Cape Coral considers commercial plan for future of Burnt Store Rd corridor

The City of Cape Coral is considering a plan that would expand development along Burnt Store Road.

While more traffic on a roadway is unwanted most of the time, the possibilities for additional restaurants and grocery stores is welcomed by many community members who normally travel miles for these things.

Burnt Store is the main thoroughfare road from Cape Coral to Charlotte County, and it’s growing fast.

“You have houses coming all over, and if you go back on either side of Burnt Store Road, you’ll see quite expensive houses over here and more modest houses, but a lot of development,” Doug Mason said.

Mason lives in Burnt Store Marina, so he drives on Burnt Store often. His biggest frustration about the area is the lack of commercial space between Tropicana Parkway and his neighborhood.

“There’s a Subway and a pizza parlor,” Mason said. “That’s it.”

The city plans to change that by bringing more development to Burnt Store Road. City staff members are busy drafting a plan to bring more commercial space to the Burnt Store corridor, similar to what people already see along Pine Island Road.

“Not crazy development, but it’s definitely good to have more,” Bruce Rafferty said.

The city says about 20,000 people live in this area of Cape Coral. In 50 years, Cape Coral’s planners expect that number to be 80,000, so projects such as the Burnt Store Road widening project are a must.

“It looks like they’re putting the proper roadway to accommodate the traffic, so as long as they do that, that’s fine,” Rafferty said.

Before Cape Coral can add more development on Burnt Store Road, the city must expand its utilities.

Currently, utilities are in place from Pine Island to Embers Parkway, but the rest of it lacks water and sewers.