Neighborhood Information Meeting

Property owners are encouraged to contact the applicant on the meeting notice for additional information

SEE SAMPLE NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION MEETING NOTICE BELOW

LDC. Sec. 4-28. Neighborhood Meetings.

1. Generally. The purpose of a neighborhood meeting is to educate occupants and owners of nearby lands about the proposed development and application, receive comments, address concerns about the development proposal, and resolve conflicts and outstanding issues, where possible.
2. Applicability. Neighborhood meetings are mandatory for applications for a future land use map amendment, rezoning, and special exception. The city shall not accept an application for a future land use map amendment, rezoning, or special exception if the applicant has not conducted a neighborhood meeting. Neighborhood meetings are optional for all other applications. The applicant shall conduct a neighborhood meeting prior to filing its application with the city. The applicant shall conduct a second neighborhood meeting within 30 days after the city has deemed the application to be sufficient.
   
3. Procedure. If a neighborhood meeting is held by the applicant, it shall generally comply with the following procedures:
   1. Time and place. The applicant shall arrange the location of the neighborhood meeting, which shall be reasonably convenient and accessible to the owners of property located in close proximity to the land subject to the application. The facility at which the neighborhood meeting will occur must be of sufficient size to accommodate expected attendance. The neighborhood meeting shall be scheduled after 5:00PM on a weekday or between 9:00AM and 8:00PM on a weekend day. The city manager or her designee may grant a waiver from the requirement to hold the neighborhood meeting after 5:00PM on a weekday if the applicant demonstrates, in writing, that a particular hardship or undue burden exists that prevents the applicant from holding the neighborhood meeting after 5:00PM on a weekday.
      
   2. Notification. The applicant shall provide notification of the neighborhood meeting a minimum of 21 calendar days in advance of the meeting by placing notice in a newspaper of general circulation and by mailing notice to all owners of property located within 1,000 feet of the land subject to the application. The list of owners within 1,000 feet of the affected property shall be obtained by the applicant from the most recent version of the property owners of record provided by the Lee County Property Appraiser. If the affected property is subject to the requirements of a property owners’ association or a condominium owners’ association, the applicant shall provide notice of the neighborhood meeting to such association in the same manner as stated above for property owners. The City of Bonita Springs, in care of the city manager, shall be added to the notification mailing list for all neighborhood meetings. The notification shall state the time and place of the meeting.
      
   3. Conduct of meetings. At the neighborhood meeting, the applicant shall explain the development proposal including, but not limited to, the proposed uses, densities, intensities, and, if applicable, the proposed master concept plan, inform attendees of the character and nature of the process for review, and respond to comments and questions that attendees may have about the application and propose ways to resolve conflicts. Materials and exhibits shall be displayed in a format and size that can be easily viewed by the attendees of the neighborhood meeting.
   4. Staff attendance. City staff may attend the neighborhood meeting for the purpose of advising the attendees regarding applicable provisions of the city’s land use regulations, but shall not serve as facilitators or become involved in negotiations at the neighborhood meeting.
      
   5. Written summary of preapplication neighborhood meeting. The applicant shall include a written summary of the preapplication neighborhood meeting, as well as copies of all documents and exhibits that the applicant presented during the neighborhood meeting, with its application. The written summary shall include a list of those in attendance, a summary of the issues related to the development proposal discussed, comments by those in attendance about the development proposal, and any other information the applicant deems appropriate.
      
   6. Written summary of post-sufficiency neighborhood meeting. The applicant shall comply with the requirements of section (c)(5) within ten days of conducting a post-sufficiency neighborhood meeting. The written summary and copies of all documents and exhibits that the applicant presented during the neighborhood meeting shall be provided to the city planner assigned to the application.
      
   7. Response to summary. Any person in attendance at a neighborhood meeting may submit an additional written summary indicating his or her understanding of the issues related to the development proposal discussed, comments by those in attendance about the development proposal, and any other information he or she deems appropriate. This written summary may include a response to the applicant’s written summary of the neighborhood meeting. The written summary shall be included with the application materials, and be made available for public inspection.

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