Mediator says Bonita Springs City Council’s car wash denial ‘unfair’

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla.- Controversy continues over a proposed car wash in Bonita Springs.

The land owner applied for rezoning of one acre of land to build a new car wash. The zoning board recommended approval to the city council, but the council denied the project twice in 2015.

“We think we’re going to be a great part of the Bonita Springs community and we’ve also tried very hard to meet the landscaping and architectural requirements so it will be a pleasing part of the 41 corridor,” said property owner Max Levine.

Levine manages a Fort Myers car wash and wants to built a new car wash on the land on U.S. 41 near the Imperial River.

Many with the city say there are other projects that would be better suited for the land, like a coffee shop or boutique for people in the area to enjoy.

“Bonita Springs has spent quite a bit of money so that we’re making it not just ‘driving through from Fort Myers to Naples’,” said city attorney Audrey Vance.

A third party mediator was brought in– an attorney from Port Charlotte. His recommendation to the city was to approve the project.

“I hope that the City Council will see that a neutral party that they hired has come down 100 percent in our favor and that we have the right to build this kind of development on the property and that it won’t negatively impact the area,” said Levine.