East Lee County is about to get a lot of new residents. With 1400 new homes at the corner of Homestead Rd and Milwaukee Blvd with city water and 1400 septic tanks.
Now on Wednesday, Lee County Commissioners voted to approve a development that would bring 10,000 new homes and much more to an environmentally sensitive area known as the DRGR.
The new community, once finished, will be called “Kingston”, and will be built between State Road 82 and Corkscrew, but many are concerned about how this unprecedented growth will affect East Lee County.
On Friday, District 3 Commissioner Ray Sandelli explained the reason why he and other commissioners voted to approve the 6,676-acre development, which will also include a hotel and 700,000 square feet of commercial space.
“It is certainly a remedy, and what’s the alternative? I think there was no question that there was a group of citizens concerned about another mine being put in there,” Sandelli said. “50 percent of that land goes into conservation in perpetuity by the developer.”
Experts say the decision comes as a response to the skyrocketing demand for housing in Lee County, with few places left to build. The project will also include a new connecting road between Corkscrew and State Road 82.
However, many who live West of I-75, like in Estero are concerned about the impact this new development will bring to the county, like the impact on traffic on Corkscrew Road, utilities, and access for first responders.