After a confusing September 23rd Town Council meeting when EIBC was not supposed to be on the agenda, then it was on the agenda, before being taken off, the owners of the Estero Island Beach Club on Estero Boulevard will see this Monday if the Town Council likes their new building.
The Estero Island Beach Club on Estero Boulevard was totally destroyed by Hurricane Ian two years ago. It was eventually demolished and removed from the property, which is right next door to DimaondHead Resort.
The Monday Town Council meeting will include the first of two public hearings for EIBC and it is expected to be a well-attended meeting and somewhat controversial.
The Local Planning Agency approved the project by a vote of 5-2 last month. Why will the meeting be controversial? If the 10-story building is approved, it will be the tallest building built on Fort Myers Beach since incorporation back in 1995. And, while EIBC is not asking for more units than it had before, some residents on Fort Myers Beach will object to the height of the building.
LPA Chair, former Mayor Anita Cereceda was one of the no votes. “I don’t feel like we have truly vetted this concept of going 10 stories. These concepts need to be more fully vetted. Everyone is going to come in now and request this height deviation” LPA member Doug Eckmann also voted against. “The public is not ready for these higher buildings just yet.”
Estero Island Beach Club was built in 1981. It’s a time-share building with 75 units with approximately 2,200 to 2,300 owners, some having multiple weeks of ownership in the building. Being a timeshare with thousands of owners means 75 units have to be built back or the property would have to be sold off. Prior to Ian, EIBC was 2 buildings. One building was 2 stories, the other was 3 stories. However, 10 units in one of the buildings were built over the 1978 Coastal Construction Control Line which means EIBC has less buildable property than they had before September 28, 2022. They say they also have to rebuild more spacious units to comply with ADA requirements. Some in the community have argued that the units do not have to be as big as they are now proposing and that may slice off some of the height. You may hear that argument during public comment on Monday.
EIBC is not asking for more density.
During their first visit to the LPA, the EIBC team presented an unflattering looking building that LPA members felt was too close to Estero Boulevard. They were sent back to the drawing board and came forward with a 10-story building backed away from Estero and eliminated two sidewalk cuts on Estero. EIBC requested 5 deviations, the biggest one being going from 40 feet, which is what the Land Development Code allows, to 102 feet in height. The new building is 10 stories, 9 over parking. If EIBC presented two smaller buildings, they would have used up much more of the property and eliminated the view corridor the LPA and Town Council always seems to want as public benefit.
The new EIBC building is expected to cost an estimated $34 million to build. Insurance will not come close to covering the cost so owners are expected to be hit with assessments if the building is approved.
In all likelihood EIBC does have enough Town Council votes to pass. The project has to go through two public hearings before a final vote by the Council.
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