LABELLE, Fla — A proposed 263-unit apartment complex could soon surround a quiet LaBelle neighborhood.
Fox 4's Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works in this area daily, which is why a neighbor reached out to him, concerned over how the development could impact the community.
Watch what the neighbor told Austin:
In 2023, Hendry County Commissioners approved a rezoning that cleared the way for high-density housing on land off Collinswood Parkway and Cowboy Way. Now, a four-story complex with a massive parking lot could rise next to homeowners, like Victoria Fineis.
“They plan on putting a 2.6-acre parking lot right behind my house,” Fineis said.
She showed the plans, pointing to what she described as a wall of apartments.
"Building, building, building, building,” said Fineis. “These are all people’s homes right here. And this is mine. So I will not have any privacy whatsoever with a 2.6-acre parking lot going behind my house 50 feet from my bedroom window.”
Fineis said her concerns went beyond privacy. School pickup traffic at the nearby high school already causes gridlock, and she worried the new development could make things worse. She also feared it could tank property values.
“I won’t want to live here with that. And nobody else will either,” she said.
Last week, Fineis brought her concerns to the Hendry County Commission, asking them to reconsider the plan.
“I’m just trying to figure out a way to stop this because I don’t believe in this,” Fineis said at the meeting.
If the project moves forward, she’s asking for protections, like a large berm or wall, to maintain privacy for her community.
When Schargorodski reached out to the county, a spokesperson said the board directed staff to review traffic impacts, explore stronger buffers, and re-notice a public hearing at a later date.
“It doesn’t involve just the people that live here,” Fineis said. “It involves this whole county. This whole town of LaBelle is involved with what would happen to this road with this development coming through here.”
