Entrada shopping center approved

News-Press, Tuesday February 15, 2005

by Don Ruane

Plans for a shopping center in northeast Cape Coral featuring a grocery, drugstore and other shops won approval Monday with an 8-0 vote from the Cape Coral City Council.

The Entrada commercial center — 250,000 square feet of space on the Del Prado Extension near north U.S. 41 — should be under construction by the end of the year and ready for business in 2006, said Craig Dearden of the Realmark Group. Realmark put the project together and has a buyer for the property, Dearden said.

Dearden wouldn't identify the buyer, but said it's a national commercial developer. The center will be slightly bigger than the Page Field Commons shopping area on U.S. 41 in Fort Myers. The outparcels are large enough to handle a small box store of the kind found in Page Field Commons, Dearden said.

The Entrada project also includes one acre for residential development and 10 acres for a conservation area.

"There are tons of tax base here," Dearden said. The Entrada residential development on the south side of Del Prado will provide $400 million of tax base by itself, said Dearden, forecasting an explosion of rooftops by the end of this year. The Entrada residential area includes about 1,600 homes.

City officials estimate that Entrada, other developments and individuals eventually will build about 10,000 homes in northeast Cape Coral.

Only one objection to the commercial center was raised by the city's staff, and that had to do with a request from Realmark for an entrance drive closer to U.S. 41 than city standards allowed.

The city's standard is 660 feet of separation between a driveway and a road such as U.S. 41, said city Transportation Manager Steve Neff. Realmark wanted it 250 feet closer, but someday that could create traffic flow and safety problems, Neff said.

Realmark's team argued that the access was needed to serve an outparcel separated from the rest of the development by a Lee County Electric Cooperative easement.

"It's taken us three years to get to this point," Realmark owner Will Stout said. "This is our best work, guys, and we need your help. You'll have to determine if you really want developers and commercial development."

The city council allowed the access point provided a turn lane with adequate signage is installed.

"This is an excellent development. It's what we've been looking for," City Councilwoman Alex LePera said.

Cape Coral wants more commercial space to serve its growing population and to expand its tax base.

"They've bent enough. We're going to be kind enough to get things done," said Councilman Tim Day.