Final Arches Public Hearing is Monday

On Monday the Fort Myers Beach Town Council will hold its second and final public hearing on the redevelopment of the Moss Marina property. The council voted to move the project onto the second hearing back on May 5th. If approved Monday, the project can proceed. 

The Freeland Group plans to redevelop 5 acres of land, including the Moss Marina bayfront property, 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’ve downsized their plans from 400 rooms after it was clear town decision-makers wanted to see something not quite that big.

The plan also 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.

In April the Local Planning Agency unanimously approved the revised plan. 

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.

At the May public hearing Town Council members tried to get Ben Freeland to add to his public benefits list. Mayor Dan Allers pushed Freeland hard to fix drainage and flooding issues the residents behind the Moss Marina property have, despite the fact that it’s the town’s responsibility. Freeland did say he would discuss the issue with town staff to see if anything can be done to help resolve the problem there.  

Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt wanted to make sure operation of a water ferry was codified into any agreement. Freeland plans to invest millions of dollars into a water ferry, including a terminal on the bay near the Moss property. The plan is to include pickups at The Mound House and on the South End of the island for those that would rather not sit in traffic. Where the exact stops will be and how much it will cost to ride are details to be worked out in the future. 

Council members also asked if Freeland would give residents a 25% discount. He did not commit to that because he would be mostly renting space to other businesses and managing that process would not be easy. 

There was also concern that this project could become a construction zone for 10-15 years. Freeland said he would like to move the project along as quickly as possible but admitted market conditions will play a role in any time projections. Freeland did say that even if the proposal is approved on June 2nd there are “a few years away from anything breaking ground.”

We will find out Monday if Freeland and his team used the last month to incorporate the  concerns and requests from Town Council members. However, none of them seemed like they would be deal-breakers. 

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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