Estero

The Residences at the Brooks took another step toward approval Tuesday night when the Estero Planning Zoning and Design Board approved the 154-unit apartment complex. The apartments were the first of two projects the planning board moved forward. It also approved a development order for Via Coconut, a mixed-use project with 330 multi-family units and 29,000 square feet of commercial space, including a possible church.

Estero Village’s staff and consultants will be busy the rest of the summer finishing plans for an entertainment center off Via Coconut Way and Williams Road.The Village council gave the staff the go ahead last week at its final meeting before the summer hiatus to negotiate agreements with Chicken N Pickle, of North Kansas City, Missouri, and High 5 Entertainment, of Austin, Texas, to provide entertainment facilities on 10 acres of the 20-acre site.

Estero Village Council members on Wednesday unanimously approved the rezoning request for Woodfield Estero.

The proposed conversion of an unused railbed into a public trail between Bonita Beach and Alico roads has developed into a tug-of-war between trail proponents and homeowners along part of the proposed route.

Estero’s Gianna Clemente turned 15 last week and is the youngest player in the field. She qualified by being one of the top 30 ranked amateurs in the United States based on 2022’s Women’s World Amateur Golf rankings.

The mayor and vice mayor of Sanibel Island both won new terms on the city council in Tuesday's elections. And a retired police officer won a seat on the village council in Estero.

In a plan to reduce pollution entering the Estero River, the Village of Estero is looking at ways to stop the use of septic systems and water wells. The village wants to require some homeowners to hook into a new utility systems.

Changes in election laws in 2021 affected vote-by-mail requests. One request for a vote-by-mail ballot will cover all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next scheduled general election.

The Disaster Recovery Center at the Estero council chambers will permanently close Tuesday at 6 p.m.

At the January 18 Bonita Springs city council meeting, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), who which commissioned the research for the project, presented multiple alternatives for the trail. The two most favored alternatives, according to the study, would replace the existing Seminole Gulf Railway (SGR) with a path that runs through Bonita Springs and Estero. It would start at Bonita Beach Road and end at Alico Avenue.