On September 10, the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners held their regular monthly meeting. An important agenda item was a request to rezone a 43-acre lot opposite Peppercorn Road, on Burnt Store Road. The land is owned by Pirate Harbor residents, Laura and Bill Fisher. They have been working with the Burnt Store Road Coalition since 2023. They want to put in much-needed commercial projects like a supermarket, 24-hour medical clinic, and professional buildings.
The Charlotte County staff is against this project, and we feel they are biased in their opinion. Community support is needed, especially from the Marina, which has purposely been excluded from discussions. Also, the project to update the 2005 area plan is underway. On September 16, staff from Charlotte, Lee, Cape Coral, and Punta Gorda are participating. Charlotte County is represented by Manager Hector Flores, Punta Gorda by Mitch Austin, Lee County by Manager Dave Harner, and Cape Coral by Whyatt Daltry. The 5-1/5 mile stretch of Burnt Store Road from the county line to Van Buren has been repaired, and repaved. We are still Burnt Store Road Coalition Update working with Dave Scott and Commissioner Kevin Ruane on the road widening project. So far there is no contractor identified. To read about the most recent resurfacing of Burnt Store Road in Lee County, go to the website of The Cape Coral Breeze at: https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/ local-news/2024/08/19/corridor-coalition-hails-burnt- store-resurfacing/
Finally, on September 24, the Charlotte County Commissioners will have voted on an application to rezone 4 parcels of land to accommodate 1000 homes or 466 homes and 100,000 square feet of commercial land. We oppose this, as the area experiences constant flooding which impacts the Marina.
This is a call out to all residents of the Burnt Store Road Coalition communities to contact their county officials. Let them know your concerns about traffic, zoning, and their impact on the Burnt Store Road corridor. Contact them at: Commissioner Kevan Ruanne – dist1@leegov. com; Commissioner Brian Hamman – [email protected]; and Lee County Director of Transportation Robert Price – [email protected].
