Development

The Seven Islands development, a large-scale approximately 48-acre project dating back to 2015, is planning to break ground in Northwest Cape Coral on the east side of the Spreader Canal after it was unanimously passed by the Cape Coral City Council on Jan. 21. But as some residents are happy for the addition to the underdeveloped region of the city, others are circumspect as to how it will impact traffic, environment, infrastructure, and the charm.

Rapid development in Cape Coral is putting pressure on wildlife habitats, prompting concern from conservation groups, city leaders and residents about the future of native species.

Fast-growing coastal counties have used impact fees to pay for growth for decades. Rural, slower-growing counties to a lesser extent

A court ruled against Lee County in a case that could affect new housing projects. One of them, Kingston Development, is planned for thousands of homes in southeast Lee County. The circuit court judge's ruling went against Lee County in the approval of a waste-water treatment plant on Alico Road.

Plans for an upscale community along Bonita Beach Road live on after a suspenseful city council meeting Wednesday night.Council voted 4-3 to allow for changes to its comprehensive plan that will enable Seagate Development Group to build Revana Lakes, a 299-home community across from the Palmira community. Comprehensive plans are blueprints for how cities and counties want to control growth.

Bonita Springs is getting a view of what could be done to revitalize the prime real estate around the Liles Hotel.The historic building is located on Old U.S. 41 in the heart of downtown.

Hendry County is investing money to improve the look and preserve some of the history of a little-known community called Harlem. It's located about 60 miles east of Fort Myers, and not far from Clewiston, in the northeastern corner of Hendry. Harlem will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

On June 3 Collier County Public Schools broke ground on the site of Ave Maria Elementary School, which is expected to open in August 2026.

Johnson Engineering recently revealed the results of the 2024 traffic study conducted in Estero. Organized by Engage Estero, this event showed current and future traffic conditions for the village, as well as some proposed recommendations to improve traffic efficiency.

Since Nov. 2023 the Mid-Hawthorn aquifer that provides irrigation and drinking water to most of Northeast Cape Coral has been seeing record lows in water levels. Residents living in the area have been under mandatory water shortage restrictions that limit irrigation to just one day a week.