Bonita Springs voters approve $35 million for Bonita Estero Rail Trail; here’s what comes next

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WINK) — Bonita Springs voters have given the green light to a $35 million bond for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail, clearing one of the biggest hurdles for a project supporters have been working toward for years.

More than 68% of Bonita Springs voters approved the referendum during Tuesday’s primary election, authorizing the city to borrow money to help purchase the rail corridor and fund a portion of the future trail project. Mayor Mike Gibson called the result “as close to a mandate as we're going to get.”

The larger Bonita Estero Rail Trail would transform an approximately 11.4-mile unused railroad corridor connecting Bonita Springs, Estero and Collier County into a multi-use trail. About 5.8 miles of the corridor are within Bonita Springs.

For Friends of BERT President and co-founder Deb Orton, Tuesday night marked a major milestone in an effort that began when the organization was formed in 2022.

Orton said supporters were watching election results shortly after polls closed and quickly realized the referendum was headed toward approval.

READ MORE: Bonita Springs voters to decide future of proposed rail trail in August referendum

“We realized, goodness, we're at over two to one in terms of 68% of the voters voted yes for BERT,” Orton said.

Friends of BERT has grown to about 4,500 members since the organization was created. Orton said previous efforts to create a trail along the corridor have been discussed for years, but this effort was able to gain enough community and government support to move forward.

For Orton, the project is about more than recreation.

“We're leaving a legacy for the people that come after us,” she said.

As a cyclist, Orton said she also sees the project as a way to improve safety for people walking, running and biking in Southwest Florida.

The vote does not mean construction will begin immediately.

Gibson said the referendum gives Bonita Springs the authority to borrow the money through the bond, but environmental reviews and other due diligence still have to be completed before the city moves forward with the purchase.

Once those hurdles are cleared, the railroad company will have up to two years to remove the tracks. During that same period, Gibson said the city plans to work on engineering and designing the trail so construction can begin as quickly as possible once the tracks are gone.

Trust for Public Land has already begun much of the work needed before the property can change hands.

Douglas Hattaway, Southeast Region Conservation Director for Trust for Public Land, said that includes appraisals, title work, a boundary survey and an environmental assessment.

Hattaway compared the process to buying a home. An appraisal helps determine whether the buyer is paying an appropriate price. Title work confirms who owns the property. Environmental assessments determine whether there are contaminants or other concerns, and a boundary survey establishes exactly where the property begins and ends.

Several of those steps have already been completed, according to Hattaway, with the remaining due diligence expected to wrap up by the end of September. The current goal is to close on the property in October.

The purchase price for the larger corridor is $60 million.

Hattaway said Collier County has already committed Conservation Collier funding for its portion of the purchase. The Village of Estero is still considering which funding source to use, but has committed to purchasing its share of the corridor.

With Bonita Springs voters now approving the bond, Hattaway said the funding needed for the acquisition is in place across the participating communities.

“The referendum being passed actually fills the last piece of funding necessary for the acquisition of and some construction funding for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail project,” Hattaway said.

Even after the land is purchased, residents should not expect to see a finished trail anytime soon.

Gibson said it will likely take more than two years before significant physical changes are visible along the corridor.

“It's going to be two plus years, so they have two years to vacate the railway, and then we'll break ground, and it's probably going to be at least a year of construction,” Gibson said.

He said portions of the trail could potentially open in phases, although the city will not know exactly where construction will begin or how long individual phases will take until engineering and design work is further along.

The final design is also far from set.

Nathalie White, a BERT board member and architect, said she views the project as more than a bike trail. She described it as a “corridor of activity” that could connect downtown areas, parks, businesses, residential communities and natural areas.

White said different portions of the trail could have different identities based on the communities they pass through.

Her vision includes connections near the Estero River, recreation areas, Coconut Point, employment centers and downtown Bonita Springs. She also sees opportunities to incorporate public art and create stronger connections between destinations along the corridor.

For neighborhoods located along the corridor, White said privacy and access will both have to be considered during the design process.

“We have to be considerate of our neighbors and privacy,” White said. “We have to consider those two things: privacy and also access.”

White said community input will play a major role in deciding what the final trail looks like, including where access points are located and how different sections connect to nearby neighborhoods and businesses.

“We see this as a community project,” White said.

The project will also eventually come with a cost for Bonita Springs property owners.

The bond will be repaid through property taxes over 30 years. Gibson said homeowners could potentially begin seeing the tax impact as early as next year, depending on when the city issues the bonds.

Gibson stressed that the referendum approved a single-issue bond, meaning the money cannot be redirected to unrelated city projects.

“This was a single issue bond, so or referendum for the bond, so we can only spend it on this,” Gibson said. “So if something doesn't go forward with it, then we don't get the bond, or if we do, we just pay it back, and the taxpayers are off the hook, basically.”

Orton said she recognizes some voters remain opposed to the project, particularly after a campaign that included concerns about taxes, privacy and the impact on neighborhoods.

She said those voters had every right to make their voices heard at the ballot box and hopes the community can now work together as the project moves into its next phase.

“Now that we're here, let's pull together as a community, and let's make this something that we can all enjoy,” Orton said.

For now, the old railroad tracks remain in place.

The next major steps are completing due diligence, finalizing the purchase and beginning the engineering and community design process that will determine what eventually replaces them.