by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
At a special meeting on March 17, Community Housing & Resources presented the City Council with its proposed plans to build a new development on Periwinkle Way. Project Manager Rachel Bielert and CHR Executive Director Nicole Decker-McHale presented.
This new development at 1523 Periwinkle Way (formerly the Fish House) would include 39 one-bedroom apartments, each 570 square feet. The permit application for increased density and variances is being rushed due to deadlines to secure a $9.75 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The project would require CHR to raise an additional $8 million.
Council member John Henshaw issued a warning: “I’ve been in government long enough to know that when you rush things through to get money, you can approve something you might not otherwise approve. We are pushing the envelope because we want to use somebody else’s money.”
The precast building, called Riverview II for now, would be compliant with height (41 feet, compared to the 45 feet allowable). It is three stories above the parking; only two stories are currently allowed under the Land Development Code. It is actually two buildings connected by a walkway with 61 parking spaces, 15 bicycle spaces, and a connection to the shared-use path. It is set back 135 feet from Periwinkle Way, when only 20 feet is required. There are two driveways, one for entering and one for exiting, which connect to CHR’s Riverview development behind 7-Eleven, now named Harkey House.
If approved, this development would bring the total number of affordable housing units up to the Sanibel Plan’s and City Charter’s goal of 3 percent of residential housing on the island for the first time in 50 years.
All units must be dedicated to Below Market Rate Housing indefinitely.
The property also contains approximately 2,500 square feet of commercial space that is not part of this permit application. CHR has no immediate plans for this space.
Some Council members expressed concern about having such a large building on Periwinkle Way, fearing Sanibel would be embarking on a path that would lead to the loss of its small-town feel.
Henshaw said, “I will just be blunt about what I’m concerned about. In the Resort District, you have monolithic buildings. In the Commercial District, we’re trying to keep it small-town. This is a monolithic structure. That’s just one of my concerns. I am 150 percent in favor of affordable housing, but I also want to maintain that small-town feel. So that just concerns me.”
Henshaw added that the building will be out of character for Sanibel. He also expressed concern that a dense population of affordable housing (Riverview II next door to Harkey House) “doesn’t fit” on Sanibel. “Affordable housing should be scattered throughout the community,” he said.
“My biggest concern is allowing that third floor because the small-town character is very important to our island,” said Council member Laura DeBruce. “What we have seen so far does not give me comfort.
“It comes down to the height and appearance of this building,” DeBruce continued.
Also, she said, “The plan is not suited to families. We want to encourage families to come to the island. The 39 units are planned for singles.” She asked if the apartments could be changed to two-bedroom units. “I don’t want our BMRH to be solely for singles.”
CHR typically relocates single people from two-bedroom apartments to one-bedroom apartments, allowing families to be placed in the larger units. Tenants sign a lease that agrees to this possibility.
CHR Executive Director Nicole Decker-McHale said requests for housing come overwhelmingly from single people. There were 100 requests last year, and even more the year before that.
“This will alter the look of Periwinkle Way, so I take this very seriously,” DeBruce added. “This will stand out. I’m a little bit disappointed.”
Planning Director Paula McMichael responded, “It’s a beautiful building that you won’t be able to see.”
CHR has already spent $4.2 million on the project – $3.5 million to purchase the land, and the rest on architects, testing, etc.
During the public comment period, Larry Schopp, who is a member of the Planning Commission – the only member to vote against CHR’s proposals – said, “I believe this project violates the Sanibel Plan.” He said it is not in conformity with community standards.
“This structure is far more intensive in use and would be far more destructive of Sanibel’s small-town character,” Schopp continued. He called it monolithic, said it breaks precedent, and said Sanibel should not do it. “This project on this site violates policy, and policy is the law,” he concluded.
Erika Steiner, President of the CHR board and a member of the Planning Commission, said CHR is trying to increase availability. “When this opportunity came up, we jumped on it. It’s not just a whim, it’s strategic. This is not a flight of fancy; it’s been very well thought out,” Steiner said.
Council voted unanimously 4-0 (Vice Mayor Holly Smith was absent) to move CHR’s application to a first reading, which was done later in the meeting, and a second reading and public hearing were scheduled for Council’s March 31 meeting.
“On behalf of CHR, we are working diligently to be able to answer some of the questions that Council members Laura DeBruce and John Henshaw raised about the Riverview II property,” said Bielert. “At its February 24 Planning Commission meeting, the Riverview II project passed with a 5-1 vote, with support from city staff.”
CHR has served more than 1,000 families since 1979. It currently has 65 rental units across nine Sanibel locations, as well as nine limited-equity ownership units. Eighty-five people live in CHR housing.
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