Punta Gorda residents, City Council lock horns over proposed increased height, density

Anger rose among residents at Wednesday’s Punta Gorda City Council meeting which presented the first reading on proposed changes to land development regulations. The proposal would allow higher density in certain parts of the city while restricting building heights by 20 feet in the downtown district. 

Some 60 people attended the meeting, many of whom expressed their opinions with the majority of speakers urging Council to refrain from changing the current ordinance. They cited increasing traffic problems and an erosion of residents’ quality of life with increasing population due to higher density housing. 

Mayor Lynne Matthews said Council has been working on a plan for five years to keep up with changing demographics and growth. 

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