RIVER DISTRICT
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Fort Myers SPONSORED BY:
FORT MYERS REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY 1400 Jackson Street Suite 102 Fort Myers, FL 33901 239.332.6813 www.cityftmyers.com
PUBLISHED BY:
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Message from the Chairman
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Riverfront Development
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Cultural Arts and Events
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Housing in the River District
PROMOTION MAGAZINE
a division of RENI Publishing’s
JournaI Florida Real Estate
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Streetscape
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Community Profile
Jim Phillips Publisher jphillips@frej.net 150 Third Street, SW Winter Haven, FL 33880
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Cleveland Avenue Corridor
800.274.2812 www.frej.net
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Martin Luther King Jr. Corridor
DESIGNED BY:
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N I S S E N
G R O U P
Ron Palfrey Director of Creative Services rpalfrey@thenissengroup.com Mami Li Designer mli@thenissengroup.com
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he mission of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is to redevelop and revitalize the historic River District, as well as the commercial corridors and older neighborhoods of Fort Myers.To accomplish this mission, Fort Myers has enlisted noted urban planners such as Duany PlaterZyberk and Company, Dover, Kohl & Partners and EDAW to prepare redevelopment plans and to establish goals and implementation strategies. Thousands of citizens, property owners and business owners participated in the planning process, ensuring that the plans were truly a reflection of the community’s desires.
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I am pleased to report that our city is reaping the benefits of these efforts. More than $400 million of private investment has been made over the past few years in the downtown River District alone. Twelve hundred new riverfront condominium units have been constructed, many of our historic buildings have been restored, a new hotel is under construction and a $50 million fouryear utility replacement and streetscape improvement program is nearing completion. Cultural opportunities are expanding with facilities such as the Sidney and Berne Davis Cultural Arts Center, the Florida Repertory Theatre, Harborside Event Center, the world headquarters of Art of the Olympians and the public art program. One of the most exciting ventures the city has undertaken is the redevelopment of the Fort Myers riverfront. In March, the City of Fort Myers embarked on a national search for a retail development team to plan, construct, lease and manage a mixed-use retail, entertainment center in the heart of the River District.
Aerial Photography Courtesy of Jerry Miller
As chairman of the Community Redevelopment Agency, I invite you to consider Fort Myers for your next business expansion plans. Sincerely, Michael Flanders, Chairman Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency
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Aerial Photogra phy Courtesy of Jerry Miller
fter a great deal of careful consideration and attention to public input, the City of Fort Myers has chosen to move ahead with plans to create a mixed-use riverfront shopping destination in the Fort Myers River District.
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The City is currently in the process of selecting a developer to help plan and develop the River District’s waterfront with a mix of retail and restaurants that will blend well with the adjacent historic district. Located next to the Art of the Olympians museum and Centennial Park, the destination will be within walking distance of the Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center, the Florida Repertory Theatre, art galleries, restaurants, shops and other businesses. It will provide a complementary destination to families enjoying the park and River District customers seeking a riverfront view. In fact, it will open the entire community to the riverfront, cementing the link between the historic district and the Caloosahatchee River. The project will include public plazas, promenades and open spaces for community gatherings, cultural events and family activities. It will be designed to enhance the existing businesses and amenities of the River District for a free flow of activity throughout the area. The architectural design of the project will ensure a cohesive flow into the established
surrounding buildings with two- to three-story structures. The plan will also support the expansion of the Harborside Event Center and the addition of one or more hotels to host convention visitors as well as other business travelers and tourists. Parking to accommodate the new use of this space will also be added. To explore how your business could be included in the development, call the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency at (239) 332-6813.
he Fort Myers River District is experiencing a remarkable renaissance. Known for its architecturally diverse historic buildings and a business and government center, the district is growing in its selection of fine restaurants, charming boutiques and marinas. Interestingly, the trend continues with an exciting insurgence of fine art and theatre.
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Pennington Photo by Eloise
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The City of Fort Myers has placed a renewed focus on cultural arts and events. Included in the city’s plan is the Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center. Renovations by the nonprofit Florida Arts, Inc. are nearing completion at the center, which is housed in a 1933 Federal Post Office.The building, which once teamed with people picking up their mail, is now alive with the music and merriment of fundraisers, festivals, concerts and performances. Another important cultural feature in the area is the Florida Repertory Theatre. Formed in 1998, the theatre is a live not-for-profit professional theatre company in its 10th year of productions at its River District location. It is the continuation of the troupe developed over a 20-year period on neighboring Sanibel and Captiva Islands.The theatre recently has branched out from its six productions a year to include a children’s touring theatre, a children’s Lunchbox Theatre, on-site acting classes for adults and children and summer camps. Florida Repertory Theatre is located in the Arcade Theatre building, a work of art in its own right and a favorite meeting place for residents and visitors alike for more than 90 years. The Arcade was built in 1908 and exhibits all the charm and grandeur of early Florida. It served originally as a Vaudeville house and was the very auditorium that Fort Myers resident Thomas Edison sat in to view his first films, along with his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.
The Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center isn’t the only fine art building in the River District. It is joined by four art galleries, and a new fine art museum, which is helping Fort Myers make headlines for being the only city that has not previously hosted the Olympic games be allowed to fly the Olympic flag. The city earned this honor for becoming the home to a newly established Art of the Olympians museum, which will house collections of artwork created by former Olympic athletes in a variety of mediums. The Olympic Games, from their inception, have been a celebration of human capability, and the Art of the Olympians collection emphasizes this purpose. Located on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in the River District, the museum will enjoy gorgeous views – both inside and out. In addition to the artwork that will line its walls, visitors will enjoy breathtaking views of the river and city skyline. The museum, combined with other amenities in the River District, such as the Edison Ford Winter Estates, will give residents and tourists yet another reason to visit the urban district. In addition to the sculptures and murals already sprinkled throughout the River District, the City has a Public Art Committee (PAC) funded by developer contributions. The PAC is tasked with identifying new locations for public art and developing the theme or shape the art pieces will take. The latest public art project will commemorate Fort Myers’ rich agricultural history with a Cattle Trail motif running the length of First Street.
Streetscape enhancements and public art encourage pedestrianism in the River District and set the stage for outdoor festivals, concerts and other gatherings. Already, thousands of residents and visitors flood the streets for a variety of special events throughout the year. One such event, ArtFest Fort Myers, held along the beautiful riverfront, draws more than 50,000 people per day, who come to enjoy the local and national artisans displaying their original works of art. Whether it’s beautifully restored historic architecture, a public art piece or a museum or gallery that begs exploration, the Fort Myers River District is quickly becoming a center for the arts.
Aerial Photography Courtesy of Jerry Miller
s more than 1,200 new residential condominium homes are added to the River District, businesses are beginning to see the positive signs of a population on the rise. While some of the high rises are still under construction, many have been completed and new residents are fully embracing the River District lifestyle.
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The increase in population is fully by design. The City of Fort Myers set a goal to increase the number of residents in the River District to 10,000. Now with nearly 3,000 residential units in place within the district, the stage is set for a population of approximately 6,000. When you add in new units that are approved to be developed in the future, the City should reach its goal of 10,000 residents upon build-out. That’s 10,000 residents who will someday work, live, shop and play in the River District, creating a highly desirable urban lifestyle. Most of the new homes are high-rise or mid-rise multi-family communities – each with a unique design that adds great interest to the city skyline. The new homes compliment the many existing historic single family homes in the River District. You may be wondering, who builds each of these artistic buildings that have so changed the look of downtown Fort Myers? The developers are quite
diverse with many coming from outside of Lee County. In fact, many have found they like doing business here so much, they are opening local offices because they are here to stay. Oasis, a high rise community with two towers currently under construction, has been created by the Related Group of Miami.Tarragon of Orlando is another out-of-town builder who constructed Alta Mar, while Beau Rivage, St. Tropez and Riviera are all Homes for America developments. Homes for America, which is headquartered in New York, is an example of a developer who has opened Florida offices as result of their experience working in the River District. Another company, Cameratta Properties, has realized the great potential the River District holds and has also opened Fort Myers offices as a result. Cameratta is the developer of High Point and, since starting the five-tower community, has embarked on a
mixed-use project next door called First Street Village. It will feature retail, restaurants, a grocery store and residential homes that will surely complement High Point and other high rises in the area. First Street Village is well under way with the Publix grocery store, the First Watch restaurant and Starbucks already completed and open for business.The remaining retail development is simply awaiting build-out.
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esidents and visitors of the River District are witnessing a progressive transformation as work continues on the Downtown Utilities and Streetscape Improvement Project. Now 50 percent complete, the project will update more than 50 blocks of the city’s core both below and above ground.
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Project manager Brett Martin said that in some areas of the River District, the Utility Improvement Project is replacing water and sewer lines that date back to the early 1900s. Undertaken to completely replace these outdated utilities in a 50-block area, the project also will accommodate future growth and enhance the area’s beauty. In addition to ensuring utilities such as water and sewer are state-of-theart, workers are stubbing out utilities to undeveloped lots in anticipation of future development. New fiber optic and communication lines are being run by leading communications companies, Embarq and T3, and the FP&L power company is putting in additional conduit to accommodate future needs and in preparation to move all overhead utilities underground. The Streetscape portion of the project is being funded entirely with tax increment financing so there are no assessments for local businesses to pay.Yet businesses, residents, consumers and all visitors to the River District will be able to enjoy the plan’s many benefits. Once the underground work is completed on each section, the aboveground beautification is being implemented. Pedestrians are already able to stroll along concrete sidewalks lined with brick pavers, trees and streetlights, in completed sections.Visitors enjoy the new amenity areas located in unique urban gathering places. Details such as street lighting components and colors make the new look reminiscent of downtown Fort Myers nearly 100 years ago. Also included in the project is the addition of parallel parking on First Street, landscaping throughout the River District with a variety of palm trees and new “wayfinding” signage.The Streetscape Project includes approximately four linear miles of streets and 200 individual parcels within the project area. The entire process is scheduled for completion by fall 2009.
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stablished in 1886, the City of Fort Myers is located in Southwest Florida along the beautiful Caloosahatchee River. Today, the historic downtown riverfront area is known as the River District. The district is graced with both a local and national historic district, and many of the buildings dating back to the late 1800s still stand. Over the past fifteen years, the owners of these buildings have painstakingly restored them back to their original facades.
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As the governmental hub of Lee County, the River District is home to city, county, state, and federal government offices all within walking distance of each other. More than 10,000 people work in the River District each day. In the last two years, 1,200 new condominium homes have been completed along the waterfront, allowing more and more people to call the River District home. One of Fort Myers’ most famous residents, historically, was the inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Alva Edison. Named the “Man of the Millennium� for the past century, Edison selected Fort Myers for his winter home and laboratory more than 100 years ago, and his best friend, the carmaker Henry Ford, also joined him. Since Fort Myers was home to these giants of industry, its city limits have grown well beyond the historic district to include 65,729 residents. More
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importantly, it is the geographic center of Lee County, which has a population exceeding 600,000. In 2007, Inc. Magazine recognized Lee County in the publication’s annual survey of the nation’s boomtowns. Expansion Management confirms Inc.’s findings and included the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area on its Top Cities for Business Attraction list in 2007. Well-known as an international tourist destination, Lee County attracts visitors with miles of white sand beaches, world-famous shelling and fishing, abundant marinas and golf courses, as well as a growing selection of shopping, dining and other attractions. Southwest Florida International Airport, located in south Fort Myers, serves more than 7.5 million passengers annually. In Fort Myers, thousands of visitors tour The Edison-Ford Winter Estates and baseball fans from around the world visit for spring training each year. The Boston Red Sox spring training facility, City of Palms Park, is located in the River District, while the Minnesota Twins train in south Fort Myers. A variety of annual events, festivals and other attractions also draw individuals and families to the city, which is well known for its beautiful year-round sunny weather. Fort Myers River District I 17
s you take in the scenery traveling north on Cleveland Avenue, headed toward the River District, think of it as a “before” shot because it’s about to change. The Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency hired a team of consultants led by EDAW, Inc. to create a new vision and development strategy for the four Cleveland Avenue Redevelopment Districts.
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The four districts, which cover approximately a 3.5-mile stretch of Cleveland Avenue, run from the southern edge of the River District to the area around the Page Field Airport. Historically, this stretch of Cleveland Avenue was the main gateway into downtown Fort Myers. Together, Cleveland and the downtown area were the center of the community’s retail, entertainment and commercial activity. Over time, as Cleveland expanded from two lanes to seven lanes, space for parking became limited and the growth moved south. The draft Cleveland Avenue Redevelopment Plan was conceptually adopted by the City of Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in November 2007. The goal of the plan is to improve the appearance of the corridor and to encourage private investment and quality redevelopment. The plan will guide the policy and actions in the Cleveland Redevelopment Districts. Specifically, the redevelopment plan will provide guidance on how funds from the four existing redevelopment districts along Cleveland Avenue should be spent to improve the corridor. Examples of projects outlined in the plan include: • Landscaping the medians between Colonial and Boy Scout Road • Increasing pedestrian and vehicular safety through improved pedestrian crosswalks at key intersections • Creating landscape, façade and demolition grant programs • Creating a new design overlay for the Cleveland districts • Revising the mixed-use zoning categories • Enhancing police protection along the corridor via bicycle patrols • Setting up a program to secure additional right of way • Developing a pedestrian connectivity plan which incorporates greenways • Creating pedestrian gateways at key locations along the Cleveland corridor To spur upgrades to the appearance, property value and economic activity of properties along the corridor, the CRA has created landscape grant and development assistance grant programs. These programs are designed to provide assistance to property and/or business owners who wish to improve their properties for the good of their business and of the corridor. While this project may only cover a 3.5-mile stretch of Cleveland Avenue, the changes it will create are going to affect the lives of the 65,000 people who live, work and travel along this stretch of road each day.
r. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (State Road 82), formerly known as Anderson Avenue, is an important gateway to the River District. It starts at I-75 on the east and extends to the US-41 Bridge on the west, where it merges with McGregor Boulevard in the River District. This important commercial corridor contains four of the city’s 15 redevelopment districts.
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The four districts hold great historical significance, including McCollum Hall, a city treasure that is currently slated for restoration. In its prime, the hall hosted entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and B.B. King. It also served as the USO for African-American soldiers during World War II. The district is home to the Imaginarium, a handson children’s museum, which is a popular educational attraction for families throughout Southwest Florida, and the Williams Academy Black History Museum, featuring Lee County African-American information, artifacts, memorabilia, history and pictures. In a joint venture, the City of Fort Myers and the State of Florida completed a roadway improvement project that increased the corridor to four lanes. The project also added upgraded street lighting, new landscaping along both sides of the boulevard,
landscaped medians with palm and shade trees, and ornamental flowers that span the corridor. These improvements are facilitating new growth, such as the plan The Bonita Bay Group has to construct a mixeduse development called Eastwood Village, which will feature residential, retail and commercial components. One of the most exciting citizen-initiated projects to take place in these four districts is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Veronica S. Shoemaker Boulevards Revitalization Plan. The City working together with the community and its consultant, Dover, Kohl & Partners, created and adopted the plan to guide the revitalization of this important corridor. The plan provides for several focal points along the corridor. For example, a section called Mid-Town Dunbar will introduce a small formal park with sculptures that commemorate the local culture.The revitalization plan calls for the renovation and expansion of both Clemente and Dunbar parks to create a cultural oasis that will include community facilities and neighborhood commercial businesses. It integrated the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center (SWFEC), a $3.2 million facility currently under construction and scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2008. Its mission is to promote development and entrepreneurial opportunities in the City of Fort Myers. In the past, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard commercial corridor predominantly served the African-American community as a bustling, thriving commercial area. Today, its revitalization is a priority, because tomorrow it will bring new opportunities to all the residents of Fort Myers. Fort Myers River District I 19