Casita Update – May 18, 2022

Yesterday the Lee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to amend the Land Development Code (LDC) to add casitas with indoor kitchens and bedrooms, of unlimited size, as allowable accessory use structures for Recreational Vehicle Planned Developments (RVPD).

This outcome was the culmination of two years of effort by L26 Development and our professional planners to obtain maximum flexibility in our zoning and in the LDC, to enable L26 build the range of casitas that motorcoach resort lot customers desire in the 2020s.

Initially the code was very restrictive on casita design and features, but in our zoning hearing before the BOCC in December 2020, the Commissioners understood the need for flexibility in product offerings to meet market demands, and so they approved our original zoning under the old code, but directed County staff to develop an amendment to the LDC. The BOCC further directed staff to “grandfather” in Laguna Caribe using the new standard without the need to go through another lengthy public hearing process.

So here we are today, ready to unveil exciting new casita designs, such as the West Indies IV – a 2 story, 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath with loft, full indoor kitchen, and roofed lanai and upper level sun deck overlooking our lake. With a total of 1,331 square feet under air, and styled in the contemporary West Indies look.