The Charlotte County Planning and Zoning Board on May 12 denied Bonita Springs-based Pulte Group’s request to rezone 4,900 acres in East County so it can later build 7,400 homes in a community resembling a smaller version of Babcock Ranch.
The acreage is located south of the DeSoto County line, north of Palm Shores Boulevard and Washington Loop Road and east of U.S. 17.
Shaun Cullinan, the county’s planning and zoning official, said the applicant seeks to increase the parcel’s density from 6,000 units to 8,000 units and commercial and light industrial usage from 1 million square feet to 1.5 million square feet.
County Principal Planner Jie Shao said the large-scale amendment to the future land-use map would revise the Rural Settlement Area Overlay District that is zoned for agriculture.
After Shao’s description of Pulte’s plans, attorney Derek Rooney of the GrayRobinson law firm, representing Pulte, said the development would have an Old Florida vibe with modern amenities, parks, open spaces and a golf course.
A slide presentation provided renderings of the planned development.
Over two dozen members of the public voiced opposition, saying the development would destroy their quality of life and hurt wildlife and the environment.
James Thomas, who resides in Prairie Creek West, called the Pulte project “an egregious assault on the fabric of our community” and “a direct threat to our quality of life.”
“We did not move here to live in another West Palm Beach or Miami,” he said.
Resident Paige Kreegel, a former legislator in the Florida House of Representatives, addressed Dan DeLisi, a land planner and consultant for Pulte, and said the project was audacious and would put some 8,000 more cars on the road and negatively impact Punta Gorda’s water supply.
Some residents said the project should have a better water management plan, and that issue led to Pulte’s defeat before the board.
Board member Stephen Vieira made the motion to deny after asking Rooney how Pulte would deliver water and wastewater treatment services. Rooney said it was still under consideration.
Vieira said the utility component of the proposal “is murky at best,” and the developer should have offered to build all the utilities upfront.
Board Chair Michael Gravesen seconded Vieira’s motion, citing his reason for denial. “If he hadn’t made that point, I would have gone to approval,” he said. The vote was 3-1 against Pulte’s request.
The matter now goes before the Board of County Commissioners on June 10. If commissioners decide to let the zoning amendment move forward, an adoption hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9.
