On Monday the Fort Myers Beach Town Council held the first of two public hearings to consider the new Myerside Resort. By a vote of 4-1 the Town Council voted to move the project onto the second public hearing where it’s likely to be approved.
The 53,463 square foot resort would include 45 hotel rooms, and four live/work units. The resort would also include 9,000 square feet of retail space, including a 2,250 square foot restaurant, on the 1st floor. The project has been received mostly positively by Beach Talk Radio followers who like the design of the building and the step back approach to the design as you move further away from Estero Boulevard.
Mayor Dan Allers voted against moving the project to a second public hearing telling owners Beverly Milligan and Rolland Weinmann they were trying “to fit a round peg into a square hole.” He called the project very massive and said Milligan and Weinmann were asking for the trifecta: more height, more density and less parking. He also said he disagreed with 50% of the public benefits being proposed (see that list below).
Allers said “The Neighborhood Company and Milligan and Weinmann did such a good job designing the building it clouded people’s brains as to what the real facts are.”
Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt who voted yes said, “I’m asking the applicant to help me stay at a yes.” Atterholt had two specific requests. He wants Milligan and Weinmann to make a serious effort to discourage people from renting a car and driving on to the island by offering guests $100 coupons. He also wants the Myerside team to make a serious effort to get a doctor, dentist and physical therapist into the Myerside retail locations, Atterholt suggested giving Myerside 5 town owned parking spots that are located behind the Myerside property – at no cost – if they were able to line up each of those health care categories. The town code calls for 89 parking spaces for this proposed structure. The Myerside team is asking for a 30% reduction in parking, down to 60 spots.
Milligan and Weinmann are also asking for more height than what’s allowed. Town staff states the height limit in that zoning district is limited to 30 feet and 3 stories. The Myerside ask is 37 feet and 4 stories. Town staff says that the maximum allowable units on the property is 20 (using a multiplier for hotel units). The Myerside ask is for 49 units. Before the storm Myerside had 12 units.
The second public hearing will be held June 17th. If the Town Council approves the project after that hearing, it will take approximately 8-10 months to acquire all the permits to start construction. Milligan tells Beach Talk Radio if everything goes smoothly construction could begin in late 2025 and take 18-24 months to build. That would peg the opening in the Summer or Fall of 2027.
All but one of the 7 Myerside cottage buildings on the 1.03 acre lot were wiped out on September 28, 2022.
Comments are closed.