The Collier County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on Dec. 13 to enter into a public hearing for an ordinance establishing a 12-month moratorium on privately initiated growth management plan amendment applications for two major county roadways. The moratorium would affect Immokalee Road from Interstate 75 east to Oil Well Road and Vanderbilt Beach Road from I-75 east to its end.
Under the ordinance, property owners can still develop their property under the county’s existing growth management plan but can’t apply for amendments to the plan that would cause a change in density.
Commissioner Burt Saunders, who brought the proposal forward, said that the biggest issue he hears about from residents is traffic, particularly on those two roads.
“What I’d like to see us do is simply say to the to the developer world and to the investors, that on these two roadways, we’re going to take a break. We’re going to spend a year trying to determine how best to handle transportation and new development on those roadways,” Saunders said.
In the past year, the board hasn’t voted against any land-use changes brought forward. Saunders said hosting a public hearing could send a message to the public that the board is listening to their concerns about increasing density around the county.
Both commissioners William McDaniel and Chris Hall voiced against the moratorium.
“The moratorium in my mind’s eye, it’s poor governance. It’s not something that’s requisite. I think we have the processes in place now to manage the growth and not take away the right of a property owner to ask for a change,” McDaniel said.
Commissioner Rick LoCastro asked if it would be worth analyzing all the traffic in the county before preparing a moratorium for specific roadways. Saunders said that would be too large of a task for staff to accomplish quickly.
“I don’t want to open it up to the whole county, because that’s too complex. It’s just too big, and I think taking some baby steps here would be important,” Saunders said.
Saunders asked staff to evaluate other ways to solve the growth management issue on Immokalee and Vanderbilt Beach roads in addition to drafting the moratorium ordinance. The first hearing is planned for Jan. 24.
