Matlacha to vote on draft Overlay Plan Nov. 16
Matlacha Civic Association will again discuss the Matlacha Overlay Plan on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Pine Island Art Association Building in Matlacha Park. All residents are urged to attend. The speaker this month will be Mary Kaye Stevens, Educator, Author and Pine Island resident, discussing her book Pine Island, Images of America.
The October meeting produced some excellent Overlay Plan input which will be addressed and most of which is incorporated into the new draft of the Plan. Additional sketch drawings for clarification will be presented. A straw poll was taken at the end of the meeting and with almost 50 people present, most supported the Plan.
Lee County planning staff, Lisa Hines, attended the prior meeting and plans to attend this meeting to discern the community depth of support for the Overlay Plan before the county will allow it to enter the lengthy review process. This as a draft plan that will change as it goes through the review process. We intend to keep all residents apprised of the review process and you may attend and address issues or support the Plan at any of these review hearings which will culminate in a hearing before the county commissioners who will vote to approve the Plan.
If you would not like a Mega-home/McMansion built next door to you then you must attend to sign a written ballot indicating your support for the protections that are drafted into this Plan. This is not the time to expect someone else to speak for you and hope for the best. We must hear your opinion. It is not often we ask all residents to turn out for a meeting but when we do you have always responded positively because we all care about Matlacha. We ask you to share in our vision for the future of our little village by supporting this effort to protect the charm and uniqueness we all appreciate and will pass on to future residents.
One small single-story home in Matlacha was overshadowed by a large home built close to the lot line, three stories high, with additional roof overhang. It dwarfed the small home and rain from the metal roof shoots onto the lower home. The smaller home owners never thought it could happen. When it did, they were appalled, put their home up for sale and we estimated that, at that time, they lost a minimum of $200,000 in value. They took the loss and sadly moved away.
Due to the mostly sub-standard lot sizes in Matlacha, we are forced to request variances to build a new home or to remodel. The trend toward knocking down an older home and erecting a mega-home has abated, temporarily, due to the economy. When the economy turns around we expect the trend to begin again. The variance process is expensive, costing thousands of dollars. It is lengthy and the outcome is uncertain. If someone tears down the house next door to you and wants to build a huge home on a small lot, you are forced to attend hearings downtown where you will confront your neighbor in a quasi-judicial setting and explain why you do not want a huge home built only five feet from your lot line. You must have specific legal reasons why the home should not be built. You cannot say it’s too big or too close. These are not presently viable reasons for a Hearing Examiner to deny a variance. Diana Parker, Hearing Examiner, asked us for a document she could use as a guide in making variance decisions. That is how we began this process of forming a committee.
With the Overlay Plan, we seek to exclude or strongly limit variances. Since some set-back variances are usually granted and generally accepted by residents, we have incorporated these set-backs into the Plan. Side-setbacks will be 7.5 feet instead of the often allowed variance to 5 feet. We have reduced the height from 38 feet allowed by the Pine Island Community Plan to 32 feet which alone reduces the overall bulk of the building. By following the Plan rules, a comfortable, attractive, livable home can be built on our small lots without making enemies of neighbors or without the costly, uncertain variance process. Our plan works for remodels as well. We hope our friends and neighbors will realize the value of this Plan and the protections as well as the benefits it provides.
Please come and listen to Greg Stuart of Stuart Urban Design and a Matlacha resident give his presentation, look at the sketches and ask questions or make recommendations and then make your decision. Ballots will be available at this meeting.
Full copies of the Matlacha Overlay Plan (Draft) are available by e-mail by calling Kathy Malone at 283-3762 or e-mail km654@cyberstreet.com. Additional committee members are: Bill Stoelker, MCA President; Pam Bristol; Nancy Harwood; Gail Barone; Jackie Reichert; Bob McKnight; Bill McKee; Melady Kehm.