Growth along Burnt Store Road tests Charlotte County

Some of Charlotte County’s recent growth has occurred along Burnt Store Road, which runs from U.S. 41 in Punta Gorda to Pine Island Road in Lee County. Residents along the Burnt Store corridor have attended Charlotte County Commission meetings urging officials to reserve more land for commercial development rather than residential use. A major complaint among corridor residents is that they have had to drive more than 8 miles round trip to reach supermarkets, stores, doctors, dentists and other service providers.

Those concerns prompted resident John Fleming to co-found the Burnt Store Corridor Coalition several years ago. He recently announced his candidacy for the District 2 seat on the Board of County Commissioners in the Aug. 18 primary. He is challenging Dr. Chris Constance, who has held the position since 2010. Fleming, running on a platform opposing what he calls mismanaged growth and inadequate infrastructure planning, said the county’s current leaders have a build-first, fix-later mindset. Current commissioners, including Constance, have contended that the county was platted for small residential lots decades before they were elected, and that property owners have the right to develop land they own.

In the city of Punta Gorda, the former City Council enacted new land development regulations that some residents claimed would result in taller buildings and higher density. The former council also planned to build a new City Hall rather than repair the existing building following Hurricane Ian in 2022. Critics called the proposed structure the city’s “Taj Mahal” and said it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. The opposition coalesced into a grassroots movement, and challengers ran against incumbents on campaigns focused on limiting higher-density growth, taller buildings and construction of the new City Hall.

Dr. Debi Lux defeated incumbent Mark Kuharski for the District 3 seat in the November 2023 election. A year later, Jeannine Polk, Greg Julian and Janis Denton defeated incumbents Donna Peterman, Bill Dryburgh and Mayor Lynne Matthews.

Charlotte County’s growth also has caused friction between Lee and Charlotte county commissioners, with Lee officials blaming Charlotte County’s population surge for parking problems and clogged roadways caused by increasing numbers of Charlotte County visitors to Boca Grande. Lee officials also have blamed Charlotte County’s growth for increased traffic along Burnt Store Road, saying during a recent joint meeting between the two commission boards that one-third of Charlotte County’s workforce is employed in Lee County.

Although Charlotte County has widened portions of Burnt Store Road, Lee County is preparing to widen its section to accommodate increasing traffic along the corridor, which also serves as an evacuation route. 

Where growth is headed

Metro Forecasting Models divided the county into six sections — West County, Mid County, Punta Gorda, Burnt Store Road, East County and Babcock Ranch.

Most of the growth going into 2050 will be in Mid County and West County, but “Burnt Store Road is poised to really take off,” says David Farmer, the firm’s CEO and co-founder.

At buildout, Mid County and West County will have the largest populations.

Shorter term, by 2030 the model shows Mid County will have 120,080 residents, West County 63,248, Punta Gorda 26,987, Babcock Ranch 25,834, East County 21,774 and Burnt Store 10,675.