BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — A controversial 204-acre gated community is moving forward after the Bonita Springs City Council narrowly approved the project despite strong pushback from neighbors along Bonita Beach Road.
Council members voted 4-3 to allow Seagate Development Group to move ahead with the Revana Lakes development, which is set to include 299 homes, 80,000 square feet of retail space and 20,000 square feet of office space. Neighbors packed City Hall at the October 15 meeting to voice both support and opposition.
WATCH TO SEE WHICH AREA ON BONITA BEACH ROAD COULD START TO LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT:
“I love the idea of the hundred thousand square foot of retail — especially seeking a boutique grocer for the east end of Bonita Beach Road. I think that would be a big asset,” said one supporter.
Others expressed concern about the impact on traffic. “Now with more traffic, that would mean a lengthening of the response times of these emergency vehicles and fire trucks. So people can get hurt, they can die,” said another resident.
At Seagate’s request, the new ordinance lets Bonita Springs annex the land and reclassify it from DRGR to Urban Fringe Development, allowing the company to build more densely while giving the city additional impact fees and tax revenue.
Seagate representatives told the council they have made compromises to reduce density and will maintain the Kehl Canal. The company has also obtained key environmental permits from the South Florida Water Management District and said their plan includes improvements to the land’s irrigation.
Over the past few weeks, local resident Candy Moot started a petition opposing the project, which has collected nearly 1,300 signatures. Moot said traffic and environmental concerns, including flooding, remain the biggest issues for neighbors.
“I’m going to hope the opponents were right, and I’m going to hope I was wrong — but we’ll see,” Moot said, expressing cautious optimism about how the development will move forward.
The city says once the project is reviewed by the state, it will go before council for adoption of the future land use map amendment.
If approved, the developer says site work and construction could begin in 2026.
