Where are we at right now?

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

On Friday, March 16th the city released the results from the ZVL Request (ZVL=Zoning Verification Letter).  You can read the complete response here...Click Here  But be warned!... It is 71 pages and 18MB. If you would like to read the shortened version (13 Pages & 3MB) Click Here

Here is what we know...
#1 The ZVL appears to indicate that the City thinks a homeless shelter is ALLOWED on the property.
#2 There is a contract pending on the property and this ZVL was likely necessary to confirm that purchaser could use the property for a shelter or related use.
#3 The attorney that requested the ZVL is the same attorney who opposed the City's attempt to regulate shelter locations and operations.
#4 The City's current Land Development Code does not contain adequate safeguards to ensure that a shelter is compatible with the surrounding land uses. This needs to change immediately.
#5 City Council admitted it has no way to regulate the operation of a shelter and agreed it needed to pass an ordinance to do so. It is negligent for the City to allow a shelter to be constructed when it is aware that the adequate safeguards are not in place.


WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO:
#1 We need to get the word out that there is a very real possibility that this shelter could be constructed next to the school.  FACT... If they sell the land right now, there is nothing in place to stop them from building!
#2 Talk to your neighbors and friends all across Bonita Springs.  Educate them that the project is still moving forward.  Encourage them to sign up for our email list to keep informed.
#3 Contact the Mayor and City Council urging them to place a moratorium on issuing any building permits for shelter or related uses until such time the Bonita Springs Land Development Code is revised to incorporate appropriate setbacks and buffering for such uses and until the ordinance regulating the use is passed. 
#4 Please donate and encourage others to donate.   The only way we will have any chance to prevent the City from allowing a use that is clearly incompatible with its surrounding uses is to work with a lawyer experienced in land use to challenge the City's interpretation of the zoning and to force the City to adopt the regulations necessary to prevent a shelter from being approved when it is so clearly incompatible with the surrounding uses.
(Use the PayPal Link Above) 

Your support makes the difference!

THANK YOU!


A BIG thank you to all of the citizens of Bonita Springs who took the time to attend the City Council meeting on Wednesday night!  It was a standing room only crowd.  Citizens took the time to voice their concerns and expressed their opinions on how to keep our city as safe and as beautiful as possible.


The battle is not over. This topic is not closed.  We still have a lot of work to do to make sure our city leaders keep Bonita Springs the safe and beautiful city we've come to know and love.


Your continued support is needed.  If you are able, please contribute financially to this cause, please do so today.  It is with your donations that we will be able to protect our children and our property.


Please send your check to BSAFE Bonita, Inc. PO Box 367441, Bonita Springs, FL 34136-7441

Bonita Springs looks to regulate homeless shelters - NBC-2.com WBBH News

NBC2 NEWS VIDEO - CLICK HERE

PROPOSED HOMELESS SHELTER ORDINANCE

The meeting on a PROPOSED HOMELESS SHELTER ORDINANCE is on Wednesday at 5:30 at Bonita Springs City Hall.  Get there early - 5PM-ish to get a seat and to sign up if you want to speak.  SPREAD THE WORD.  It's critical that you PACK THE HALL.

The proposed ordinance is a very good first effort and is reasonably well written, but lacks some important specifics.  Many of these ordinances, in other areas of the country, include a maximum bed limit.  (TYPICALLY 65 BEDS.)  Mega-sized shelters are now proving to be outdated, and a strain on communities - affecting safety and property value.   A maximum bed limit is a critical missing piece in this proposed regulation. 

Others that should be included are... 1. Maximum duration of stay,  2. Number of licensed social service persons and security persons per X number of temporary residents,  3. Details of how jail releases will be transported to and from shelter.  4. Prohibition on transporting jail releases from Naples Jail to shelter. 5. Details on frequency of inspections. Etc.

Here is a link to the agenda:  Click Here For The Meeting Agenda

Here is a link to the proposed ordinance: Click Here For The Proposed Ordinance

Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Jail Release, Soup Kitchen and Homeless Complex coming to your neighborhood???

How important is your safety 
and your property value???

Did you know that the land located on Old US 41 between the Bonita Art Center and The Bonita Springs Charter School is now being eyed for uses that could include all of the above? On Friday February 4, 2012, the owners of ten acres of land in your neighborhood submitted an application to the Bonita Springs Community Development Department for a Zoning Verification Letter (ZVL).

They are requesting approval for a wide variety of social service uses that would not be allowed today, but may be “grandfathered in” under old zoning bylaws. If approved, your children, your family, your property value could be impacted. If the ZVL is approved, there will be NO PUBLIC HEARINGS or opportunity for citizen input that could affect the outcome.

Don’t let this slip by!! Make your voice heard now!!!
Click Here to Learn How To Help

For Background History 
visit the Concerned Citizens of Bonita website:

www.ccobonita.org

To learn how they had to fight when a drug rehab shelter 
was planned near their neighborhood!