A new 27-home multigenerational subdivision is moving forward in Immokalee after county commissioners agreed to rezone 4.5 acres along Roberts Avenue West.
The Collier Board of County Commissioners on May 13 unanimously approved rezoning four vacant parcels at 1215 Forrester Ave. and 1300 Roberts Ave. W. that are currently zoned single-family, with a Wellfield Risk-Management Special-Treatment Overlay Zone. The new zoning designation is now Residential Planned Unit Development, with the wellfield overlay, allowing construction of 26 single-family, two-story attached dwellings and one single-family detached home.
The Sainvilus Subdivision RPUD is located about 500 feet west of North 11th Street between Roberts Avenue West and Forrester Avenue. Project team members are Fort Myers-based Canon Sandora Civil Engineering Inc. and G2 Architecture of Bonita Springs.
Commissioners approved the plans without discussion on the consent agenda, following a unanimous recommendation by the county Planning Commission. The Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency, which covers that area, also heard the plans in December and March, and requested more information at a future meeting, but the applicant noted the county supported the project and a CRA letter of support wasn’t needed.
A county zoning review noted the new homes would revitalize and enhance the neighborhood and the installation of additional streetlights and sidewalks will increase safety.
Plans show the site is vacant, except for a single-family home fronting Roberts Avenue West that will be razed. The property is bounded by single-family homes to the north and east, single-family homes and vacant residential land to the west, single-family homes to the south and the county’s Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch to the west, across Roberts Avenue West. The main access will be through Forrester Avenue, with three others off Roberts Avenue.
The villa-style attached homes will be 35-feet high and the property that is already cleared will feature 2.71 acres of open space, a 60% open-space requirement. A sidewalk will be added next to landscaping on the west side.
During a neighborhood information meeting in December, architect William Glass told residents the attached multistory homes would be about 2,300 square feet, share a common wall, offer two-car garages and allow multigenerational living, such as parents or grandparents in a lower unit. Landscaping would provide privacy from neighbors.
When neighbors cited concerns about people converting garages to living spaces and many living in one unit to make it more affordable, Sandora assured them the homeowners association’s deed restrictions would not allow that, and violations would be monitored by the HOA. Neighbors also cited concerns that market-rate housing would not be affordable, but Sandora said the development will boost property values and be good for the neighborhood. Some agreed the project was needed and would keep residents living in Immokalee, but they didn’t want it next to their homes.
The properties are owned by family members of Sainvilus LLC, James and Francesca Sainvilus, who own 80%, while Jean Calixte and Eliamene Sainvilus own the remaining land. The rezoning allows density of six units per acre.
Traffic studies showed the homes would generate about 30 two-way trips during peak hours. The wellfield overlay is designed to protect potable water supply wellfields, preventing contamination or excessive extraction of groundwater. A 0.82-acre stormwater management area will be constructed between three single-family residences along Roberts Avenue West and the remainder of the development to the north.
