Lee County Commissioners recently approved the Kingston Project in Estero, a 6,676-acre development on the east end of Corkscrew Road.

Kingston Project in Estero

The Cameratta Companies development would include 10,000 residential units, 700,000 square feet of commercial space and 240 hotel units. Roughly half of the entire property will be reserved for conservation and improved flow-ways for the mostly-undeveloped section of Estero.

Some Estero residents described the project as ‘essentially another city at the east end of Corkscrew Road.’

Conservation plans for the development include lots of green space, a human-wildlife coexistence plan, and most importantly, hydraulic-controlled canals. Once functional, the new canals will greatly reduce or even eliminate flooding in the rural Wildcat Farms neighborhood.

The developer also hopes to improve traffic issues by including another road connecting Corkscrew to State Road 82.

The Alternative

By approving the Kingston Project, Lee Commissioners avoided the payment of $63 million to settle a 2011 lawsuit. Filed by Corkscrew Grove Limited Partnership, the lawsuit came as a result of commissioners denying the company permits for a lime rock mine on the property.

Commissioners said they were faced with two options: approve the development or approve a mine and pay $63 million.

While the mine property would have been about 2,500 acres smaller, the mining company had no plans to improve flood-ways or traffic issues.

What’s Next?

The country still has to file a petition for court review and approval. Once approved by the court, the lawsuit will be closed and the $63 million payment successfully avoided.

The groundbreaking and estimated completion dates are yet to be announced by the developer, but we expect it will come shortly after court approval.

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