Guest Commentary | Redfish Pointe: Now is the time to voice opposition
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The proposed Redfish Pointe development among wetlands south of Rotary Park is a great concern for hundreds of families. We have been advocating against this development since 2021 when it first came to our attention.
Hurricane Ian, in 2022, of course, heightened our alarm about Redfish Pointe because it revealed what the future looks like for Cape Coral. Our city is one of the nine in the nation most at risk from future storms.
To highlight awareness of what's at stake, we urge residents to join us on Saturday, March 1, at 8:30 a.m, to march along Rose Garden Road from Rotary Park to Southwest 6th Place where a 100-foot wide entrance road is planned to cut through mangroves.
Indisputably, coastal wetlands provide significant storm protection and flood control. The city's own website says so. This development would compromise the storm protection these wetlands provide and put our hundreds of families at greater risk of harm and hardship. As one city staff noted in an early review of the project: "Placing infrastructure, residences, businesses, and people in a wetland that has very poor drainage and in the coastal flood zone has potentially extensive impacts financially, for livelihood or life in general."
Objective 4.5 of the City Comprehensive plan states, "The City shall take extra precautions...to reduce the community's flood vulnerability in accordance with the State Peril of Flood Act."
More specifically, Policy 4.5.5 states "Development and redevelopment within Cape Coral shall include principles, strategies, and engineering solutions that reduce flood risk in coastal areas which result from hightide events, storm surge, flash floods, stormwater run-off, and the related impacts of sea-level rise."
City staff pointedly asked the landowner to address this issue, and in the last public record we have of correspondence between the property owner's agents and city staff, the agents state, "Redfish Pointe, as part of a future PUD process, will work with the city to address this policy."
In other words, they will address this most important concern after the city council permits a change in land use and allows for development, after which citizens cannot effectively stop the development, and after the value of the property likely skyrockets and makes purchase through county and state funds for permanent preservation exorbitantly expensive (and thus wasteful of taxpayers' money).
If they still haven't adequately addressed the issue of flooding, if they haven't studied the challenges of building in this flood zone and offered viable solutions, how can they say it won't negatively impact hundreds of families? Are families simply to trust that a developer will address the peril of flood to the community's satisfaction or that a future city council will ensure it does?
This is unacceptable. With all due respect to our current city council, given recent issues like Jaycee Park, the Three Fishermen, and Yellow Fever Creek, we cannot be confident a future council will protect our best interests and hold a developer's feet to the fire.
Additionally, storm risk and flood control aren't the only issues.
Those hundreds of acres provide critical habitat for wildlife, including protected species, and although the owner says building will occur on 110 acres of uplands, city staff notes that the uplands and wetlands on this property comprise an ecosystem in which uplands and wetlands complement one another. Impacting one, impacts the other.
Rotary Park is hugely popular. The development will significantly and permanently harm its natural character and allure and also violate the intent of a conservation easement meant to preserve these wetlands forever.
Traffic down Pelican Boulevard and the burden upon the city's infrastructure will also be significant.
All will erode the quality of life that makes living in this area of southwest Cape Coral desirable.
On March 5 in City Council Chambers, the Planning and Zoning Commission is potentially scheduled to address Redfish Pointe. To develop this property, the current land use designation must be changed from "Preserve" to "Mixed Use." We urge city residents to attend and to tell the committee that this property is zoned "Preserve" for compelling reasons and that that designation should not be changed.
Join us at this meeting and for March 1 march along Rose Garden Road.
Now is the time to express your concerns and voice your opposition.