The future of a 14-mile linear park project that would connect Bonita Springs to Florida’s statewide network of multi-use trails is uncertain. The project would replace the Seminole Gulf Railway and has been called the Bonita Estero Rail Trail. The Metropolitan Planning Organization presented plans for covering the unused railway at a city council meeting on January 18. The trail would start at Bonita Beach Road and end at Alico Road, tying into the Fort Myers John Yarbrough Linear Park. However, homeowners at The Vines, a community split by the existing railway tracks, proposed a 12-mile trail that would begin at Bonita Beach Road and stop at Estero Parkway, just before their property. They argued that the trail would cause disruption to their lives, be aesthetically detrimental, negatively affect their home values, and leave them vulnerable and open to everyone 24/7.
The Vines residents proposed that the trail end at Estero Parkway, claiming that entering their community is unnecessary because of the sidewalks along Estero and Three Oaks parkways that would be accessible from the trail. They argued that hundreds of thousands of vehicles, golf carts, walkers, and bikers would cross their main areas of concerns. They further argued that the trail would be feet from their fairways, which provide easy access to the epicenter of their community, where they have their bathrooms, water stations, snack areas, clubhouse, etc. Tom Rubbelke, a resident, asked the city council to consider the Golden Rule and not allow in their neighborhood that which they would not want in the middle of their own neighborhood. The residents suggested that fencing around the trail would prevent pedestrians from accessing the community, and security gates could be provided where the trail enters the property north and south.
The Bonita Springs residents were hoping for a resolution for the recreational trail project, but the future of the project is unclear. The project would connect Bonita Springs to Florida’s statewide network of multi-use trails, replacing the unused Seminole Gulf Railway. The Metropolitan Planning Organization presented plans for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, which would start at Bonita Beach Road and end at Alico Road, tying into the Fort Myers John Yarbrough Linear Park. However, homeowners at The Vines, who proposed a 12-mile trail that would stop at Estero Parkway, argued that the trail would cause disruption to their lives, be aesthetically detrimental, negatively affect their home values, and leave them vulnerable and open to everyone 24/7. They suggested that fencing and security gates could prevent pedestrians from accessing the community, but the city council has not made a decision on the project yet.