Special to the Lehigh Acres Gazette
This path or linear park idea is not a new idea in Lehigh Acres nearly 8 years ago Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District then East County Water Control was thinking about during the same thing and ran into residents along the path are skeptical about what the project will mean to their property values and their safety of their homes and back yards and it was stopped.
This new idea of a bike and pedestrian path along Abel Canal is seen as a way to draw more unrestricted Federal spending into Lehigh Acres according to FDOT. But some residents again worry about security issues and property values along the route of the park.
Some people living near a possible canal bike and pedestrian fear it could hurt property values and compromise the safety of the home that is there.
This new linear park is from Joel Avenue, near Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park, to Harn’s Marsh, the 5.8-mile park would follow Abel Canal and could be the tie into a regional trail system at a later time.
A planner with the Lee Metropolitan Planning Agency and a member of the Lehigh Acres Community Council Ron Gogoi said to the Lehigh Acres Gazette the goal is to provide connected paths for bicycling, walking and jogging.
Preliminary plans call for Lee County to operate the linear trail on property owned by the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District.
Some residents along the route are skeptical about what the project will mean to their property values and their safety.
Residents of Town Lakes gated community in Lehigh Acres off of Williams Rd, which borders the canal, fears their quite neighborhood could have unwanted visitors.