On Monday, The Fort Myers Beach Town Council approved the proposed 7-11 building at 1301 Estero Boulevard (next to The Whale). Construction on the new convenience store should begin in the 4th quarter of this year and it will take 7 months to build.
The new building will include an entrance on Estero Blvd, an entrance on Palermo Circle and a (7-foot high) dumpster enclosure with access off of Santos Rd. The Downtown zoning does allow a convenience store use by-right. 7-11 requested a CPD to develop the site rather than requesting multiple variances from the Land Development Code. The proposed store will be more compliant with the town’s code than the previous store.
The Neighborhood Company designed the new building which Town Staff recommended approval for with a few minor conditions. Back in January, the Local Planning Agency quickly approved the project. And, following two public hearings, the Town Council also approved the proposed 7-11 rebuild.
If construction begins in the 4th quarter of 2024, and all goes according to plan, the store should be open in the 3rd quarter of 2025.
All 4 7-11 locations on Fort Myers Beach were heavily damaged or destroyed. The location at 1301 was a total loss and was quickly demolished after the storm.
The Neighborhood Company also has rezoning applications in for the 7-11 at 3051 Estero Blvd (Voorhis Street) and 841 Estero Blvd (Lynn Hall Park). The company says that 3051 Estero should be heading to the LPA in February or March. When the location at 841 Estero will come before the LPA is unknown at this time.
7-11 will be painting a mural on the side of the building facing Estero. Beachy vibe mural paintings have become a thing on Fort Myers Beach since the elevator tower in Times Square was painted a few months after the storm. Wahoo Willie’s, Margaritaville and Nervous Nellie’s have all gotten in on the mural painting game.
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