MEMORANDUM

TO: Town Council and Local Planning Agency

FROM: Carol Cunningham and Bill Spikowski

DATE: April 20, 1998

SUBJECT: Summary of Comments from Third Community Workshop

The third public workshop on the comprehensive plan was held on March 25, 1998. Following introductions by the Mayor and LPA co-chairs, Bill Spikowski and Victor Dover provided an overview of the key features of the town's draft comprehensive plan, and members of the public were invited to ask questions or make comments.

A visiting delegation from Marco Island complimented Fort Myers Beach on the attractive changes already occurring, especially at Times Square, and suggested an emphasis on shade trees in landscaping. Another member of the public asked about regulatory changes that would be necessary to bring buildings closer to the street and limit driveway openings. Participants also made the following comments:

• The town should increase the ratio of public land to private land, prioritizing acquisition of more public land.
• In our planning, we should expand on the concept of pre-disaster redevelopment, that is, doing things to minimize the effects of a disaster by encouraging measures to strengthen existing and new buildings.
• We should promote the undergrounding of utilities.

One set of written comments was received after the workshop, expressing the hope that public hearings could be delayed until the winter residents returned in the late fall and that a sketch for a redesign of the Santini Plaza parking lot which was produced by "Designing our Town" workshop participants be given greater consideration. A copy of those comments and our response have been provided to you.