Parking code change allows Health Clinic to move forward

After an April 15 code amendment for parking requirements for historic districts, Boca Grande Health Clinic will be able to break ground on their new Annex project in May.

“The good news is that they adjusted it,” said Mark Driscoll, the clinic’s chief executive officer.

On April 15, 2025, Lee County’s Board of County Commissioners amended section 34-2020 of its code, which relaxed parking requirements in the historic districts of both Boca Grande and Matlacha.

The change created a new, renamed category called Mixed Use Overlay and Historic Districts. The change in requirements is in how parking needs are calculated. 

The first zoning application received for the issue was on January 30, 2023, well before the design for the expanded Annex was approved by the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board. Earlier this year, the county addressed the issue and drafted an ordinance.

The staff note reported that the “historic nature, layout, and locations of these districts make rebuilding or redeveloping properties to meet current code requirements difficult or physically impossible on many properties. In addition, the historic nature and physical layout of these historic districts share several characteristics with properties within the Mixed Use Overlay including pedestrian friendly design, location within future land use categories consistent with Mixed Use Overlay requirements, availability of public facilities, and a mix of commercial, residential, and other uses in close proximity to one another.”

Both Boca Grande and Matlacha have older, historic street patterns and buildings, laid out before parking requirements. In addition, the codes have not caught up to changes in usage.

The ordinance is applicable to districts HD90-05-01 (the designation for Boca Grande) and HD90-10-01 (for Matlacha). Parking can be on the lot or within 1,320 feet of the building’s main entrance, per Section 34-2015(1). In historic districts where golf carts are approved, up to 50 percent of required parking can be golf cart spaces at a 1:1 ratio, if golf carts are used to reach the property and the street provides access.

“Golf carts and cars are treated equally,” said Driscoll.

Parking formula change for Boca Grande, Matlacha

The county wrote that the “historic nature, layout, and locations of these districts make rebuilding or redeveloping properties to meet current code requirements difficult or physically impossible on many properties.” The proposed solution said that the “historic nature and physical layout of these historic districts share several characteristics with properties within the Mixed Use Overlay, including pedestrian friendly design, location within future land use categories consistent with Mixed Use Overlay requirements, availability of public facilities, and a mix of commercial, residential, and other uses near one another. Applying Mixed Use Overlay parking reductions are intended to spur redevelopment by easing parking requirements in a manner consistent with the historic character of these communities.”