MARCO ISLAND, Fla — The Marco Island City Council delayed voting on a controversial plan to build an assisted living facility on the island.
Developers say there wasn’t enough time for city council to craft an ordinance after the planning commission approved the proposal Friday.
Watermark wants to build a three story, 166 room facility just west of the intersection of Bald Eagle Drive and San Marco Road.
“It’s a busy intersection, and it’s going to be incredibly busy if we have construction trucks going on,” said Tina Honis, whose worried about the impact construction would have on the neighborhood.
Some people living across from the site say they’ve been having trouble selling their homes since news of this project got out.
But proponents say this is an ideal location for the facility.
“It’s an area where you have the government center, you already have urgent care, you have medical offices, its kind of a mini commercial area,” said Craig Woodward, whose representing Watermark.
Woodward says the project benefits the entire community since NCH, which owns the vacant lot, said it would use some of the money from the sale to refurbish its urgent care center right next door.
“I’ve lived on Marco for 50 years, I know there’s a need, I’ve done wills and trusts and estate planning and many of my clients have had to leave the island for this care,” said Woodward.
But many of the island’s seasonal residents say they’re upset with how quickly the city tried to push this measure through.
“Where did this come from? How did it spring up like a mushroom in a spring rain, it seems like it’s here all of a sudden,” said Honis.
City council says it will take up the assisted living facility ordinance at it’s January 22 meeting, with time for public comment.
