The Plan: During the 2006/2007 fiscal year, work continued on the draft Cleveland Avenue Redevelopment Plan. EDAW, the consultant for the planning study, presented their final concepts for the draft plan to the City of Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in April 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 four Cleveland 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
Bus Transfer Station: Progress continued on the relocation of the new bus transfer station located on the Edison Mall property. Last fiscal year, the Agency had approved an interlocal with the County to fund $65,000 of design and engineering costs for a new state-of-the-art $2,000,000 structure. This year, the transfer station was relocated from its original location next to the loading dock of J.C. Penny’s to a temporary location along the perimeter of the property. The temporary location is working well, although everyone is eagerly anticipating completion of the new structure. The design for the new structure is complete, funding has been arranged and the County is ready to submit for permits once it finalizes the long-term lease with the Mall.
Edison Mall: Edison Mall, owned by Simon Property Group, Inc., completed its $13,000,000 exterior renovation this year. A new lifestyle center has been added to the front of the center bringing many new stores like Game Stop, Bar Louie, and Starbucks to the development.
The Mall is also in the process of performing interior improvements as well. New tile floors, soft seating areas, and a fountain renovation are just a few of the added touches that will make Edison Mall the place to visit.
Holiday Inn: DOC Corporation negotiated the purchase sale agreement and closed on the 126 room Quality Inn Hotel located in District 1. In November 2006, the corporation re-flagged the hotel as a Holiday Inn and then began a $3,500,000 renovation to meet and exceed Holiday Inn Standards. Renovations, which are nearly complete, include a remodel of the exterior, guest rooms, lobby and restaurant areas as well as replacement of the furniture, fixtures and equipment. The property will also include Char Grill house, an innovative eatery operated by an Australian restaurateur and a stand-alone Dunkin Donuts. Char will be a predominantly meat style restaurant with a cross of "family-style-meets-chic".
Edison Office Park: The Agency approved entering into a development agreement with Lee Island Coast for their Edison Office Park project. This project is a great example of a public/private partnership. When the FMRA originally met with the developer, they were planning to build two plain vanilla buildings on Commercial Drive, located in District 3. After learning of the Agency’s redevelopment efforts, the developer agreed to include architectural elements in his design to make it more aesthetically appealing. The developer’s new design corresponds with the “town center” concept recommended for that district in the DRAFT Cleveland Avenue Redevelopment Plan. In order to construct the buildings with the desired architectural elements, the developer requested financial assistance from the CRA at the February 28, 2007 meeting. The CRA unanimously approved the request for a rebate of up to $3,000,000 over a 22-year period.