Estero’s planning board approved on Sept. 10 two major projects, a townhouse development along Corkscrew Road and an entertainment center that’s part of the village’s planned entertainment complex.
The Estero Planning, Zoning and Design Board reluctantly approved the development order for High 5, a Dallas-based entertainment center that will be part of the entertainment complex on Williams Road, just east of Via Coconut Point and just west of Estero High School.
The board didn’t like the design of two of the outside exterior walls and wanted the developer to come back with changes but decided to approve the plans and let the changes be made as the process continues. Village Council still needs to give final approval. Work already has started to clear the land, and the center is a priority project for the village.
The planning staff recommended approval with several changes, including a television screen couldn’t be used for off-site advertising and not be visible from Via Coconut Point and wall pack lighting and other lighting be reviewed by staff before receiving a building permit.
High 5 asked for a deviation to allow extended lighting hours until 11 p.m. on Thursdays, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 p.m. the rest of the week.
High 5 will have pickleball courts, bowling lanes, duckpin bowling, miniature golf, axe throwing, an arcade and a restaurant and bar.
The board complimented Toll Brothers on the improvements to Estero Townhomes, a community planned for the northwest corner of Corkscrew Road and Sandy Lane.
The planning board slammed the Estero Townhomes project at a July meeting, saying the architecture looked like subsidized housing.
Toll Brothers made several changes, including decreasing the number of townhomes from 171 to 154, allowing for additional green space, open space and improved landscaping.
The new design moved the lake area with fountains, made the roadway network more curvilinear, removed a deviation seeking shorter driveways and eliminated nine- and eight-unit buildings along Corkscrew Road.
Toll Brothers also increased the wall size from 6 feet to 8 feet along the north end abutting the Estates on Estero River.
The board also on Sept. 10 approved the development order for the Shoppes at University Highlands II. The developer’s plans call for two 7,800-square-foot retail buildings on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, south of the Tidewater community. The developer agreed if a restaurant becomes a tenant to limit alcohol sales from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
The board ppproved a zoning change from retail to day care for Celebree School. The day care will take over the Goodwill location on Corkscrew Road when Goodwill moves to its new building.
