by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
The Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee – whose function it is to make recommendations to City Council and the City Manager – met on June 18, 2026, to rank projects under discussion in preferential order and also to discuss the terms “attraction” and “amenity.”
Present for the Committee were Bernard Arroya, Angi Selmer Welch, Christopher Denick (Chair), Wendy Walker, and Ralph Quillen. Dorothy Plumb and Kyle Sweet have resigned.
“Sometimes there’s a fine line between an amenity and an attraction,” said Committee member Wendy Walker. Chair Christopher Denick added that attractions are activities that draw visitors (for example, Taste of the Islands, the shared use path), while amenities are things that enhance the visitors’ experience (for example, BIG ARTS – because it obtains Special Event Permits- is an amenity).
Something that generates significant off-island traffic is clearly an attraction, while an amenity serves islanders and guests and is not expected to attract off-island visitors/cars.
Why is the distinction important? Because the Sanibel Vision Statement says the City of Sanibel “will resist pressures to accommodate visitor attractions” and “limit the number, size, and location of private attractions that, by their nature, contribute to an overuse of limited-capacity roadways.”
The City’s Planning Department recommended this language to distinguish between attraction and amenity: “An attraction is a land use that generates a significant number of its daily and overall automobile trips from off-island locations and visitors. An amenity is a land use that serves on-island demand from residents and is not anticipated to substantially increase traffic volumes.”
PRAC Recreational Amenity Ranking Sheet
Below are the projects, ranked by all members of the PRAC Committee as to preference. Remember, the PRAC is an Advisory Committee to the City Council and the City Manager.
1) Community Park Improvements
2) Community Green/Event Space
3) Skate Park Area Renovations -and- Dog Park
4) Ballfield Tot Lot Playground
5) Movie Theater
6) Miniature Golf – currently prohibited under the Land Development Code
7) Pickleball Courts
8) Food Truck Park
9) Bandshell -and- Daycare
10) Indoor Game Arcade – currently prohibited under the Code
11) Bowling Alley – currently prohibited under the Code
The City Council will recognize July as Parks & Recreation Month at its July 21, 2026, meeting.
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