Plan a defense
To the editor:
My wife and I are full-time residents here on Pine Island and are watching the current issue concerning the Pine Island Plan very closely. I feel there are a few things that Pine Islanders might need to consider when trying to deal with this issue.
First, developers are in it for the money. Corporations need revenue to live. Civic responsibility is not their priority, revenue is.
Second, when trying to build a case to defend the current plan and/or curtail potential modifications, seek out and utilize all facts possible. Emotions and “quality of life” arguments present the atmosphere of the locale, but do little in court and other legal actions. Use every legal fact that can be developed, researched and verified.
Third, make the County Commissioners explain all their actions in detail and in writing. This will help when trying to separate fact from fiction later and it will hold their feet to the fire on their positions and justifications.
Lastly, take a look at the Lee County subdivision map of Pine Island. (www.leepa.org/Search/PropertySearch) Look over the entire island detail. Notice all the hundreds and hundreds of currently approved parcels. Many of these are not improved (no homes/buildings). Could you imagine if these were built upon? You might surmise that for each new household, you can add at least two persons and one automobile. It would seem to me that maybe we have exceeded a reasonable density for this small community already
To the County Commissioners, let the island grow organically, naturally. You are voted in by the people who live here, not by off-island developers and corporations who are watching their bottom lines. Besides, what’s the rush?
Art Arway
St. James City