Cape Coral’s City Council has paused the North 3 Utilities Extension Project after a contested roadway plan threatened to add thousands of dollars to individual homeowner assessments. The project, estimated at $384.1 million overall with a $327.8 million construction bid covering 58.8 road miles and roughly 5,180 parcels in northwest Cape Coral, was already moving through the approval process when the council reversed course in mid-October.
The scale of North 3 made the sudden pause all the more jarring. Cape Coral Breeze describes North 3 as a project intended to deliver city water, wastewater and irrigation services to northwest Cape Coral, a goal also described by WINK News. On September 28, the council approved initial assessment resolutions for the project.
A Roadway Upgrade Became a Flashpoint
At the center of the dispute was Alternative 5, a roadway plan that would have added 10-foot multi-use pathways and widened greenways along major corridors. The plan added about $17.3 million in construction costs. For a standard property west of Burnt Store Road, the projected total assessment was $2,801 higher with Alternative 5 than without it. WINK News reports that Alternative 5 would have added multipurpose pathways on both sides of the roadway, a detail that fueled sticker shock for homeowners already bracing for new assessments.
Property owner Tim Daly, who owns two homes in the project area, told WINK News that Alternative 5 alone would have added nearly $6,000 to his costs. Daly estimated his overall additional expense at between $40,000 and $50,000, with total implementation costs around $100,000 once connection fees and other charges are factored in.
Burnt Store Road Draws a Cost Line
Removing Alternative 5 brings real relief for some homeowners, though the benefit is not evenly distributed. For residential properties west of Burnt Store Road, eliminating the roadway add-on would lower projected assessments from $41,029 down to $38,228 per parcel, according to The Conservative Record. Properties east of Burnt Store Road face an estimated total assessment of $35,264…