On Monday the Fort Myers Beach Town Council voted 4-1 to approve the redevelopment of the Moss Marina property. The Freeland Group plans to redevelop 5 acres of land into 3 resort structures with 263 rooms that are 5,6 and 7 stories between 58 and 81 feet high.
This project has been on the drawing board for the Freeland Group for years. They downsized their plans from 400 rooms after it was clear town decision-makers wanted to see something not quite that big. No date has been announced for an official start of the project. Freeland told Beach Talk Radio Monday that the timing of a groundbreaking is “dependent on the capital markets getting calmed down.”
The Town Council approval Monday came after a 6-hour public hearing that includes 35 conditions and 8 deviations. Mayor Dan Allers voted no because he does not believe this project is consistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code. Allers told owner Ben Freeland, “I’m a supporter of you and a project but I cannot support this project as proposed. It’s clearly not in the best interest of the public.” Allers did not believe Freeland did enough to alleviate the concerns of the adjacent neighborhood.
The 3rd Street, Bonita Street and Harbor Court neighborhood is directly behind the proposed resort. Those residents are concerned with the possibility of additional traffic down their streets, cars turning around in their driveaways, additional noise and they also wanted the Freeland Group to fix their drainage issues – which is really the responsibility of the town. Council member Karen Woodson lives in that neighborhood and voted in favor of the project.
In voting yes, Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said, “this project is clearly in the public benefit.”
In April the Local Planning Agency unanimously approved the revised plan.
The Arches includes a bayfront promenade, a pedestrian plaza, retail space, restaurants open to the public and 336 parking spaces, 96 that will be available to the public. The marina use will remain, and they’ll be adding a ship’s store and boaters’ lounge along the public promenade. The promenade will have restaurants and live entertainment located close to the water. The plan has a marina with approximately 75 slips (up from the 55 available now). Boaters will also be able to dock for the day and there will be slips for kayaks and paddleboards.
On Old San Carlos, heading down 3rd street, there will be a bodega, restaurant, grocery store and open air market. The majority of the property will be open to the public.
The Freeland family has owned the property adjacent to Snug Harbor restaurant for decades as a marina with big boat barn buildings. Over time additional parcels have been purchased to grow the amount of property for this development.
If built, the resort is projected to generate over 225 new jobs with $12 million in salaries and generate $2 million per year in ad valorem taxes for the town, fire department and library.
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More traffic, more garbage, more sewage, more people — yuck!
Nice! Build it!
This property was going to change regardless, this development will be a giant asset for everyone, jobs, tourism dollars, ext. and it’ll make that back bay look inviting for all waterfront businesses.
Woodson had to vote yes after Seagate.
A big win for the Island and some local owners/developers who are taking a huge risk for the betterment of the island. Progress!!!
Thanks Dan
Understanding the scam:
Ian presented the development industry with a huge oportunity. Only a very popular community comp plan stood in its way. The way around it seemed clear. Create a dialogue and its own definition for change, peddle it to a sleepy and subservient council hungry for quick solutions, first in private then in bold assurances from the podium in public hearings.
Developers and their armies of planners and engineers peddled the idea of change as tall buildings and doubling densities. Ian required it, the pitch became.
Neither Ian nor FEMA did of course, but no need to explain that. The mission was to corrupt a popular comp plan that reversed decades of runaway growth and ugly towers being allowed by the county.
A council ripe for the hustle continues serving it up, corrupting the community vision, and itself.
Mayor Allers does not support the town development. He seems to prefer rubble than concrete. It’s too big !! Of course you have to build higher. Hasn’t the beach flooded 5 times in the last 3 years?! You cannot have anything on the ground floor,duh! He gets a letter “F” in my book.
What does 7 and 17 stories and higher densities have to do with flooding?
And saying Allers prefers rubble is assinine.
Hi Maylin,
I would encourage you to watch the meeting, or any meeting for that matter where we have voted on development. I do support development and growth. But there is a point of overdevelopment. In this case I agreed with our professional staff the requested height, density, intensity, and significant zoning change being requested were not consistent with the Comp Plan and LDC. I also did not feel the public benefit was in line with the requested ask. You may feel that taking conservation land and converting it to the highest use possible is not a detriment to the oldest neighborhood on our island without significant public benefit is ok, but I disagree. As I said in the meeting I support the Freeland family and their desire to develop their land. I just did not believe the scale of the project met the requirements of the Comp Plan or the public benefit necessary for such a large project in a residential neighborhood. I, like everyone else, welcome development on this sight and anywhere else on the island. But as I have stated before there is a fine line between smart growth and overdevelopment. In my opinion this was a bit over that line.
They purchased residential properties and converted them into a commercial development. If that isn’t intrusion of commercial development into a residential neighborhood, I don’t know what would be. That has created a roadmap for other developers to do the same. Welcome to Miami and Clearwater Beach. FMB as a residential town soon to be DOA.