Estero On the River Project Gets County OK

By Jessie L. Bonner
Naples Daily News
June 4, 2007

A project three years in the making took about an hour for Lee County commissioners to approve this morning.

Plans for the massive Estero on the River development on the east side of Corkscrew Road will be allowed to move forward after a yea vote from all five commissioners for the 85-acre project, which is going to be anchored by a 500-seat regional playhouse.

"This project is either the first or one of the first truly mixed-use projects to come before you," said attorney Chuck Basinait, who is representing the project for the D'Jamoos Group development company. "They see this as a flagship for other projects," Basinait said. "They are very, very serious about this."

The mixed-use project incorporates both residences and commercial businesses, the type of development local planners have long seen as a solution to congested traffic and urban sprawl but also one builders have historically been discouraged from doing because of the lack of flexibility in Lee County codes.

"The county doesn't have a good outline of true-mixed projects yet," Basinait said. "We're hoping to get there."

Naples-based developer Joe D'Jamoos has spent the past several years going through revisions as plans for the project were dissected by county planners.

D'Jamoos plans to build 530 residences and 300,000 square feet of commercial space, paying into the county bonus density program that will allow him roughly 7.8 units per acre, equating to about 180 units above what is stipulated in county codes. At $11,429 per unit, the development company paid more than $2 million into the trust to be able to build more units.

The developer also plans to dedicate 10 percent of the total units built within the property to moderate-income families, Basinait said.

The project is designed as a walking-style village, which includes a 100-room boutique hotel, landscaped sidewalks, medical offices, garden condos, village apartments and townhouses.

Reluctance voiced by members of the community when the proposal to build on land that once belonged to the Koreshans first came forward has been largely alleviated by promises from the developers to preserve land on the site.

A site plan for the Estero on the River development shows several areas of preserved vegetation and 50-foot buffers along the Estero River, which will have several public access points. Most of the historic homes will be moved and a rustic teahouse, bomb shelter, a Koreshan publishing house and sawmill foundation will also be preserved.

Representatives from Lee County Parks and Recreation were among those who testified in support of the project before it was voted on by commissioners Monday morning.

© 2007 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.