AWE Action Alert

Audubon Western Everglades Conservation                             Action Alert:
Stop Urban Sprawl in Wildfire-prone Protected Area!

Collier County to vote on 423-unit urban enclave in midst of conservation lands.

Dear Audubon Western Everglades Members and Friends, 

On January 13, at 1pm, the Collier County Board of Commissioners will vote on a proposed development of current conservation and protected farming lands, called “341 Sabal Palm Rd Subdistrict”, that would become 423 houses surrounded by other permanent conservation lands including the 70,000-acre Picayune Strand State Forest. The land, currently the 169-acre South Naples Citrus Grove, is part of a regional mosaic mix of wetlands, flowways, farms, and endangered species habitats for panthers, wood storks and red-cockaded woodpeckers. It must and does burn regularly so it is incompatible and unsafe to permit 423 houses in the midst of this region. The project would hinder prescribed burning throughout this region which will increase catastrophic wildfire risk. 

Also, because 341 Sabal Palm Subdistrict includes a very small number of marginally “affordable” units, the developer is trying to get commissioners’ approval of a project that is incompatible with its surroundings due to the strong need for affordable housing county-wide. It is important to note that Audubon Western Everglades strongly supports affordable housing as part of sustainable communities. However, affordable housing must NOT come at the expense of conservation – we need BOTH. Finally, the developer wants to reduce current vital water quality requirements by only doing 7% of stormwater lake littoral plantings instead of the now required 30% of lake surfaces. Native littoral plants remove pollution and help reduce algae blooms.
 

Please take action now – help ensure the integrity of this twenty-year successful Rural Fringe conservation land use plan by asking the Collier County Board of Commissioners to deny the 341 Sabal Palm Road Subdistrict. ALSO – if you can attend the hearing on Jan 13 at 1pm, please let us know by email (bcornell@audubonwe.org). We need both speakers and folks to cede speaking time to Brad Cornell to make a presentation to the Board.
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Email Collier Commissioners a personalized brief and polite message (more effective than mass carbon copy emails). Please consider using any of the following “Subject Line” and “Message” suggestions and topics to help individualize your email:

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FIRST -- Choose one subject line, copy and paste it into your email to commissioners, or write your own:

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• Subject line option #1: 341 Sabal Palm Rd Subdistrict: Please Deny

• Subject line option #2: Sabal Palm Rd development Incompatible

• Subject line option #3: Sabal Palm Development conflicts with conservation

• Subject line option #4: Deny Sabal Palm urban project in conservation area

• Subject line option #5: Keep Rural Fringe Conservation Land Plan (1/13 agenda)

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NEXT: Message options to choose one message from, or adapt (copy and paste your choice into your emails to all five commissioners):
 

• Message Option #1: Dear Commissioners, I am a Collier County resident and am writing to urge you to deny the 341 Sabal Palm Road Subdistrict project on January 13. This project conflicts with the long-standing conservation land-use plan, the Rural Fringe, that designated this South Naples Citrus Grove surrounded by permanent conservation as protected for regional water, panther, and other wildlife values. I also support affordable housing, but not at the expense of conservation. Finally, I object to the developer reducing the water quality program by only doing littoral plantings of 7% of stormwater lakes instead of the required 30% minimum lake plantings. I appreciate your consideration. Thank you. Sincerely,

• Message Option #2: Dear Commissioners, As a resident of Collier County, I ask you to please vote “no” on the proposed 423-unit Sabal Palm Road development. These 169 acres is in the midst of wildfire-prone conservation lands that must burn frequently. It has been designated for conservation for over twenty years and should remain so. Thank you. Sincerely,

• Message Option #3: Dear Commissioners, I reside here in Collier County and am writing to ask you to please deny the Sabal Palm Road development on your January 13 agenda. This large site has been designated properly as protected conservation and citrus groves in the Rural Fringe program because it is part of a big area of wetlands, flowways and endangered species habitats. The developer wants to undo the conservation protection plan due to a small amount of affordable units among the 423 units. That shouldn’t justify undoing the long-standing conservation policies. Please do not approve this project which conflicts with your current good Rural Fringe plan. Thank you. Sincerely,

• Message Option #4: Dear Commissioners, I live in Collier County and urge you to not approve the proposed conversion of the South Naples Citrus Grove to 423 houses. It is the wrong place for a development because it is in a flowway, has had lots of major wildfires nearby, and is part of a large region of conservation lands with birds, panthers, and wetlands. While I see they are proposing a small amount of affordable housing, this should not cause the county to abandon its conservation land-use policies. We need BOTH conservation and affordable housing! Thank you - Sincerely,

• Message Option #5: Dear Commissioners, your agenda for January 13 has a proposed development on Sabal Palm Road with 423 houses which I urge you not to support. This is a current citrus grove which is in the middle of lots of conservation lands, including the Picayune Strand State Forest. That mix of wetlands, forests and agriculture is what make Collier County unique and is the nature of regional conservation here – a mix, without houses in the middle. Please deny this project – Thank you. Sincerely,

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Commissioners’ Email Contacts (email individually, or add all 5 to your “to” field):
Rick LoCastro, Dist 1: Rick.LoCastro@collier.gov
Chris Hall, Dist 2: Chris.Hall@collier.gov
Burt Saunders, Dist 3: Burt.Saunders@collier.gov
Dan Kowal, Dist 4: Dan.Kowal@collier.gov
Bill McDaniel, Dist 5: Bill.McDaniel@collier.gov

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