CAPE CORAL, Fla. — It's no secret that Southwest Florida is growing in leaps and bounds. Everywhere you turn, there's new construction.
But a new development planned for Northwest Cape Coral has some people who live nearby feeling uneasy.
"I'm not against profit, but I am against what's going on here," says Larsen Tapia, who has called the Cape his home for four years - but has owned property here for close to thirty.
In that time, he says he's not happy with the changes he's seeing in his own backyard.
"All of this was mangroves. You had owls, you had foxes, you had so much different animal life that we no longer have," he explains.
More growth is likely coming. FDOT plans on talking Tuesday about Burnt Store Road, and how development in the area would impact traffic and the people living there.
It's something Cape Coral District 6 Councilman Keith Long wants the city to be involved in.
"This is sort of the next opportunity as far as developmental growth in Cape Coral, and that's where it's headed. So we want to get ahead of it and make sure we play an active role in shaping that corridor," explains Long.
Locally-based White Stone Developments plans to build a 48-unit, four-story vacation resort along the road, packed with amenities like a marina, retail stores, restaurants, and bait shop.
The resort has gotten some mixed reactions from residents. Some welcome the growth, while people like Tapia say they're tired of it.
"You're turning it into a concrete jungle. Pretty soon we're going to have a city in our beautiful little island here. What we want are our peace and quiet and our nature," says Tapia.
Fox 4 reached out to White Stone Developments to see if they wanted to comment on residents' concerns - so far, we haven't heard back.
The resort is expected to be open to the public by early 2025.
