Fort Myers City Council unanimously approved permission to advertise for an ordinance amending the Future Land Use Map to add a 35.62-acre parcel at 10750 Colonial Blvd. and assigning the Commercial Corridor Future Land Use designation to the property.

The property was the subject of a voluntary annexation approved by Council on Aug. 16, 2021, and is currently within Lee County’s Rural Future Land Use category.

“The property is in the city and it needs to have a city land-use category,” attorney Neale Montgomery said. “Rural is not the right category. We would ask that you allow us to have a public hearing so that we can consider an appropriate city land-use category for the property.”

The item was previously before Council on Dec. 4, 2023, but was ultimately denied in a 3-3 vote. Applicant and property owner Colonial Tuscany LLC has since asked Council to reconsider the request considering Mayor Kevin Anderson was not present for the item and did not cast a vote.

Additionally, council member Terolyn Watson cast a nay vote despite not hearing the applicant’s presentation.

At the time, council member Darla Bonk, who represents Ward 6, opposed the change due to the commercial corridor allowing the development of residential units.

“If you’ve driven out there, there are a plethora of residential units,” Bonk said at the Dec. 4 meeting, “so I will not be supporting this item.”

In addition to residential, there are commercial and industrial/warehouse uses close to the site. Approval of permission to advertise grants a public hearing at an upcoming yet-to-be-determined Council meeting.

If approved, a rezoning of the property would have to be done to move forward with future development of the parcel. A commercial intensive zoning designation from agricultural zoning was initially planned to be requested in December, which creates the potential of multifamily development on the site.