Fort Myers CRA

Developers who want to build a 32-story, two-tower condo development along the eastern outskirts of downtown Fort Myers received another setback this week. City council members, sitting as Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners, turned down the request by Doral-based Jaxi Builders to amend an agreement that would have given $15.1 million in tax incentives.

After nine years and three developers failed to draw up plans for the site, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency decided to take the lead on the McCollum Hall historic preservation and redevelopment project in early August. Since then, the agency has worked to engage the community, aiming to hear what people want for the building’s future and to deliver on those desires once and for all, precisely what the Sept. 30 community engagement session tried to accomplish.

A discussion about the future of historic McCollum Hall will have to wait another month. Wednesday’s meeting has been cancelled because of a lack of a quorum.The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency is continuing to work on what should be done with McCollum Hall, said LeShaun Collier, deputy director of communications. The agency has set up a website, mccollumhall.com to keep the community updated.

Turning historic McCollum Hall in Fort Myers into a mixed-use development with co-working space and a restaurant is not only commercially viable but represents an opportunity for cultural and community revitalization.That was one of the findings from a feasibility analysis done with the help of AI by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The results will be discussed at Wednesday’s Fort Myers CRA meeting.

Fort Myers is willing to kick in $1.55 million to get rid of an auto salvage yard in the Dunbar neighborhood. The Community Redevelopment Agency has voted to pledge that money, if a private company buys out the property - the land underneath the salvage yard.

The installation of the "Journey of Hope" has begun at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Veronica S. Shoemaker Boulevards in Fort Myers. The sculpture by artist Cecilia Lueza celebrates hope, equality, and freedom. Completion is expected by the end of the summer.