CAPE CORAL, Fla. — On Tuesday the City of Cape Coral is holding a community meeting to discuss their newest park plan. They want to hear your opinions on what could be a major overhaul.
The current Parks Master Plan is nine year old and needs an update.
Fox 4's Bella Line dug into the 2016 Parks Master Plan. She found some of the projects they wanted to work on then, are still projects many want done today.
Watch Bella's full report below:
Golf courses and neighborhood parks, but what's missing? That's what the Parks Master Plan from 2016 was working to answer.
Former City Council member Richard Leon, from 2013 to 2017, took part in making the original plan.
"We were short on parks, and we knew that we recognized that, and we wanted to be able to have the opportunity to really jump start that program again to make sure that we're building parks for the future," said Leon.
Now we're here, 9 years later, but what's been done so far?
Line looked into the plan and conversations of an updated Yacht Club, Jaycee Park, and adding a park in north Cape Coral were all a part of those master plans.
"As the community recognized, they've stalled, and it's unfortunate, you know, a couple things have happened with the previous council, Covid, the cost of supplies and just trying to get things," said Leon.
Jaycee Park is currently undergoing renovations, while the Yacht Club is an empty lot after Hurricane Ian.
In North Cape, a new park is opening in 2025.
"Now we're spending millions upon millions, possibly 100 million plus, on these two parks alone, which really eats up everything that the Parks Master Plan was intended for," said Leon.
Which is why they're looking at the master plan again.
In 2016, people in Cape said they care about the beach; small neighborhood parks; community parks; the Yacht Club; nature parks, and low on the list at that time was pickleball courts.
"The new five people that are on board. They're really like, you know, we need to work with our residents," said Leon. "From day one to the hundredth day of being open for that park, the residents have to be involved."
The City of Cape Coral is hosting a community meeting to update its Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 28, at Mercola Market,125 Southwest 3rd Place.
