A 96-unit apartment plan at 1455 Lockwood Drive is headed for a Fort Myers City Council hearing Dec. 7. The Planning Board split on it over traffic and drainage.

A developer wants to build 96 apartments on 8 acres beside Billy Creek, at 1455 Lockwood Drive in Fort Myers. The plan, called Billy Creek Apartments, is set to go before the City Council at a public hearing Monday, Dec. 7.

On Monday, Nov. 16, the council is asked to approve advertising two ordinances for that hearing, according to its agenda for the Nov. 16 meeting. One would change the land’s future land use from low density to medium density. The other would set up the apartments as a planned unit development.

The city’s Planning Board split on both. It voted 5-1 to recommend the council deny the land use change, and 4-3 to recommend approval of the apartment plan.

Where the land is

The site is in Ward 1. The city planning staff report places it:

  • north of Cross Street
  • east of Fort Myers Cemetery
  • west of Brookhill Drive
  • south of Billy Creek

It measures about 8.12 acres. It is zoned for single-family homes today. The land around it is single-family homes to the south and east, the cemetery to the west and the creek to the north, the report said.

What is planned

The owner is Premiere Development Solutions. Its plan, as described in the staff report, includes:

  • up to 96 apartments, or 12 units an acre
  • a clubhouse, a playground and a walking trail
  • a pedestrian bridge
  • a possible dock for boats without motors

Only 5 of the 8 acres would be built on. The rest would stay as wetland and green space “to minimize any impacts to Billy Creek,” the report said. The developer’s site plan lists a building height of 45 feet.

Drainage would use a mix of trenches, stormwater ponds and swales. Those plans get a fuller review at the site permit stage, according to the report.

If approved, the developer would have five years to start building. Otherwise, the land goes back to its single-family zoning.

Why the Planning Board split

City planning staff recommend approval of both requests. They said Billy Creek runs along the north of the land and down its middle, which makes it hard to lay out single-family homes. Apartments would be “more compatible” with that shape, the land use summary said. The fire marshal and the city’s engineering staff raised no objections.

The Planning Board saw it differently on July 1, 2026. It voted 5-1 against the land use change. Members’ main concerns were traffic through the single-family neighborhood, compatibility with nearby homes and possible drainage problems, the city’s summary said.

On Aug. 5, 2026, the board voted 4-3 to recommend approval of the apartment plan itself, with conditions. The three members who voted no cited possible harm to the surrounding single-family neighborhood.

The city mailed notices to 36 property owners within 300 feet of the land before the August meeting.

What it means for you

The decision belongs to the City Council, not the Planning Board. The public hearing on both ordinances is set for the council’s meeting Monday, Dec. 7, at City Hall, 2200 Second St. Public hearings at regular meetings start at about 5:15 p.m.

Anyone can speak at the hearing for up to three minutes. Speakers fill out a request-to-speak form with the city clerk before the meeting starts. The full staff reports and plans are in the Nov. 16 agenda packet. The city clerk’s office is at 239-321-7035.