Neal Communities, a home building company based out of Lakewood Ranch, Florida, is proposing a new residential development along North River Road just east of State Road 31 in Alva, Florida.

In May of 2023, Neal Communities purchased the Owl Creek property consisting of 345 acres. The developer is currently under contract for the adjacent 788 acres of the Duke+Cary+Povia property. The sale is pending purchase based on Lee County Utilities Future Water/Sewer service area approval as well as rezoning approvals from rural wetlands to Residential Planned Development (RPD) in order to increase the allowable density.

In total, the proposed development on this agricultural and environmentally sensitive land will consist of almost 1,500 residential units in a clustered development format on 1,133 acres of land with the smallest proposed homesites containing 40 feet of road frontage.

Neal Community has stated that the goal is to develop a portion of the subject property into what the developer refers to as “attainable housing” to include the manufacturing of “budget conscious homes” with “cost efficient floorplans” and “simplified and value-engineered” product designs. (https://www.businessobserverfl.com/news/2023/sep/04/attainable-housing-homebuilder-plans-646-homes-to-start/)

If approved, this clustered-home development will triple the population of the north side of Alva with the construction of ONE residential community.

The already stressed infrastructure cannot support this massive development. Additionally, this proposed development would further threaten the environment in the Northeast section of Lee County which will have widespread consequences. Of the 1,133 total acres, there is over 190 acres of wetlands on this property, countless species, indigenous habitats, and historic archeological sites.

The proposed planned development is inconsistent and incompatible with the heritage and rural character as outlined in the Lee County Comprehensive Plan.

The Lee County Comprehensive Plan for Northeast Lee County Community Plan in Goal 27 states, “Maintain, enhance, and support the heritage and rural character, natural resources, and agricultural lands.” (Ord. No. 11-14, 18-18). In addition, the Lee Plan for North Olga Community Plan in Goal 29 states, “Promote and support the unique rural character, heritage, economy, quality of life, and natural resources in the North Olga Community Plan area.” (Ord. No. 11-21, 11-18)

It is the position of the majority of the community of Alva and the Northeast Lee County surrounding areas that this proposed development, not only fails to honor any of the long-established goals within the Lee County Comprehensive Plan, but also represents an irresponsible overdevelopment of the last rural corridor of Southwest Florida with far-reaching impacts to infrastructure, resources, the culture, and the environment.

(PLEASE NOTE: THE DONATE BUTTON AT THE END OF THE PETITION IS FOR THE iPetition.com PLATFORM, NOT THE ALVA CAUSE.)

We, the undersigned residents of Lee County, Florida and concerned citizens, are OPPOSED to the planned development of the Duke+Cary+Povia and Owl Creek Properties by Neal Communities as currently proposed.

Photo Credit: J. Kennedy