Big Cypress is a future planned town in Collier County, Florida. The project, originally called Rural Lands West,[1] is being developed by Collier Enterprises and will consist of three villages, Rivergrass, Longwater, and Bellmar.
Big Cypress, Florida | |
|---|---|
| Town of Big Cypress | |
 | |
  Big Cypress Location in Florida  Big Cypress Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 26°15′07.0″N 81°30′40.6″W / 26.251944°N 81.511278°W | |
| Country |  US |
| State |  Florida |
| County | 
Collier |
| Website | Official website |
The town will be named after nearby Big Cypress National Preserve.[2]
On June 27, 2023 Collier County gave the project its final approval.[3] Despite this, a 2024 ruling by Federal Judge Randolph Moss has stalled the development of Bellmar, citing that its construction violates the Endangered Species Act.[4]
Geography
editBig Cypress will be east of Golden Gate Estates and southwest of Ave Maria.[2]
Much of the land being used for the development is currently used for row crops.[5]
Villages
editRivergrass
The first of the three villages to be approved by the Collier County Planning Commission (2020),[6] the 998-acre (4.04 km2) development[7] will be located off of Oil Well Road in what is currently Immokalee, Florida.[8]
Longwater
The 999-acre (4.04 km2) planned village,[7] to be east of Desoto Boulevard N and south of Oil Well Road,[9] is the second of the three villages to be approved.[10] Of the nearly 1,000 acres, more than 260 are to be dedicated to lakes.[11]
Bellmar
The proposed development, of about 1,800-acre (7.3 km2), is the southernmost community within the town of Big Cypress, about one mile away from the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.[12] The village was approved by the Collier County Planning Commission in 2021.[13]
However, in early 2024, plans for the construction of Bellmar were halted by a federal judge, due to its close proximity to the Wildlife Refuge.[4]
Controversy
editThe three Big Cypress villages will be within the environmentally sensitive Rural Lands Stewardship Area (RLSA).[10]
Major concerns surround the development's impact on the endangered Florida panther. According to wildlife experts, the project will destroy around 2,000 acres of land that are essential for the continued survival of the already declining population.[14] Another significant concern surrounding the development is the potential increase in Panther-vehicle mortality, which is already a leading cause of Florida panther deaths.[15]
References
edit- ^ "RURAL LANDS WEST". Domain Realty Group. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ a b Dodd, Colt (May 19, 2021). "Town of Big Cypress to be Located in East Collier by Golden Gate Estates". Florida YIMBY. YIMBY. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Town of Big Cypress gets final approval from Collier County". Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Bayles, Tom (February 17, 2024). "Federal judge halts developments where panthers remain in the western Everglades". WGCU Public Media. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Layden, Laura (May 25, 2021). "Collier commissioners delay vote on rural villages Longwater and Bellmar, Town of Big Cypress". Naples Daily News. Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Olson, April (December 29, 2022). "Court of Appeals sides with Conservancy's right to challenge Rivergrass development". Florida Weekly. Hoffmann Media Group. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Big Cypress Stewardship District". Passarella & Associates, Inc. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Dodd, Colt (November 2, 2022). "Rivergrass Village to Offer 2,500 Homes in Collier County, FL". Florida YIMBY. YIMBY. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Riley, Patrick (September 7, 2019). "Proposed villages in rural Collier draw concerns from environmentalists". Naples Daily News. Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Layden, Laura (April 1, 2021). "Collier County Planning Commission recommends approval of controversial rural village". Naples Daily News. Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Longwater". Collier Enterprises. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ "The Fight to Protect the Panther Continues with the Bellmar Development". Conservancy of Southwest Florida. 17 November 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Layden, Laura (April 20, 2021). "Rivergrass, Longwater and now Bellmar: Collier planners recommend approval of another rural village". Naples Daily News. Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Vande Panne, Valerie (March 17, 2021). "Development Impacts Panthers And Taxpayers". WGCU. PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Bayles, Tom (December 13, 2023). "Environmentalists: Florida panther will hurtle toward extinction if Town of Big Cypress is allowed". WGCU. PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida. Retrieved March 28, 2024.