City Market Place

March 15, 2006


As the City Marketplace project moves along, we want to share with you our thoughts on this effort that is so important to the revitalization of our downtown.

We are pleased that the plan is developing as a full mixed use development, with a combination of retail, residential and a proposed hotel. We are in support of the special exception allowing the hotel use as well as the variation on height for both the hotel and condominiums. The additional height of the hotel, in the center of the property should not produce too imposing a facade when viewed from the pedestrian areas on the surrounding streets.

We do have concerns, however. When the community was first exposed to the preliminary drawings by Mr. Ron Oskey, we asked Jaime Correa to review them and comment. He did, and his letter to us has been forwarded to you earlier. Jaime is concerned with several elements of the proposal. Most of his problems are with elements that would appear to present too much mass when viewed from street level, instead of gradual step-backs in height, and a lack of true articulation in various elements of the design. But, as Jaime notes, the drawings presented thus far are really so preliminary as to not permit true review. They are generalized.

We have spoken to Mr. Oskey several times in the intervening months. He has repeatedly said he intends to follow the principles of the Citizens’ Master Plan, but every “new” presentation reveals no changes to the original plans. This is disturbing, of course, but more so because we know that he often speaks about following the Citizens’ Master Plan in his presentations to you, implying an endorsement from TEAM Punta Gorda that, as yet, we cannot offer.

We hope you will take the time to review Jaime Correa’s letter and that you will share our concerns as this critical project moves forward.


John Magnin
TEAM Punta Gorda
Government Liaison