to the original developers, it should be noted that in the 1950's when Cape Coral
was platted, shopping centers and regional malls were virtually unheard of and commercial sites were
typically small. For these reasons, the commercial development in Cape Coral has been in commercial
strips, most notably along Del Prado Boulevard and within the CRA. Not only does strip commercial
development retard economic growth and overflow convenience shopping (which is what makes shopping
malls so successful), it creates unsafe traffic conditions with unlimited street access from commercial
sites.
Competition for the few large tracts is fierce, from both the private and public sectors. The public need
for large tracts is described in Section (6), "Community Facilities". Private developers compete for these
valuable sites because of their potential for large scale commercial or industrial development. The large
tracts along Pine Island Road are prime candidates for large scale development.
The land use strategy must encourage the assembly of platted lots, especially at the intersections of major
thoroughfares for adequate commercial sites. It must also discourage strip-style commercial development
as an incentive for land assembly. Finally, it must recognize the need to provide essential City services at
the appropriate time to large sites if they are to be properly developed.
Community Facilities
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The original developers of Cape Coral created a platted city for more than 350,000 residents. However,
when the City was incorporated in 1970, adequate space was not provided for the community facilities
needed to serve that population.
The City of Cape Coral has many miles of waterfront, more than most major American cities, but an
appallingly small amount is available and accessible to the public. The Yacht Club, Horton Park, and
Jaycee Park provide the City's only public scenic vistas of the Caloosahatchee River. Cape Coral has not
used its waterfront as a marketplace/gathering space similar to that of other well-known cities such as
Chicago, Baltimore, Miami, and Sarasota. In fact, Cape Coral's downtown is virtually landlocked,
without direct river frontage.
Nor is the City's open space shortage limited to waterfront areas. Although Cape Coral has more than 70
square miles of open space, these areas, with a few exceptions, are owned either by private owners or by
the State of Florida as preservation lands. Cape Coral will need open space for recreational use, for
stormwater retention, for natural groundwater aquifer recharge, and for the preservation of native flora
and fauna.
At buildout, Cape Coral will need five to seven high schools, six to eight middle schools, and at least
twelve elementary schools. The City will need at least one major park, five community parks, and dozens
of tennis courts, athletic fields, senior centers, swimming pools and other recreational facilities.
Additional space is needed for a government center, water and sewer plants, police and fire stations, and
other governmental facilities. Land was not provided for future needs for a city of 350,000 people, such
as space for a general aviation airport, a community college, medical facilities, or a civic center.
Because the assembly of land is difficult, costly, and time-consuming, the City must compete with private
developers for the unplatted tracts of land. While the City may condemn land when it is needed to serve a
public need, the cost of condemnation, and also the need to have large tracts available for commercial and
industrial development, makes it essential for the City to explore other means of land assembly.
It is particularly important that the City begin to assemble land for public use as soon as possible. The
rapid development that is occurring in Cape Coral is quickly making it more difficult to assemble large,
undeveloped sites. As vacant land becomes less plentiful, the cost of the land rises. Acquiring and
assembling land in advance of need will reduce acquisition costs, and enable the City to provide adequate
public facilities on the most suitable sites as they are needed.
Absentee Land Ownership
Cape Coral was originally developed as a land sales subdivision. As such, individual building lots were
promoted and sold to individuals all over the United States and Canada, and abroad. Information to
property owners sometimes appears to travel more slowly than misinformation. The assembly of small
lots into large parcels, which is vital to the development of commercial and industrial sites, is difficult
because property owners are so scattered.
The City of Cape Coral and other governmental entities, including the Lee County School Board,
typically acquire property for facilities through the expensive process of multiple condemnation. The cost
of acquiring a 40 acre parcel, for instance, must include the cost of legal fees to condemn properties
owned by up to 160 persons.
The City of Cape Coral has a progressive citizen participation process, providing input opportunities to
the public at all phases of government. While this affords residents a chance to voice their opinions on
governmental policies and actions, a significant number of the City's property owners do not live in the
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City, or even in the state. Therefore, until the City comes much closer to buildout, decisions relative to
land use and strategies for the development of vacant land will likely receive more comment from the
owners of developed land than from those who own the undeveloped land. The City must ensure that its
policies and strategies protect the rights of the absentee land owners, as well as serve the public interest.
Canal Lots
Because of the canal system that permeates the City of Cape Coral, many building lots are located on
canals or along the Caloosahatchee River. Canal lots are distinguished between the saltwater and
freshwater canals. Saltwater canal lots are further distinguished between those with direct access (without
crossing under a bridge) or indirect access to the river. Finally, some lots are on man-made lakes,
distinguished by the particular lake's size, location, access, and type of water.
In general, canal lots are more valuable than off-water lots. Saltwater canal lots are more valuable than
freshwater canal lots; direct access lots are more valuable than those with indirect access; and lakefront
lots vary significantly depending on the particular lake. As an example, a 10,000 square foot residential
building lot in the direct access, saltwater Eight Lakes area off Cape Coral Parkway have sold for over
$100,000. Off-water residential building lots can be obtained north of Pine Island Road for $2,500 to
$5,000.
This variation in property values also creates some unusual situations. In some instances, a residential
canal lot is more valuable as a single-family, rather than a multi-family, use. City staff has seen requests
for downzoning of multi-family lots for this very reason.
The City's strategy for buildout development and siting of public facilities must take into account these
variations in land value and recognize that as development continues, the value of canal lots will increase
significantly as they become less plentiful. Therefore, acquisition of public sites along canals should be
accomplished as soon as possible.
Finally, the strategy should incorporate mechanisms to protect the value of property. Because waterfront
lots are more likely to hold their value or increase in value, the strategy must provide additional measures
to protect the value of non-waterfront property, especially those north of Pine Island Road.
Employment Centers
When Cape Coral was originally developed, it was primarily a retirement community. Those jobs that did
exist were typically service-oriented to meet the needs of a retirement population. Space was not
provided for employment centers.
As the population increases, the median age is decreasing as more families with children and working
parents move here. The City's major industry is construction, supported by the rapid population growth.
However, a large portion of Cape Coral residents work in Fort Myers or Lee County, as evidenced by the
flow of traffic on the Caloosahatchee, Edison and Cape Coral bridges at rush hour. This indicates a
significant need to provide employment opportunities for our residents within the City.
To accomplish this, convenient, accessible sites for commercial and industrial development must be
identified and encouraged. Essential city services, especially water and sewer service, must be committed
to these sites as an incentive for their development.
Transportation
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Land needs to be acquired and set aside to extend transportation routes through certain portions of the
City, as identified in the Traffic Circulation Element. Connection of major four-lane roadways will be
essential to ensure smooth, convenient vehicular traffic flow. Land must be acquired and set aside as
soon as possible to reduce acquisition costs.
The land development pattern of Cape Coral necessitates a safe, efficient street system. Mass transit
possibilities are extremely limited. The canal system creates neighborhoods with dead-end streets
surrounded by canals. The predominant single family residential development over a 114 square mile
area provides few concentrations of people. The age of the population severely limits the distance
residents can reasonably be expected to walk to a bus stop. Therefore, without running bus routes
through every residential neighborhood, the feasibility of an effective and efficient mass transit system,
available to the entire City, is unlikely.
EXISTING REGULATORY STRUCTURE
Cape Coral's original developers created a system of land regulation which has survived, with some
modifications, for thirty years. When Cape Coral was incorporated as a city in 1970, the City Council
proceeded to adopt a Code of Ordinances which effectively codified the Rosen Brothers' land use maps
and deeds of restriction.
A sign ordinance keeps Cape Coral billboard-free and imposes regulations on all types of signage
throughout the city. A lot-mowing ordinance and a mandatory garbage pickup ordinance have enhanced
the appearance of the major part of Cape Coral's land which is platted and undeveloped. A landscape
ordinance mandates the planting of trees and shrubs on the site of all new construction. Fences in
residential zones may not exceed four feet in height. Saltwater canals must be seawalled before property
owners may obtain certificates of occupancy. Other restrictions prohibit out-buildings and forbid the
parking of boats and motorhomes in front yards. Height restrictions (30 feet in R-1B zoning districts; 35
feet in R-1A zoning districts) and setback requirements are strictly maintained. An Architectural Review
Board reviews thousands of plans every year to assure that new construction maintains reasonable high
aesthetic standards.
These regulations, many of which were inherited from the earliest days of development, are strictly
enforced and have contributed to the aesthetic character of the community. They have not been perfectly
successful, and some may have caused unfortunate results not anticipated when they were adopted.
Mandatory lot mowing and garbage pickup have not eliminated unauthorized dumping. The architectural
review process has protected the community from identical neighboring houses, but critics charge that it
has not encouraged distinctiveness or innovation. Revisions to these codes, especially pertaining to
signage and parking requirements, are continuing in an effort to bring some of these regulations up to
modern standards.
The harmful environmental effects of mandatory seawalling are discussed in the Conservation and
Coastal Management element of this plan.
Throughout Cape Coral's history, zoning regulations have been used as a tool to regulate the development
of vacant parcels. The extension of water and sewer lines determined the direction of development and
the zoning code and map determined the allowable land uses. Cape Coral was not a "phased" community
in which development took place section by section. Property owners are not required to develop vacant
land. Owners of individual parcels have been free since the 1950s to build (or not to build) on their
parcels, regardless of the infrastructure or community services available at the site. The result of this
freedom can be seen in the Existing Land Use Map. Small white (i.e. vacant) spaces can be found in the
extreme southeastern part of the City, thirty-six years after development commenced in that region.
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Conversely, small yellow (i.e. single family residential) dots appear in isolated places far north of Pine
Island Road.
The zoning regulations and map lack the detail found in most cities of comparable size. Residential land
uses in other cities typically display a spectrum of densities and intensities, ranging from "estate" sized
single family lots through high-density multi-family housing. Two-family, or duplex, housing is
permitted sometimes in zones which allow duplex housing only and in other zones which allow one and
two-family units only. This broad variety of residential (and non-residential) zones does not exist in Cape
Coral.
Cape Coral has only one zoning classification for single family residential uses -- the R-1 category -which allows the construction of single family homes on 10,000 or 15,000 square foot sites. (The R-1A
category, which is extremely rare, requires home sites to be 20,000 minimum square feet in size.
In Cape Coral, R-3 is the multi-family zoning designation as described in the Land Use and Development
Regulations. The R-3 zone is not a high density district by any stretch of the imagination. Less intense
single family homes are permitted in an R-3 zoning district. Densities may not exceed 16 dwelling units
per acre. Some R-3 zones, such as the strip on either side of S.E. 24th Avenue, are almost exclusively
duplex corridors, although conventional low-rise apartment buildings and condominiums are common in
the south and east of the City.
The patterns of commercial and industrial zoning show a similar lack of variety. Zoning alone cannot
cure Cape Coral's ills. As a land-sales subdivision, the community has a limited number of available
options, considering that multi-family or commercial parcels are typically 10,000 or 15,000 square feet in
area with only 125 feet of depth.
The construction of public schools provide the most cogent illustration of potential conflict between
private and public development. The 127-acre Mariner High School site, which will ultimately be
developed as a middle and elementary school site, is located at the intersection of Chiquita Boulevard and
Tropicana Parkway two miles north of Pine Island Road. The future commercial potential of this site is
unmistakable. However, at the time of the development of the school, the site was more than two miles
from existing water and sewer lines and very few, if any, people lived within one mile of the site. The
School Board's motive for locating its complex on that site can be explained by the extremely high cost of
condemning platted lands, elsewhere in the City. If the School Board had chosen to acquire platted lands
through eminent domain, it would have faced court action involving 500 or more individual property
owners and their lawyers. (The School Board does acquire land via multiple condemnation. Skyline
Elementary, opened in 1988, was acquired in this manner, at great cost to the School Board).
If Cape Coral is to continue to grow and prosper into the next century, the community must develop a
strategy for encouraging the long-term "deplatting" of platted lands, creating sites of suitable dimensions
for commercial and multi-family development. A city of 350,000 or more cannot be adequately served by
commercial strips similar to the one found along Del Prado Boulevard.
Approximately 85 percent of Cape Coral's area is platted; an additional 10 percent is State-owned
preservation land, not available for development of any kind. The remainder -- no more than 5 percent of
the City's land mass -- is unsubdivided and developable. These properties, regardless of their locations,
are desirable sites for both private and public development.
The City of Cape Coral had contributed to the loss of unsubdivided lands by allowing the subdivision
ordinance to remain in the City Code. This ordinance, which was the simplest method for converting raw
acreage to lands zoned for industrial or commercial use, allowed the subdivision of land into small parcels
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for sale to individuals who may then develop their properties in the time or manner in which they see fit,
consistent with existing zoning. This ordinance has created small platted lands subdivisions within a vast
platted lands subdivision and has caused, on a smaller scale, many of the problems which have
historically faced Cape Coral as a whole. The City of Cape Coral eliminated the existing subdivision
ordinance, except as a tool for implementing development orders for Developments of Regional Impact
(DRIs).
Developers of commercial and industrial properties have other options. Persons holding three (3) or more
acres must apply for a Planned Development Project (PDP) (frequently called "Planned Unit
Development" in other jurisdictions). The Planned Development Project ordinance permits mixed uses of
lands, allowing negotiations between City staff and developers and requires city staff review before a
preliminary development order is issued.
The previous PDP ordinance has received some criticism from prospective land developers because it can
be time consuming. The City revised its land development regulations and continues to streamline the
PDP process without weakening its regulatory strengths. The PDP is, in essence, a contract between the
land developers and the community. It encourages innovation in land development, allowing mixtures of
uses and alternative types of development (like zero lot line) which would not be possible under
conventional zoning. It allows the City a "front-end" look at a project, and provides an opportunity to the
City to impose conditions which fit the needs of the site, while protecting neighboring properties from
encroachment.
The PDP is the best approach for developing the huge Reserve Area. Projects (except single-family
homes) will be developed as units, thereby reducing Cape Coral's chronic patchwork pattern of
development which has contributed to urban sprawl in the more developed parts of the City. By relying
upon an updated PDP ordinance as a growth management tactic, the community can discourage urban
sprawl in a platted lands context without sacrificing individual property rights.
THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP
The Future Land Use Map illustrates Cape Coral's projected land uses in the year 2020 and beyond. It is
also a map of Cape Coral at the time of buildout when each developable property has been built upon.
This is not a zoning map -- each land use category may encompass several individual zoning categories -but the zoning map and code, as well as all other land development regulations, must be brought into
compliance with this map according to the provisions of Chapter 163 of Florida Statutes. Two important
considerations constrain the preparation of a future land use map for Cape Coral, or for any platted lands
community.
First, Cape Coral is already platted. Although the majority of Cape Coral's land is vacant, it is
nevertheless privately owned, and ownership is widely distributed. In most Florida communities, land
development takes place in large parcels, often in hundreds of acres. This occasionally happens in Cape
Coral, but it is the exception. Most development in Cape Coral takes place on 10,000 square foot sites.
Property owners have relied for over thirty years upon the promises of the original developers, and upon
the City's zoning code which has enforced those promises.
Second, the City has very little flexibility in altering existing patterns of density and intensity of use.
Streets and canals make replatting extremely difficult. Most property owners own two adjoining lots, 40
feet x 125 feet, zoned for single family use. If the City were to attempt to alter minimum site
requirements (increasing them to 20,000 square feet, for example) the results would be predictable. Lots
would have an odd, elongated appearance. The per-dwelling unit cost of extending water and sewer lines
and maintaining streets would double, leaving the City with unbuildable, or "orphan", lots. Besides, the
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constitutionality of such a measure is highly questionable.
For these reasons, the Future Land Use Map proposes many changes in uses, but no significant changes in
allowable densities and intensities of use. Single family densities range from one (1) dwelling unit per
acre to 4.4 dwelling units per acre. Multi-family residential densities are permitted up to 16 units, with
the possibility of no more than 20 units as an incentive for the assembly of large parcels.
Urban Services Areas
The Future Land Use Map divides the City into three overlay districts: the Urban Services Infill Area, the
Urban Services Transition Area, and the Urban Services Reserve Area.
A.
The Urban Services Infill Area is the area of the City to which community facilities,
infrastructure, and services will be extended as the highest priority of this comprehensive plan.
The City will take whatever actions are necessary to assure that this area meets or exceeds the
level of service standards adopted in this plan in a manner sufficient to serve 100 percent of the area's
buildout population.
The boundaries of this area include all parts of the City served by both municipal water and
sewer. (Exceptions: those properties which would create enclaves or "fingers").
As a result, the Urban Services Infill Area is the area with the highest density of existing land uses and the
highest levels of existing services.
B.
The Urban Services Transition Area is the second area of priority in the extension of community
services and facilities. As services and facilities are extended to this area, it will be annexed into the Infill
Area by amendment to the Future Land Use Map.
At original adoption, the boundaries of the Transition Area coincided with those of the WICC
("Water Independence for Cape Coral") master plan for the extension of potable water and sanitary sewer
services. This was also the area of highest growth in the late 1980s.
C.
The Urban Services Reserve Area is the largest of the three overlay areas, and by far the least
densely populated. Although parts of this area, notably the southwest, have experienced rapid growth in
recent years, the Reserve Area is largely undeveloped. In the Urban Reserve Service Area where central
water and sewer is not available, residential uses are restricted to the lowest density available and nonresidential uses, for example, professional office which do not have central water and sewer may develop
if increases in water and sewer demand are equivalent to single-family residential. Properties located in
the Commercial Activity Center may be granted a density bonus if the area has City water and sewer
available.
Cape Coral's Vacant Lands
As of February 28, 1996 Growth and Land Management Division has determined that 26.4 percent of
Cape Coral's developable lots have been developed. (Of 270,063 platted lots, 71,283 have been
developed). This figure does not include the State-owned preservation areas, most of which front
Matlacha Pass on the City's west end. Nor do these figures include approximately 4 to 5 square miles of
unplatted lands, most of which are vacant lands located within the Urban Services Reserve Area.
Most of Cape Coral's vacant platted lots are located within the Reserve Area. The typical platted lot is
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residentially zoned and 5000 square feet in area. These vacant lands in the Reserve Area compose an
extraordinary inventory of land which is suitable for development -- approximately 23,571 acres, or 36.8
square miles, not counting preservation areas, unplatted tracts, existing facilities, canals, or streets.
The vacant platted lots, as well as most unplatted tracts, are served by the City's extensive roadway
network, although many of the local streets in the Reserve Area are in a state of disrepair. Electric utility
and telephone service are available to all properties upon development. Police, fire, sanitation, and
emergency medical service are available -- although response times are relatively long due to the
remoteness of most vacant lands – and school buses pick up children whenever the streets are safely
passable.
If each pair of vacant lots were developed at the density of one (1) dwelling unit per 10,000 square feet -or 4.4 units per acre, the standard density allowed under the existing zoning code's "R-1" classification -Cape Coral could easily expand its housing inventory by approximately 103,712 units. When added to
the City's existing November 30, 1990 inventory of 34,916 units, Cape Coral would have a built-out
housing inventory of 138,628 units. This projection of housing inventory at buildout is unquestionably
conservative because it does not take future multi-family development (i.e. development at densities
greater than one (1) unit per 10,000 square feet) into consideration. These higher densities are
counterbalanced to a limited extent by the small number of lots which may never be developed and also
by the lots currently zoned for residential use which will be developed for other purposes, such as
schools, parks, or commercial activities.
Given the conservative nature of this projection, it may be prudent to rely upon the projections generated
by Boyle Engineering Corporation in their "WICC" (Water Independence for Cape Coral, the City's dualwater plan) Study. Boyle Engineering projected that Cape Coral could, at buildout, have 160,027
dwelling units, divided accordingly among the City's three urban services areas.
Table 1: Dwelling Units At Buildout
Urban Service Area:
Number of Dwelling Units:
Percentage of Whole:
Infill
37,279
23.3%
Transition
27,057
16.9%
Reserve
95,691
59.8%
TOTALS
160,027
100.0%
How many new residents can Cape Coral accommodate? To predict the carrying capacity of the City's
36.8 square miles of vacant platted lots, we must first determine the value of two critical variables. The
first variable is, of course, the net increase in dwelling units between the present and the time of buildout.
Two options were given above. Option "A", the Division of Growth and Land Management conservative
projection, assumes a net increase in inventory of 103,712 (i.e. 138,628 less existing inventory of 34,916
units). The more sanguine Boyle projection -- Option "B" -- is 125,111 (i.e. 160,027 less 34,916).
The second critical variable is the number of permanent and functional residents per dwelling unit. Any
number of indices may be used here, but two coefficients from the 1990 U.S. Census should serve to
illustrate our prospective populations. Coefficient "I" is 2.19, the number of permanent residents per
dwelling unit in 1990. This should produce a plausible projection of permanent residents. Coefficient
"II" is 2.52, the number of persons per household. This multiplier should yield an acceptable projection
of functional, or peak-season, population.
Tables 2 and 3 below summarize Growth and Land Management Division's projections of Cape Coral's
potential population using both scenarios (the conservative scenario and the Boyle/WICC study scenario).
Table 2: Population At Buildout
Existing
Additional
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TOTAL
Number of Dwelling Units:
Permanent Population Coefficient I:
Functional Population Coefficient II:
39,983
87,562
100,757
98,645
216,032
248,585
138,628
303,594
349,342
Table 3: Scenario 2 (Based Upon Boyle Engineering Company Data)
Existing
Additional
TOTAL
Number of Dwelling Units:
39,983
120,044
160,027
Permanent Population Coefficient I:
87,562
262,896
350,459
Functional Population Coefficient II:
100,757
302,511
403,268
Table 4 projects the built-out population of each of the three urban services areas at time of buildout using
the assumptions of the Boyle/WICC report.
Urban Service Area:
DU's at Buildout:
Permanent Population
Coefficient I:
Functional Population
Coefficient II:
Table 4: Potential Population At Buildout
Infill
Transition
Reserve
37,279
27,057
95,691
TOTALS
160,027
81,641
59,255
209,563
350,459
93,943
68,184
241,141
403,268
From the data contained in Table 4 we may conclude that the Cape Coral comprehensive plan sets aside
adequate land for residential development needed to accommodate the growth anticipated by the year
2020.
The Population and Demographics section of this plan projects a permanent population of between
168,263 ("medium") and 204,593 ("high") in 2020 . When seasonal population is considered, the
projection ranges between 201,915 and 156,996 130,830. The Urban Services Infill and Transition Areas,
combined, can easily accommodate this anticipated population.
Do any environmental considerations constrain the development of vacant lands? Most of Cape Coral's
land is man-altered savanna -- well-drained prairie land with few trees. For this reason, very little of Cape
Coral's platted lots can be characterized as undevelopable wetlands. (Some privately owned wetlands do
exist, but these, for the most part, are lands which are unplatted and are illustrated as "Natural
Resources/Preservation" on the Future Land Use Map).
A few individual lots are not easily developed because of endangered species habitat considerations.
Properties which contain owl nests have minor restrictions during certain months of the year. Properties
which host or neighbor the nests of bald eagles have more stringent restrictions. Many of these properties
are developable, however the City may prohibit development or construction from taking place on
properties within 350 feet of an eagles nest. The cumulative effect upon the community's environment -from causes as diverse as air pollution and the runoff of chemical pollutants into the city's canal system -is unquestionably a cause for concern. Each individual lot will be evaluated on its specific value to the
nesting pair and on any disadvantage resulting from the prohibition of development. Please contact the
Department of Community Development for a specific determination on any individual lot.
Land Uses
Land uses illustrated in the Future Land Use Map are as follows:
Single Family Residential uses are shown in yellow (light yellow in the Reserve Area). Permitted uses
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include: single family, detached dwelling units on platted sites of 10,000 square feet or larger i.e. densities
not to exceed 4.4 units/acre) parks; home offices; nature and wildlife preserves, schools and essential
utility services, in accordance with city regulations.
Single Family Residential and Multi-family by PDP shown in tan in the Urban Services Reserve Area,
may be developed for single family uses and multi-family residential uses that include alternative housing
types such as cluster homes, townhomes and zero lot line development. Permitted uses include: home
occupations, nature and wildlife Preserves, parks, schools, places of worship (one acre minimum lot area),
administrative offices, and essential utility services. Multi-family or alternative housing types may be
developed provided the following standards are met:
(1) They may be developed only as a part of a Planned Development Project of three (3) acres or
more.
(2) The property must be zoned to allow multi-family development.
Table 5: Land Use Densities
Acres:
D.U./acre:
Less than 3
4.4
3-4.99 5-9.99
8
10
10-14.99
12
15-19.99
14
20+
16
Prior to the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, these properties were previously zoned "R-3" (i.e.
"Multi-family Residential") and most of them were located in strips along the City's four-lane
thoroughfares. The problem inherent in regulating these lands is discussed in the "Strip Development"
section, above. Densities in the "Single Family Residential" portion of the Urban Services Reserve Area
may not exceed the following standards shown in Table 5.
Multi-Family Residential uses are shown in brown. This category includes the range of multi-family uses
from duplexes to large apartment houses and condominiums. Permitted densities: up to 16 units per acre.
Bonus densities may permit as many as 20 units per acre as an incentive for assembling platted lands.
This land use classification includes the Receiving Zones for Transfers of Development Rights. Permitted
Uses include the following: multi-family dwellings, single family dwellings, administrative offices, home
occupations, places of worship (One acre minimum lot area), parks, schools and essential utility services
in accordance with City regulations.
Commercial/Professional uses are shown in dark pink.
The "Professional" zoning designation ("P-1") is by far the more restrictive of the two. In cases where the
Future Land Use Map mandates a rezoning to a "Commercial/Professional" land use, the City will,
whenever possible, grant pedestrian commercial ("C-1") zoning only to properties with 250 feet or more
of depth which are located on four-lane thoroughfares. The purpose for this recommendation is to
encourage greater depth along the City's four-lane corridors, thereby avoiding the development pattern
which has characterized the growth of Del Prado Boulevard.
The "Professional" designation conforms essentially to the City's Professional (P-1) zoning district. This
district is mostly for business and medical offices, with some other related uses and light intensity retail,
including Social Services offices, Mortgage brokers, Specialty Retail Shops, Florist Shops and standard
Government office space. Professional uses will generally be acceptable on sites of 125 feet of depth,
although in many cases larger sites are permitted.
A few areas designated "Commercial/Professional" on the Future Land Use Map have been designated for
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professional use only. Commercial uses in these areas may only be allowed through a Planned
Development Project (PDP) process, and provided that the commercial uses are compatible with the
surrounding professional uses. These areas are the "Commercial/Professional" designated areas
immediately east, west and south of the existing City Hall site on Nicholas Parkway, so designated for
professional uses to serve and interact with the City Hall complex; the blocks designated
"Commercial/Professional" on the north side of Viscaya Parkway west of Del Prado, so designated to
provide primarily medical and related uses in conjunction with the hospital; and the two blocks (Blocks
1699 and 1700) on the north side of Cape Coral Parkway between Skyline and Pelican Boulevard. Other
areas may be designated for professional use only as a policy decision to ensure compatibility with
surrounding land uses.
The "Commercial" designation is essentially the City's Pedestrian Commercial (C-1) zoning district. This
is the City's most common commercial zoning district. It encompasses a wide range of commercial uses,
including those permitted in the professional zoning district. Permitted uses in the C-1 zoning district
include food stores, lawn and garden supply stores, specialty retail shops, veterinary and animal clinics,
nature and wildlife preserves, building materials stores, etc. Building heights are generally restricted to
three stories or 45 feet, except in the Community Redevelopment Area in which five stories are permitted
on larger sized properties.
Highway Commercial land is illustrated in light pink. High density commercial uses, such as regional
shopping centers and other projects which will attract high volumes of traffic or will require large tracts
of land, must be located within this area. This designation conforms essentially to our Thoroughfare
Commercial (C-3) zoning district. Minimum lot size is slightly more than one (1) acre, and maximum
building height is three (3) stories or 45 feet. This district also includes greater setbacks, road frontage,
and landscaping requirements.
Light Industrial uses are shown in gray. These may be developed only by PDP or DRI. The Industrial
land use conforms essentially to the City's Industrial (I-1) zoning district. Permitted uses include miniwarehouse, motor freight terminal, wholesale establishments and manufacturing plans. All industrial uses
permitted in the City fall into this zoning district. There are limited Industrial areas designated in the
City; the existing Industrial Park along Viscaya Parkway being the largest area of small industrial lots.
Most of the other industrial areas will be developed through the PDP or DRI process.
Public Facilities are illustrated in ultramarine blue. These include public schools, designated "H" for
high schools, "M" for middle schools, "E" for elementary schools, "CC" for community college branch,
and "T" for a vocational-technical school. These sites were reviewed by officials of the School Board of
Lee County to assure that they meet the School Board policies for size, accessibility, and site, and serve
an appropriate radius. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the school sites and other public facilities
shown in light blue in the Reserve Area are illustrations of prospective locations, and may be changed to
fit the needs of the School Board and community. For that reason, and until the City of Cape Coral and
the School Board of Lee County jointly agree on a policy for reserving land for future educational use,
property owners may continue to develop lands illustrated as school sites for single family dwelling units.
Allowable densities for these projects may not exceed 4.4 units per acre.
Fire station locations are illustrated with a letter "F". These sites were chosen by the Cape Coral Fire
Department as a part of the City's Fire Impact Fee program adopted in 1987. These stations, 16 in total at
time of buildout, will be sited at or near the locations shown on the map. Each station will serve one Fire
Management District. Police stations are shown with the letter "P". These are prospective locations
which divide the City into four precincts (five if the central station on Nicholas Parkway is included).
Other "Public Facilities" include:
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- Libraries, designated with the letter "L";
-Medical Centers, designated with the letters "MD". This includes the existing Cape Coral Hospital on
Del Prado Boulevard and Viscaya Parkway.
-Cemeteries, designated with the letter "C".
Nothing in this plan should be construed to prohibit the building of a single family dwelling unit on any
buildable lot in the Reserve Area, land use designations notwithstanding, unless the Capital
Improvements Element specifically designates the area for acquisition by the community. This applies to
the airport site shown in the City's northwest, and to unfunded school and park sites.
The Future Land Use map illustrates Places of Worship (designated with the letter "W") as Public
Facilities because they are places of assembly and activity. This land use designation was not intended
to discourage the sale of church or synagogue property to other organizations. In such cases, Council will
consider rezoning of the property to conform with neighboring land uses and will amend the Future Land
Use Map to reflect the changed status of the property.
Parks and Recreational facilities are shown in green. These parks and recreational uses include:
-Golf Courses, designated with the letter "G";
-A Major Park, designated with the letters "MP";
-Community Parks, designated with the letters "CP";
-Special parks for diamond sports, including baseball, softball, and Little League, designated with the
letter "D";
-Special parks for gridiron sports, including football and soccer, designated with the letter "I";
-A special park for BMX/motorcross bicycling, designated with the letter "X";
-Arts facilities, designated with the letter "A";
-Neighborhood Park facilities designated with the letter "N"; and
-Boat Launch Facilities designated with the letter "B"
Natural Resources/Preservation Lands are illustrated in turquoise. These include the Matlacha Pass
Aquatic Preserve and the Four Mile Cove Eco Park.
Historical Resources are illustrated in dark blue. Although no historic sites have been designated by City
Council, they will be added by amendment if Council, at a future date, accepts the recommendations of a
citizen body commissioned to identify historic homes and landmarks. This body and its mission are
discussed in the Housing Element of this comprehensive plan. There are archaeologically significant sites
located in the Preservation Area to the west of the city. To preserve the integrity of these sites, they are
not specifically sited on the map series.
The East/West Corridor and Burnt Store Road Extension connecting Cape Coral with Fort Myers via the
Midpoint Memorial Bridge is illustrated with a broad shaded line.
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Mixed Uses are illustrated in orange. These are parcels that vary from 10,000 square feet to hundreds of
acres in size. Permitted uses include all land uses permitted by ordinance throughout the City. Unless
they are to be developed as one single family home or as uses governed by specific development
standards in mixed use zoning districts, L lands with the "Mixed Use" designation other than one single
family home must be developed only by DRI or PDP as approved by City Council.
Mixed use developments may combine commercial, professional, residential, mobile home developments,
or industrial projects dependent on compatibility with existing or proposed development; accessibility;
service areas for the project; the availability of city services; and the demand for the specific type of
development.
Commercial Activity Center is illustrated in lavender. The purpose of this future land use classification is
to promote commercial and mixed-use development at key locations, proximate to major corridors
throughout the City of Cape Coral. The Commercial Activity Center land use classification is intended to
provide places that offer daily goods and services to the local community and, in some instances, attract
patrons from the region. By geographically distributing Commercial Activity Centers throughout the City,
at convenient locations for residents, vehicular trips will be substantially reduced. In addition, the
Commercial Activity Center land use classification is designed to integrate and provide appropriate
transitions between non-residential uses with residential areas through landscape requirements and
architectural design guidelines.
Commercial Activity Centers are intended to be automotive and pedestrian oriented and interconnected
with each other and with adjacent developments – whether commercial or residential. The mix of uses
prescribed below shall be applied to each Commercial Activity Center comprised of the amalgamation of
all lands classified as Activity Center that are not separated by lands classified as other uses.
Provided below are the maximum baseline and the total maximum densities and intensities permitted by
use and for the residential component of compound buildings.
Use
Baseline Maximum
Densities & Intensities
Total Maximum
Densities & Intensities
Residential
4.4 units per acre
16 units per acre
Residential In
Compound Bldgs
10 units per acre
20 units per acre
Non-Residential
0.5 FAR (Floor Area Ratio)
2.0 FAR
Increases to the maximum baseline densities and intensities up to the total maximum densities and
intensities may be permitted by use through participation in development incentive programs and/or the
City’s Transfer Development Rights (TDR) program. Residential units within a compound use building
are not deducted from the maximum allowable percentage of residential land within the Commercial
Activity Center.
Density/development incentives and bonuses are discretionary, not entitlements, and are dependent upon
meeting the criteria for each bonus provision and compatibility with surrounding properties, as well as
any criteria in the Future Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use and Development
Regulations. Participation in these programs may include but would not be limited to: the provision of a
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public open space component consisting of large contiguous lands and/or special features, recreational
areas, permanent protection of natural resources, provision of civic space for hurricane shelters,
educational facilities and/or fire/police stations, provision of transportation improvements, including
roadway, parking, mass transit, bike way, sidewalks and/or pathways for pedestrian circulation, enhanced
waterfront access, land assemblage of multiple properties creating a parcel of at least 3 acres and
consisting of at least 250 feet in depth along at least 50% of the site’s frontage. However, in the Urban
Services Reserve Area, where central water and sewer are not available, residential uses are restricted to
4.4 dwelling units per acre and non-residential uses are limited to uses that do not generate an estimated
flow of more than 1320 gallons of sewage per acre per day. Estimated flows shall be based on 64E-6.008
Florida Administrative Code, as may be amended from time to time.
This land use classification will ultimately guide commercial developers to areas in the City of Cape
Coral to meet the needs of the current and future populations. One of the major distinctions between the
Mixed-Use future land use classification and the Commercial Activity Center future land use
classification is the prescription for the distribution of the mix of uses. The Commercial Activity Center
future land use does not require a mix of uses on an individual property basis, but rather provides a range
of complimentary uses for specific Commercial Activity Centers.
Various proportions of residential and non-residential land uses, which may include the full array of
residential and commercial uses (retail, office and services, hotel/motel, and public facilities), shall be of
the type designated on Figure 6, Commercial Activity Centers, which is a part of the future land use map
series; such types shall be as described below. Figure 6 may be amended through the large-scale future
land use map amendment process. For purposes of calculation of the mix of uses, compound use
development shall be calculated as non-residential.
TYPE
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Commercial Activity Center Mix of Uses
PERCENTAGE NONPERCENTAGE RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL PERMITTED
PERMITTED
50-80
20-50
80-100
0-20
70-100
0-30
60-100
0-40
50-100
0-50
40-100
0-60
30-100
0-70
Within a Commercial Activity Center, residential uses, other than residential uses within compound
buildings, are not permitted within the Commercial Core Area, which is defined as the area within twohundred fifty (250) feet of any major roadway (any arterial or any collector roadway identified on the
City of Cape Coral Functional Classification Map).
Except for the Commercial Core Area, infill residential development may be approved above the
permitted percentage of residential development in the above table by Commercial Activity Center Type,
if it can be demonstrated that the surrounding block face is built to at least 65% residential and the subject
lot is surrounded by residential development on both sides.
In no case shall any density or intensity allowable by this provision conflict with Policy 4.3.3 of the
Conservation and Coastal Management Element regulating density and intensity of development within
the Coastal High Hazard Area.
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Zoning districts will be developed to implement this land use initiative to foster greater commercial
development in a manner that is responsive to the neighborhood context of the proposed use. New types
of commercial zoning districts shall be prepared to provide standards and principles regulating access,
location and integration with surrounding uses, allowable uses, and square footage and/or thresholds.
The new standards will recognize the need for various types and scales of commercial centers to meet
market demands.
The Pedestrian Commercial (C-1) and Professional Office (P-1) zoning districts are generally discouraged
within an Activity Center future land use classification. However, existing C-1 and P-1 developments
shall be allowed to continue and may be expanded when such expansion is determined to be essential to
or directly supportive of the operation or service or when uses, structures, or sites exist which would not
conform to the requirements of the anticipated zoning districts for Activity Center land use classification.
Properties that are below the minimum area requirement for ideal zoning districts may develop as a
Professional Office (P-1) use.
Pine Island Road District, illustrated in purple, is located along Pine Island Road from east of Del Prado
Boulevard, and west to Burnt Store Road. Under this land use designation, at least two distinctive zoning
categories will be allowed: Village and Corridor zoning. The Village zone is intended to promote
maximum pedestrian friendliness and minimal automobile traffic between residential areas, shopping
destinations, a variety of entertainment establishments, and employment opportunities. The Corridor
zoning designation will be placed on the land located between the Villages and will include larger scale,
less pedestrian-oriented uses. In general terms, Pine Island Road District will encourage mixed-use
development at key intersections with major North-South streets along Pine Island Road.
Canals are illustrated in medium blue.
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LAND ASSEMBLY STRATEGIES
The strategy of this element is to reverse the harmful effects of premature subdivision by acquiring and
reassembling lands for public and private use by employing four mechanisms:
1. Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs);
2. Assembly incentives;
3. Land Banking;
4. Condemnation;
5. Replatting;
6. Commercial Activity Center
Condemnation, the fourth option, is the method of last resort.
How Transfers of Development Rights Work
Suppose the City of Cape Coral wished to acquire a 40-acre site in the Urban Services Reserve Area to
build a Community Park. The park site is shown on the future land use map for the purpose, but is zoned
R-1. There are 320 individual vacant parcels on the site, which are owned by 160 individual property
owners. The Comprehensive Plan does not propose to extend services to this area during the life of the
plan.
The property owners may transfer the right to develop their lots to a designated zone within the Urban
Services Transition Area. The TDR Receiving Zone has been selected because it has two distinctive
features: (a) low density of existing development, and (b) a near-term expectation (i.e. less than five
years) of full community services. In other words, the Receiving Zone does not have a large number of
existing single-family dwellings which might conflict with multi-family uses, but the zone will be fully
developed according to the provisions of the plan.
Mr. Jones, a property owner at the park site, may purchase a lot in the Receiving Zone and transfer this
development right to that site. Instead of building a single family unit, he may build a duplex. His lot in
the TDR Area (the park site) is no longer of much value, but his lot in the Receiving Zone is considerably
more valuable because he has doubled its allowable density and he has moved to a site which has or will
soon receive water and sewer.
Mr. Jones has another option. He may choose to sell his development right to Mrs. Smith who owns a lot
within the Receiving Zone. Mrs. Smith purchases the development right from an enterprising realtor who
specializes in brokering development options. Because many property owners live out of town, some
options-oriented realtors may develop a sort of mail-order marketing technique.
The City has not deprived Mr. Jones of the use of his land; it has not rezoned Mr. Jones' land; it has not
forbidden him to build on his land; and it has not condemned his land. His actions are voluntary, and in
his own economic self-interest.
How Assembly Incentives Work
Suppose Mr. Jones has transferred his development right by selling it to Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith may
build her duplex, but she doesn't like the idea, because the allowable density of duplex units (8-9 per acre
is lower by far than the allowable density for multi-family units within the Receiving Zone (16-20 units,
perhaps). If judiciously built, multi-family units may increase the City's tax revenues. (Homestead
exemptions do not apply to apartment units). The per-unit cost of extending infrastructure, such as water
4-18
and sewer lines, is cheaper to apartment houses than to duplexes or single family units. Consumption of
water per unit is also lower.
The City has another interest--discouraging strip-style development of multi-family housing. This type of
housing fails to provide adequate open-space buffers from other land uses. The City's existing land use
regulations encourage the development of small apartment complexes with few amenities. The lack of
amenities -- including swimming pools and other recreational facilities -- places an added burden on the
City's overworked parks system.
The solution is to encourage individual lot owners to re-combine their lots, increasing the allowable
density as the size of the combined tract increases. For instance, Mrs. Smith could double her allowable
density to 16 units per acre if she could assemble a one-acre contiguous, rectangular lot from her
neighbors. If she can assemble a larger tract, say five acres, inside the Receiving Zone, she can develop
her property as a PDP, for which a higher density -- 20 units, for example -- may be allowed.
How Land Banking Works
Land Banking is a system by which the City designates a specific area to be acquired for City use, or
assembled for private use. In most land banking systems, the City itself functions as the entrepreneur,
although not-for-profit corporations sometimes provide this service, using the familiar model of the
Nature Conservancy and organizations which acquire and consolidate individual tracts for sale to a
governmental body at a later date.
Land banking provides flexibility to the City because its annual appropriation can be budgeted well in
advance. Land banking is less costly than condemnation because it avoids the expensive legal fees of
eminent domain procedures. Lands acquired through land banking may be acquired on the installment
plan, allowing the City the leverage to obtain a large number of parcels at a relatively low annual cost.
Land banking offers an additional opportunity to the City -- by obtaining individual lots through land
banking, the City may consolidate lands which may be sold at a profit for development as industrial or
commercial properties; or, the City may choose to develop those consolidated parcels in partnership with
a private developer.
Land Bbanking can be used to reduce the City's long-term obligation to provide water and sewer services
to remote areas. The City may purchase platted lands, vacate the development rights, and convert the
lands to open space. (Florida Statute Chapter 163 and DCA Rule 9J-5 require that the City include a
strategy for preservation of open space in the Comprehensive Plan).
How Condemnation Works
Condemnation is the most expensive, the most controversial, and the most coercive method for acquiring
land. Nevertheless, condemnation is an essential last resort which may be used to obtain land owned by
individuals who choose not to participate in the TDR process, or to sell their property through
negotiation.
How Replatting Works
One final option is available to the City. This is the process by which lands are acquired, replatted and resold or reassigned to the original owners. This approach has been used, with some success, in Florida.
This method, if accepted by the individual property owners, could be used to convert whole GAC units
into attractive neighborhoods with the amenities that land developers use throughout Southwest Florida -commercial land uses with appropriate buffering; lands set aside for neighborhood parks, neighborhood
4-19
schools, and open space. Improved lot layout could create the more efficient extension of water and
sewer lines.
The City should explore alternative means of assembling property, such as replatting, as a method to
acquire large areas of property for public use. Replatting small building lots into large, developable
parcels, could encourage large scale, private commercial, industrial or residential development.
How Commercial Activity Center Works
The Commercial Activity Center land use classification is intended for certain lands suitable for
commercial and residential uses at or near the intersections of collectors, minor and major arterials, and
principal arterials. A Commercial Activity Center is an area of concentrated activity, involving
potentially higher-densities and a mix of uses that encourages alternatives to automobile travel. This
designation provides the private sector with various options for the actual mix of uses to respond to
market factors. However, within the Commercial Activity Center, there shall be a designated commercial
core area where only commercial or compound use development is allowed. This serves to provide
important roadway access and visibility connections between commercial development and consumers
and to reserve the most appropriate and marketable areas for commercial uses through restriction of
residential development. The commercial core area in the typical platted lands situation includes one
block of back-to-back lots, approximately 250 feet from major roadways, running through the
Commercial Activity Center. Both, the City and the private sector, have the opportunity to propose
commercial project locations that expand out from the commercial core lands within the Commercial
Activity Center.
As further discussed in the Platted Lands section of this Element, issues related to platted lands severely
hinder commercial development from reaching its full market-based potential. These issues are rooted in
the ownership of small parcels by diverse, individual owners located throughout the world. It not only
takes time, effort, and capital to assemble land, it requires a high level of commitment and possibly
complex strategies. For example, a developer seeking to assemble 25 acres for a commercial center may
need to acquire approximately 80 parcels, depending on the existing right-of-way configuration and plans
for vacation of such right-of-way. Typically, some of the owners may not wish to accept market value for
their property for the following reasons; 1) they may be residing on the property and do not wish to
disrupt their lives by relocating, 2) they may have no knowledge of the local real estate market and
therefore have no ability to judge whether an offer to purchase is truly based on the market value, 3) they
may have a long-term investment strategy, intending to hold the land until cashing out at some future
date, 4) they may be receiving multiple offers from various parties, 5) they may wish to develop a home
or 6) they may feel their land has an extraordinary value, far exceeding market value, if they believe their
property is key to a large, planned corporate development. Because of the scattered development pattern
and sky-rocketing residential development, it is constantly becoming more difficult to identify vacant land
to assemble into a large project. During the time it may take to assemble a portion of the land the
commercial developer seeks, some other portion of the targeted area may become developed with new
residential structures. If a commercial developer must acquire land with developed residential structures
for which they have not use, this means that the market value is higher than they would normally pay in
other equivalent market areas. Once the lands are acquired, the landowner may need to apply for the
vacation of any existing right-of-ways and/or easements if the existing configuration of such is not
compatible with development plans. Despite all of these hurdles, commercial developers may find it
feasible to overcome them in order to serve an otherwise underserved market.
Residential growth in Cape Coral is virtually unbridled. Since the City revised its growth projections in
2001, the actual growth rate has continued to exceed even the revised projections in the years 2002, 2003,
and 2004. Therefore, the combination of providing an ample supply of land available for commercial
4-20
development and constraining residential growth is necessary to ensure that lands for non-residential uses
will be available at appropriate locations throughout the City. The intention of the City is to provide an
inventory of land with commercial development potential that initially exceeds the projected market
demand, with the full recognition that the acute limitations that tend to discourage commercial
development, will likely result in many such areas in Commercial Activity Centers being rejected for
commercial uses. The proportion of residential and non-residential uses assigned to each Commercial
Activity Center varies from one to another based on such factors as the land acreage, parcels sizes, the
current development (if any), plat configuration and the available capacity of municipal facilities. The
City will annually monitor the development of the Commercial Activity Centers and will adjust the
proportions, if necessary, to adequately support the demands of current and future populations. When the
market demand for commercial development is satisfied, the City will adjust the size, locations, and or
type (proportion of residential and non-residential) in accordance with the City's Commercial Corridor
Study.
SPECIAL LAND USE CONSIDERATIONS
Wellfield Protection
Within any municipality, the protection of the potable water well fields is a prime consideration. Certain
land uses can cause degradation of the wellfields through surface contamination on the site. A healthy,
clean and adequate supply of drinking water is a vital concern for the population throughout the city. The
City of Cape Coral is no different. It also needs to protect its water supply from contamination due to
land uses on the surface.
Cape Coral, however, enjoys a natural benefit from the aquifer's structure. The Lower Hawthorne and
Upper Suwanee aquifers from which Cape Coral draws its potable water are unusual. These aquifers are
deep, between 500 feet and 700 feet. A significant level of protection is also provided through the
geologic structure of the aquifers. This structure is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. As Figure 2 shows, the
Lower Hawthorne Aquifer is isolated from the surface by two layers of clay. The first clay layer
separates the Surficial Aquifer System from the Intermediate Aquifer System. The second layer separates
the Lower Hawthorne or Floridian Aquifer system from the Intermediate Aquifer System. A study by
Missimer and Associates, completed in January, 1991, concluded that the city's aquifer system, "...can be
viewed as a layer-cake system with a very thick clay unit at the top producing very tight confinement
from overlying aquifers." This structure plus the depth of the wells indicates that the possibility of well
contamination from surface soil contamination is remote.
The wellfields are protected from broad surface contamination by the hydrologic structure but the
possibility of contamination still exists where these confining layers are "pierced" by the wellheads
themselves. The City protects these wellheads in two ways. First, the wellheads are located either on the
Public Facilities land of the Reverse Osmosis plant itself or in the median strips of major Cape Coral
streets. The locations are illustrated in Figure 3. Placement of the wells on Public Facilities land
provides the obvious control needed to protect the wellhead and prevents any potential land use that may
cause some kind of spill severe enough to enter the well. Placement within the right-of-way works in a
similar manner. The wide right-of-way reduces the chance of contamination by surrounding the wellhead
with pavement and site setback requirements. The possibility of contamination due to damage from an
automobile accident is reduced by placing the wellhead and equipment within a concrete "bunker." These
measures have proven sufficient in reducing the risk of contamination.
Dredge Spoil
The city's current dredge spoil site is a ten (10) acre parcel site north of Lake Kennedy as shown on
4-21
Figure 5. The Public Works Department forecasts that capacity on this site is sufficient to hold an
additional 2 to 3 years worth of dredge spoil. The exact timing of the end of the useful life for this site is
difficult to predict. While dredge spoil produced within the city is delivered to this site, this spoil is also
used as fill for various city projects within the city. The actual percent of increase on the site is constantly
fluctuating as the percent of deposit and the percent of removal both vary.
The policy governing dredge spoil within the City of Cape Coral is to use inland sites. The vast majority
of dredging operations within the cities jurisdiction occur in the inland canal system. Inland spoil sites
therefore are the least expensive because of the transportation costs. These sites will have no adverse
impact on environmentally sensitive land or navigable waters. Such sites also make the dredge spoil
available as fill for various city lands.
The rate of dredge spoil site coverage is slow enough and the effective individual site utilization period is
long enough that future sites do not need to be identified more than a couple of years in advance. The
Public Works Department has already begun seeking a second site for dredge spoil. The most likely spot
at this time appears to be a site to the west of the Reverse Osmosis plant on Public Facilities lands.
Negotiations for the use of these lands are expected to be completed well in advance of their need.
Increases in Commercial Land Use
The City has identified a need for increasing commercial land within the City. Given the low percentage of
commercial land, the City has created a framework used for the identification of areas within the City, which
are conducive to accommodate commercial growth. The Commercial Corridor Study, Parts 1 and 2
identified the deficiencies of commercial lands and established a recommended methodology to meet the
demands for the size and location of commercial space within each corridor.
The policy’s intent is to address and discuss land use variables, which both negatively and positively impact
the location of commercial lands within a pre-platted community such as Cape Coral. Moreover, a series of
criteria have been established thus allowing for an objective determination for the inappropriate and/or
appropriate locations of commercial lands.
Negative Impacts Associated with Strip Commercial Development
The historical strip commercial development pattern within Cape Coral is generally regarded as an inefficient
use of land. One of the primary contributing factors to the development of the strip commercial is the fact
that Cape Coral is a pre-platted community. In general, Cape Coral was subdivided by the original
developers into lots 40 feet wide by 125 feet deep with an emphasis on single-family residences and little
attention to providing land for large scale commercial development or employment centers. The profitability
of marketing residential lots as a potential retirement “paradise” outweighed the distant and difficult to
quantify benefit of providing adequate commercial land along with other land for industrial uses, parks or
public facilities to serve the long term needs of the city.
Strip commercial development results in traffic congestion and safety hazards, negative impacts on adjacent
residential areas and improper site development.
Commercial Land Use Nodes
An alternative to strip commercial development is the development of commercial land uses at transportation
nodes. Commercial land use nodes are identified within the City’s Comprehensive Plan as a concentration of
commercial land around or near intersections of major city roadways (i.e., 4 or more lane divided parkways
and boulevards). The intent is to allow the commercial land to “grow” from the intersection to adjacent
4-22
lands, however, the point at which the commercial growth should stop is difficult to define. The application
of hard and fast rules is not appropriate as each area of the City is unique and has specific conditions and
limitations that must be addressed.
The ideal commercial node development pattern consists of commercial land located at the intersection of
major and minor arterials and collectors arterial roadways in a relative compact manner. Compact does not
imply small or limited. Compact relates to the form of the commercial land use. The commercial land use
will extend not only along the roadway but also provides for depth. The pattern can be characterized by a 1:1
ratio of width to depth of the parcels (i.e., 100 feet of width requires 100 feet of depth). The increased depth
will accommodate adequate parking, buffering, retention, and open area for commercial development. Ideal
commercial land use nodes provide limited access to the arterial roadway while providing interconnections
between the commercial uses. The implementation of the concept of the ideal commercial node is very
difficult in Cape Coral due to the pre-platted nature of the community and the adjacent residential
neighborhoods typically located only one block off of arterial roadways.
The typical commercial land use pattern in Cape Coral does not generally reflect the ideal characteristics for
a commercial node. Cape Coral’s commercial land uses tend to develop in a ribbon pattern along the four
lane divided roadways. The commercial land uses generally extend only one block deep. Existing
residential neighborhoods abutting these commercial areas are minimally buffered and often oppose the
introduction of commercial uses to their area. Access controls and standards, other than driveway spacing,
are very limited. The character of existing commercial land use areas in Cape Coral is a direct result of the
pre-platting of Cape Coral and the lack of foresight in providing larger cohesive tracts of land for commercial
development.
Due to the fact that the development of ideal commercial node characteristics in Cape Coral is very difficult
given the nature of the community, staff has developed criteria to evaluate new commercial land uses to
determine if they meet the intent of the City’s Comprehensive Plan for commercial node development. The
criteria provide a bridge between existing commercial land use patterns and the ideal concept of commercial
land use nodes. The criteria address seven concepts: Location, Extension, Intrusion, Conversion, Access,
Depth and Assembly. No one concept is the determining factor. Each of the concepts will be evaluated in
regard to the overall impact of the proposed commercial land use.
Location
The proposed commercial land use is located at the intersection of arterial or collector roadways. The
Comprehensive Plan encourages the location of commercial land uses at intersections of major roadways.
Extension
The proposed commercial land use abuts existing commercial land uses. The City encourages extension of
commercial uses without leapfrogging over parcels. Leapfrogging parcels results in areas that can become
engulfed with commercial development while they remain residential and ultimately undesirable for
development.
Intrusion
The proposed commercial land use does not intrude into established residential areas. The City’s
Comprehensive Plan commits the City to protect existing land uses and neighborhoods from piecemeal
commercial intrusion. If the adjacent residential uses are multi-family structures then the limitation on
commercial land use is not as stringent. It is beneficial to provide commercial uses in close proximity to
high-density residential areas. The interaction of multi-family residential and commercial uses can serve as a
transition into single-family neighborhoods as well as providing access to goods and services within short
distances to relatively dense population centers.
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Conversion
The proposed commercial land use has minimal impact on existing residential development. Surrounding
residential areas are less than 25% developed. The area analyzed to determine percentage of adjacent
residential development will generally be 1,000 feet from the proposed commercial land use. However, the
distance may be reduced or expanded based on the street and/or canal network. The less developed an area is
the more suitable candidate it is for the conversion to commercial land uses.
Access
The proposed commercial land use abuts or has primary access through City dedicated parking lots or is
located on roadways with access management plans. Parcels abutting City dedicated parking lots were
originally intended to be developed commercially with access to the property from public parking lots. In
many cases the only access to these parcels is through the dedicated parking lots.
Additionally, if the parcel is located on a roadway that has adopted access management standards, then many
of the negative traffic impacts of strip development will be avoided.
Depth
The proposed commercial land use is at least one full block or results in full block depth (250 feet). This
assures that commercial sites have sufficient depth to accommodate development as well as encouraging
assembly of lots.
Assembly
The proposed commercial land use is an assembly of individual parcels into relatively large tracts of 3 acres
or greater for coordinated commercial development. The assembly of parcels into larger development tracts
is a major point of emphasis within the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Assembly of pre-platted parcels into
relatively large tracts will promote the development of commercial lands that do not express the indicators of
strip commercial development. These larger sites can accommodate commercial development that is not a
narrow rectangular building with one or two rows of parking, narrow stormwater retention strip and limited
landscape areas.
Access Controls to public right-of-ways are implemented more efficiently in projects that occur on large
tracts rather than the same number of businesses on separate and individual parcels.
A brief summary of the criteria used for evaluating proposed commercial land uses in relation to the intent of
the City’s Comprehensive Plan and sound land planning principles is contained in the following table:
4-24
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Criteria
Is the parcel located at the intersection of
arterial or collector roadways?
Is the parcel an assembly of lots that abut a
commercial land use?
Are the existing surrounding structures
residential in nature?
Is the percentage of development in the
surrounding residential area in excess of
25%?
Does the parcel abut or is its primary access through a
City dedicated parking lot or is it located on a roadway
with adopted access management standards?
Is the parcel’s depth at least a full block or results in ful
block depth (250 feet)?
Is the parcel a large scale lot assembly
(3 Acres or more of platted lots)?
Result
If yes, then good candidate for commercial land
use.
If yes, then good candidate for commercial land
use.
If yes, then limitation on commercial land use.
Special consideration for multi-family uses.
If yes, then possible limitation on commercial
land use.
If yes, then good candidate for commercial land
use.
If yes, then good candidate for commercial land
use.
If yes, then good candidate for commercial land
use.
No one question will be used as the determining factor in evaluating new areas for commercial land uses.
These questions will be used to develop an overall assessment of the proposal and provide guidance in
determining whether or not a proposed commercial land use area is consistent with the intent of the City’s
Comprehensive Plan. It is important to note, these questions are in addition to all analysis required by
Florida Statutes and Florida Administrative Code for future land use map amendments. Staff will continue to
provide environmental and protected species analysis, transportation impact analysis and public facility
capacity (concurrency) review. Furthermore, the application of these guidelines to any proposed commercial
Future land use map amendment should be done in the context of a given area. Constraints of surrounding
development, an established strip pattern, existing commercial zoning, strongly evident development patterns
and sensitivity of surrounding uses to commercial intrusion, are examples of other concepts that may be
considered together with these guidelines in evaluating a given proposal.
Commercial Corridors
Efforts to promote and direct commercial growth in the City have been very difficult because of
the numerous problems associated with being a platted lands community. Owners of individual parcels,
rapid population growth and the construction of single-family homes make it difficult for the City and
commercial developers to establish areas for commercial, industrial or office uses without encroachment
to existing single-family homes. Therefore, these limitations have helped create a deficiency in available
commercial and industrial lands and lands for public facilities. The Comprehensive Plan commits the
City to conduct a study of available commercial lands in order to determine if the city has the capacity to
meet the needs of its population at buildout. Furthermore, this recognition has prompted staff to analyze
the supply and demand of commercial lands at population buildout.
The objective of the Commercial Corridor Study was to determine the demand for commercial
land (retail, office and services) to meet the needs of the population of the City of Cape Coral and its
environs and to apportion these lands among the corridors (major and minor collectors) in accordance
with their market. Likewise, the Commercial Corridor Study seeks to identify planning options and
methods to meet the demands for the size and location of commercial space within each corridor. The
methodology for this study began by conducting an inventory and analysis for each corridor, which will
allow staff to classify corridors based on the percent of development within a ½-mile of its centerline.
This method would call upon the City of Cape Coral’s Interactive Growth Model (CCIGM) for guidance
4-25
in determining the supply and demand for commercial lands along each corridor. Staff recognizes the
uniqueness of each corridor and has identified a three step process to effectuate commercial development:
(1) designating appropriate lands as Commercial Activity Center; 2) develop zoning districts that
implement the mixed use and commercial objectives of the Commercial Activity Center land use
classification; and 3) map new and existing zoning districts within designated Commercial Activity
Centers that relate to the neighborhood context and overall land use and development objectives. These
approaches provide opportunities that are market driven and incorporate the private sector as a partner in
improving the quality and distribution of commercial development, while respecting the neighborhood
character at each of the Commercial Activity Centers. The City of Cape Coral will also develop design
guidelines and standards to ensure quality development that will maintain property values, attract quality
tenants, reduce trip lengths, reduce infrastructure costs and result in attractive developments. A
Commercial Activity Center is an area of concentrated activity, often involving higher-densities and a
mix of uses that encourages alternatives to automobile travel.
Staff set forth a methodology to examine the commercial supply and demand along the City’s major
transportation corridors through the year 2080, which is the anticipated build out for the City. The build
out scenario is extremely important to the City due to the effects of its pre-platted lands. In evaluating the
commercial supply and demand, staff based its key assumptions on the CCIGM. The CCIGM uses a submodel to forecast the demands for commercial space (land) to meet the needs of the population in 5-year
increments for each GAC unit to buildout. This model is based on research and analysis of Lee, Charlotte
and Pinellas Counties, as well as the City of Cape Coral. The sub-model output data is the basis for
forecasting commercial needs and land for the corridors. GAC unit identifies surplus and deficiencies in
commercial land. The CCIGM allows staff to make projections and recommendations for providing
commercial development to serve the City as it continues to grow at a remarkable pace. Furthermore, the
model helps staff analyze the future land use map to provide adequate land area for
commercial/professional use and mixed use activities in a compact, urban form. In addition, staff used a
set of location criteria produced by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to help characterize the development
of shopping centers in the City as well as analyzing existing centers to make recommendations for Cape
Coral’s standards. ULI is a non-profit education and research institute supported by developers, builders,
landowners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, real estate brokers, engineers and financers.
ULI has developed national guidelines for classifying neighborhood, community, regional and specialty
shopping centers.
Urban Land Institute National Standards for Commercial Centers
The national guidelines established by ULI are used as a benchmark to help municipalities and counties
with developing local standards for the usual size, population and service area of shopping centers. The
City has examined ULI’s guidelines and used them to provide some guidance in establishing guidelines
for commercial center development. Table 6 summarizes the national guidelines established by ULI.
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Table 6: Urban Land Institute National Guidelines for Commercial Centers
Type of
Center
Neighborhood
Leading Tenant
(Basis for
Classification)
Supermarket
Jr. Dept Store Variety,
Community
Discount
One or Two Full Line
Regional
Dept. Stores
Super
Three or more fullRegional
line department stores
Source: Urban Land Institute (1999)
Typical GLA
(Square Feet)
General Range in
GLA (Square Feet)
50,000
30,000 - 100,000
Usual
Minimum
Site Area
(Acres)
3 – 10
150,000
100,000 - 450,000
10 – 30
450,000
300,000 - 900,000
10 – 60
900,000
500,000- 2 million
15 – 100
or more
Minimum
Population
Support
Required
3,000 - 40,000
40,000 150,000
150,000 or
more
300,000 or
more
Analysis of Existing Community and Neighborhood Commercial Centers in Cape Coral
The study considers current development to project commercial growth along fifteen corridors
within the City. Likewise, retail and office development may gravitate to these corridors providing
adequate support to the surrounding neighborhood communities. At the time of the study there were four
neighborhood shopping centers and three community shopping centers that serve as neighborhood
shopping centers as well as community centers. Therefore, seven neighborhood shopping centers serve
on average a population of 16,811 each. This is within the ULI guidelines. The size of those that are
strictly neighborhood centers varies from 109,087 sq. ft. to 187,855 sq. ft. This range is higher than the
ULI guidelines. As previously stated, in Southwest Florida, the typical anchor is a supermarket. The area
of a supermarket is approximately 75,000 sq. ft., which results in neighborhood centers exceeding
100,000 sq. ft. For example, Publix supermarket at the Midpoint Center is 69,085 sq. ft. The area of sites
varies from 6.8 acres to 19.4 acres. This is within the range and above the range of ULI guidelines. In
Southwest Florida, more land is required for storm water treatment. Table 7 below summarizes the
existing neighborhood centers in Cape Coral.
Table 7: Existing Neighborhood Shopping Centers in Cape Coral
Site Area Building
Support
Centers
Anchor
(Acres)
Area
Population
Santa Barbara
15.4
109,087 Publix
16,811
Camelot Isles/Cay West
19.4
140,719 Publix
16,811
6.8
177,070 Publix
16,811
Publix Cape Coral Pkwy East
Midpoint Center
28.2
213,460 Publix
16,811
Lowe’s/Albertson’s
31.7
639,034 Lowe’s/Albertson’s 16,811
Coralwood Mall
41.5
413,356 Winn-Dixie/Beall’s 16,811
Wal-Mart Super Center
32.7
211,064 Wal-Mart
16,811
Source: Based on information from the Commercial Corridor Study, dated April 30, 2003, City of
Cape Coral, Planning Division (2003)
There were four community shopping centers had on average a support population of 29,419
each. The existing community shopping centers were within the lower range of the ULI guidelines. The
total building area varies from 211,064 sq. ft. to 639,034 sq. ft. This range is within and exceeds the ULI
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guidelines. The site area varies from 31.7 acres to 41.5 acres. This is at the upper range of the ULI
guidelines.
Table 8: Existing Community Shopping Centers in Cape Coral
Site Area
Support
Building
Centers
Anchor
(Acres)
Area
Population
Midpoint Center
28.2
213,460
Publix
29,419
Lowe’s/Albertson’s
31.7
639,034
Lowe’s/Albertsons 29,419
Winn29,419
Coralwood Mall
41.5
413,356
Dixie/Beall’s
Wal-Mart Super Center
32.7
211,064
Wal-Mart
29,419
Source: Based on information from the Commercial Corridor Study, dated April 30, 2003, City of
Cape Coral, Planning Division (2003)
The support population is derived by calculating the total population divided by the number of current
community centers in the city.
Analysis of Regional Centers in Southwest Florida
In Southwest Florida, there were currently two regional shopping centers, the Town Center in
Charlotte County and the Edison Mall in Fort Myers. However, the Bell Tower, while not originally
designed as a regional mall, currently serves as a regional mall with the commercial development around
it. Plans have been developed and sites selected for the construction of two regional malls in South Lee
County. All the regional centers are in excess of 1 million sq. ft. of building area. This is on the high end
of the range of the ULI guidelines. The Town Center in Charlotte County has a support population of
141,627 and the regional malls in Lee County would have on average a support population of 147,000.
These figures are based on population estimates from Charlotte County and Lee County. The population
estimate for Charlotte County is closely related to the established ULI guidelines for a regional shopping
center as the ULI guidelines shows a support population of 150,000 or more. In Lee County, the support
population is derived by calculating the total population divided by the number of current regional
centers.
Table 9: Regional Centers in Charlotte and Lee Counties
Location
Center
Building Area
Charlotte County
Town Center
Lee County
Edison
Lee County
Bell Tower
Lee County (Proposed)
South Lee County
Source: Paul Van Buskirk (2003)
1,000,000+
1,300,000
1,000,000+
1,000,000+
Support Pop
141,627
147,000
147,000
147,000
Summary of Commercial Centers in the City of Cape Coral
The four existing neighborhood commercial centers (Santa Barbara Center, Camelot Isles/Cay
West, Publix on Cape Coral Parkway East and Midpoint Center) meet the general guidelines established
by ULI. Likewise, three community commercial centers currently function as neighborhood centers
(Coralwood Mall, Wal-Mart Super Center, and Lowe’s/Albertson’s) as well. However, the population
4-28
and market in the City will not currently support a regional commercial center until it reaches a
permanent population of 150,000.
Recommended Guidelines for the City of Cape Coral
Community and neighborhood centers located in the City of Cape Coral are within the range of ULI
guidelines. Staff recommends that the ULI guidelines be applied as commercial centers are developed in
the future. The recommended trade area for a neighborhood center is a 1¼-mile radius that serves a
population of 22,000 with a building area of 150,000 square feet. The recommended trade area for a
community center is 2½-mile radius that serves a population of 40,000 with an average building area of
350,000 square feet. The recommended trade area for a regional center is a 6-mile radius or 20-minute
drive with a support population of 150,000 each for an average building of 1 million sq. ft. plus. Table 10
below summarizes the recommended building area, acreage of site, and the support population for
commercial centers.
Table 10: Recommended Guidelines for Commercial Centers in Cape Coral
Anchor
Building Area
Site Area
Support
Type of Center
Tenant
(Sq. Ft.)
Population
(acres)
Neighborhood
Supermarket
100,000 - 180,000 7 to 20
15,000 - 25,000
Supermarket
200,000 - 600,000 30 to 40
Community
30,000 - 40,000
Junior Dept. Store
Super
Home
600,000 - 800,000 50
Community/
130,000+
Improvement Store
Power Center
3 or more full-line
1,000,000+
Regional
90
150,000+
Dept. Stores
Source: Based on information from the Commercial Corridor Study, dated April 30, 2003, City of
Cape Coral, Planning Division (2003)
Based on the corridor study recommendations, the City can increase the attractiveness of its marketplace
for local, regional and national investors through a pro-active planning effort. This pro-active approach
may encourage growth in areas with adequate utilities, while promoting the principles of smart growth.
Likewise, the study provided insight for land use efficiency, as well as mitigate for negative
environmental impacts caused by traffic congestion and sprawling development. Additionally, a the plan
helps the City capture a larger percent of the monies spent outside the community as residents seek job
and shopping opportunities in other areas of the region. In other words, this plan helps increase the City’s
tax base and improves the overall quality of life.
Smart growth principles are designed to encourage communities to form ideals and establish standards for
development in an attempt to improve the community’s overall quality of life. One of the key principles
of smart growth is having households travel shorter distances for their neighborhood, community and
regional shopping. Short trip lengths may reduce the number of vehicles on the road network system,
which could reduce the overall cost of road maintenance. Smart growth encourages development in areas
already served by infrastructure, seeks to make use of the resources that existing neighborhoods offer,
conserve open space, and protect natural resources. Additionally, smart growth principles strive to
provide more choices in housing, shopping, and transportation in a growing community.
As the City of Cape Coral continues to grow, the need to plan for multiple types of housing,
transportation modes, and commercial development will be very important. The integration of land use
activities will help bolster the local economy and provide for an improved quality of life. The smart
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growth concept is particularly cost-effective in existing urbanized areas where infrastructure such as
roadways and sewer lines already exist. For example, the market area of a neighborhood center is 1¼mile radius. If the centers are spaced evenly throughout the developed areas and are located on major or
minor collectors that drivers need to access to travel, the total trip lengths will be minimized. In addition,
the smaller the trip length, the less people will need to spend on fuel and depreciation of the vehicle
needed to get them there. Therefore, commercial development should target areas that have existing
infrastructure (i.e., water, sewer, and roads) in place to minimize costs to government and the public.
The CCIGM forecasted the total demand for retail, office and services at build out. The model forecasted
a demand for 23,643,000 sq. ft. of building area for retail and 10,831,000 sq. ft. for offices and services.
The methodology applied for the apportionment of this space for the corridors is to determine the
population that travels the shortest distance to access a corridor for each GAC, then to calculate the total
population that travels the shortest distance to a corridor. The population that serves one corridor is then
divided by the total population of the City at build out and then is applied to the total sq. ft. of retail space
at build out to determine the projected demand for commercial space by corridors. This methodology is
applied to each designated corridor to determine the commercial space needed to address the projected
demand. The projected distribution of commercial demand by corridor is shown in table 11.
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Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Corridor
Table 11: Projected Commercial Demand by Corridor
% of
Office/Services Sq.
Population
Retail Sq. Ft.
Total
Ft.
Burnt Store
Road
Del Prado
South*
Del Prado
North*
Chiquita
South*
Chiquita
North*
Cape Coral
Pkwy
Santa Barbara
North*
Santa Barbara
South*
Santa Barbara*
(Juanita Blvd)
Veterans Pkwy
Kismet Pkwy
Skyline Blvd
Diplomat Pkwy
Tropicana
Pkwy
Cultural Park
Hancock
Bridge Pkwy
Andalusia Blvd
Embers Pkwy
Nicholas Pkwy
Viscaya Pkwy
Total
Pine Island
Road
Total Sq.
Ft.
42,552
10.60
2,188,507
1,148,269
3,336,776
23,967
8.71
1,798,400
943,587
2,741,987
33,801
9.0
2,033,605
871,545
2,905,151
18,567
4.63
954,926
501,032
1,455,958
18,567
4.63
954,926
501,032
1,455,958
34,219
8.53
1,759,929
923,402
2,683,331
17,161
4.28
882,613
463,091
1,345,704
8,080
2.01
415,565
218,039
633,604
11,417
2.84
587,192
308,089
895,281
27,207
21,681
21,229
19,562
6.78
5.40
5.29
4.87
1,399,293
1,115,083
1,091,836
1,006,100
734,183
585,063
572,866
527,882
2,133,476
1,700,146
1,664,702
1,533,982
16,764
4.18
862,195
452,378
1,314,573
15,759
3.93
810,507
425,258
1,235,765
12,262
3.06
630,651
330,891
961,542
10,791
10,519
7,242
3,912
375,259
2.69
2.62
1.80
0.97
96.82
554,996
541,006
372,466
201,199
20,160,995
291,196
283,856
195,426
105,566
10,382,651
846,192
824,862
567,892
306,765
30,543,647
41,177
10.03
2,170,793
1,086,349
3,257,142
Source: Based on information from the Commercial Corridor Study, dated April 30, 2003, City of Cape
Coral, Planning Division (2003)
Asterisk (*) indicates corridors are divided into segments and the sum of individual corridor places the
respective corridor near the top in rank order.
The corridor apportionment model is validated by comparing it to other independent corridor
studies on existing developed corridors. The Pine Island Corridor Study, which is an independent study,
forecasted the demand for commercial space (retail, office and services) at 3,336,000 sq. ft. The corridor
apportionment model forecasted 3,384,664 sq. ft. The Del Prado Corridor from Pine Island Road to Cape
Coral Parkway is substantially built out. The actual amount of commercial space on this corridor in 2001
was 3,190,000 sq. ft. The commercial corridor model forecasted 2,741,987 sq. ft. However, the Del
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Prado Corridor has the hospital that serves a citywide market. If this is discounted, the model forecasted
space and with other minor calibrations the actual space are within a reasonable margin of the models
forecast.
It is assumed that the apportionment model is a reasonable application to forecast the distribution of
commercial space among the corridors. It should be noted that the demand for commercial center space
does not make up the total demand. The commercial centers, as a rule of thumb, make up 30% to 40% of
the total commercial space. The rest is made up of specialty centers, office parks, and other facilities.
In addition to the shortage of commercial lands, staff has determined that there are shortcomings to the
Future Land Use Map classification system. New types of commercial and mixed-use zoning districts
shall be prepared to provide standards and principles regulating access, location and integration with
surrounding uses, allowable uses, and dimensional standards. The attributes of such centers will be
established in the zoning district to ensure high quality development. The City also recognizes that there
needs to be various types of centers to meet market demands and the needs of current and future
populations.
Staff used the CCIGM to determine the number of acres (the demand) required for commercial
development by corridors and the supply of commercial acres available by corridor in accordance to the
Future Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The difference in supply and demand was
calculated and the results are tabulated in Table 12.
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Table 12: Demand vs. Supply of Commercial Land by Corridor
Difference
Level
Maximum
FLUM
in Supply
Total
Rightof
#
Rank
Corridor
Acres
Acres
and
of-Way
Road
Lanes Service
(Demand) (Supply) Demand
Width
Capacity
(LOS)
(Acres)
295
148
-147
200
6
D
46,800
1
Burnt Store Road
243
285
42
100
6
E
49,300
Del Prado South
2
307
125
-182
125
6
C
40,300
Del Prado North
129
92
-37
100
4
D
31,100
Chiquita South
3
129
79
-50
100
4
D
31,100
Chiquita North
Cape Coral
165
21
100
6
E
49,300
144
Parkway East
4
Cape Coral
94
71
-23
100
6
E
49,300
Parkway West
Santa Barbara
120
25
-95
100
4
D
31,100
North
Santa Barbara
56
30
-26
100
4
D
31,100
5
South
Santa Barbara
(Formerly Juanita
24
-55
100
4
D
31,100
79
Blvd.)
66
-123
100
6
C
33,400
189
6
Veterans Parkway
151
76
-75
100
4
D
31,100
7
Kismet Parkway
148
89
-59
100
4
D
31,100
8
Skyline Blvd.
136
123
-13
100
4
D
31,100
9
Diplomat Parkway
117
36
-81
100
4
D
31,100
10
Tropicana Parkway
9
-100
100
4
D
31,100
109
11
Cultural Park Blvd.
Hancock Bridge
85
53
-32
100
4
E
32,900
12
Parkway
75
43
-32
100
4
D
31,100
13
Andalusia Blvd.
73
24
-49
100
4
D
31,100
14
Embers Parkway
50
17
-33
100
4
D
31,100
15
Nicholas Parkway
36
9
100
4
D
31,100
27
16
Viscaya Parkway
2,756
1,614
-1,142
Total
399(1)
0
200
6
C
40,300
299
17
Pine Island Road
299
Source: Based on information from the Commercial Corridor Study, dated April 30, 2003, City of Cape
Coral, Planning Division (2003)
(1) Adjusted on pro rata basis for incorporation of a regional commercial center on Pine Island Road
Table 12 shows the amount of commercial land by corridor. The results show that Burnt Store Road has
a deficit of 147 acres of commercial land. The commercial lands need to be distributed, according to the
City’s commercial nodes policy, along Burnt Store Road to meet the needs of future populations and to
reduce vehicle trip lengths. Del Prado North also has a similar scenario as the corridor has two large
areas with a mixed-use land use classification. The supply and demand of commercial land for Cape
Coral Parkway is nearly equal to Del Prado South when we discount the land for the medical center.
All of the other corridors have a demand for commercial land greater than the supply. It ranges from a
deficit of 126 acres on Veteran’s Parkway to a deficit of 28 acres on Santa Barbara South. The results
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from the Pine Island Road District show a balance in the supply and demand for commercial land. The
guidelines set forth by the Pine Island Road Master Plan apply to the development of commercial
shopping centers within the parameters of the district.
The inventory and analysis confirms the initial market strategy of the original developers of Cape Coral in
which they provided sufficient commercial land for the Del Prado South and Cape Coral Parkway
Corridors but did not provide sufficient commercial land for most of the remaining corridors. Local
developers and land speculators have also recognized this deficiency and expressed their concerns. Other
data inventoried is right-of-way width, number of lanes and maximum road capacity.
The City has determined the need to develop a classification system for land along the major corridors
that would guide our planning solutions. More developed corridors will generate a larger number of
stakeholders with vested rights. As residential development occurs over time, the expectations to
continue residential development will increase as investors become more willing to invest in residential
uses. The diversity in stakeholders creates a complex-planning problem and thus, has complex solutions
in determining the size and location of commercial lands. The converse is true with a smaller percent of
land developed in corridors that generally have less complex solutions. Therefore, it is appropriate to
classify corridors by the amount of development to determine the best planning options or methods for
successful implementation.
Table 13 shows the results from the calculations of the percent of developed land within ½-mile of the
centerline for each corridor and its classification for addressing planning options. The total amount of
acres for development considers residential and non-residential uses.
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Table 13: Total Developed Acres by Corridor
Corridor Name
Andalusia Boulevard
Burnt Store Road
Cape Coral Parkway
(east of Palm Tree)
Cape Coral Parkway
(west of Palm Tree)
Chiquita Boulevard North
Chiquita Boulevard South
Cultural Park
Del Prado Boulevard North
Del Prado Boulevard South
Diplomat Parkway
Embers Parkway
Hancock Bridge Parkway
Kismet Parkway
Nicholas Parkway
Pine Island Road
Santa Barbara Boulevard
(Formerly Juanita Boulevard)
Santa Barbara Boulevard South
Santa Barbara North
Skyline Boulevard
Tropicana Parkway
Veterans Parkway
Viscaya Parkway
Total Acres
1899
3601
Acres Developed
361
706
Percent Developed by Acres
19%
20%
1077
972
90%
2098
1516
72%
2238
3342
1277
3672
3275
4121
2082
1812
4143
1816
4326
269
1514
669
707
2771
578
264
1017
294
794
1215
12%
45%
52%
19%
85%
14%
13%
56%
7%
44%
28%
2244
312
14%
1294
2356
3487
3129
4339
943
1072
1336
1719
478
2295
704
83%
57%
49%
15%
53%
75%
Source: Based on information from the Commercial Corridor Study, dated April 30, 2003, City of Cape
Coral, Planning Division (2003)
Conclusion
The expansion of commercial land uses supply in Cape Coral is a definite need for the City. Adding
additional commercial lands will diversify the tax base, provide local employment and retail opportunities
and limit trip lengths and impact on the transportation network. However, the pre-platted nature of Cape
Coral results in significant challenges and hurdles in adding commercial land in an efficient manner. The
historical strip commercial development in Cape Coral results in traffic hazards due to numerous driveway
connections, negative impacts on adjacent residential development and commercial sites with limited green
area and landscaping. These negative impacts will be mitigated through the encouragement of commercial
node development.
Application of the proposed criteria will assist the City in determining if a proposed commercial land use
meets the intent of the Comprehensive Plan for commercial node development.
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