Streetscape/Utility Construction: Approximately 40% of the Downtown Utility Replacement and Streetscape Improvement Project was completed during the past year. The FMRA attended the weekly construction meetings, provided bottled water and ice to businesses during water shutoffs and provided $7.5 million for enhanced streetscape improvements such as brick streets, brick trimmed sidewalks, historic lamp posts and upgraded landscaping. The original bricks that paved the streets in the 1920’s are being salvaged by the construction crews, cleaned by volunteers and prisoner labor and reinstalled on First Street.
The reconstruction of State Road 80 (Palm Beach Blvd & First St) from Seaboard to Fowler Street began early in the year and the completion date is scheduled for early 2008. New utilities, paving, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping will allow future conversion of this one way State Road into a two way City road. The next phase of this project is the reconstruction and widening of Second Street, which will also be converted to two-way.
Residential Construction: Over 400 residential condominium units were completed in the 27 story St. Tropez and Riviera towers and the 32 story Phase I of High Point. Nearly 200 additional units were under construction and expected to be complete by early 2008. Just east of the downtown district another 550 units were complete or under construction bringing the number of new residential units in or adjacent to downtown up to nearly 1,200. Due to the housing market conditions construction has been delayed on nearly 1,400 additional units that have been approved for development.
River District Grocery Store: Block one of the three block First Street Village project was nearing completion by the end of the 2007 fiscal year. It includes a new 40,000 square foot Publix grocery store (which opened on November 1, 2007) and town house and retail liner buildings that surround the grocery store parking lot. A unique feature of the grocery store is that all of the loading docks, dumpsters and electrical service are incorporated into the building design and completely enclosed and roofed over.
Hotel Construction: Construction began on the 67 unit, seven-story Indigo Hotel toward the end of the fiscal year. The FMRA approved a tax increment rebate for this in-fill project located in the heart of the historic district.
Parking: The FMRA assumed control of the City-owned downtown parking operations on October 1, 2006. The Agency, through a management contract with Standard Parking, operates 573 on-street spaces and 1525 off street spaces for a total of nearly 2,100 parking spaces. Maintaining an adequate and functional parking supply is critical to the future growth of the River District.
Arts and Culture: A $4 million restoration of the former Post Office/Federal Courthouse, constructed in 1933 and acquired by the City in the late 1990’s, got underway this year by the non-profit Florida Arts Inc. The building is being transformed into the Sidney and Berne Davis Cultural Arts Center. The FMRA continues to provide partial funding for the Development Director’s position for Florida Arts. The Agency also continued to lease the Arcade Theater and provide funding to the Florida Repertory Theater. Upgrades to the historic theater included new interior painting and wall paper.
Historic Preservation: Restoration and adaptive reuse of buildings in the downtown historic district continued throughout the year. The Kress Building, Marketplace and Heritage Square were all undergoing significant rehabilitation which will result in over 60,000 square feet of renovated and occupied space be early 2008.
Trinity Village: The congregations of three of the downtown churches (First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, and First Presbyterian Church) voted to proceed with planning and cost estimates to create a joint venture to be known as Trinity Village. Each church will maintain its own sanctuary but they will share a family life center, administrative offices, Sunday school facilities and large fellowship hall. An elderly housing complex and future school are also included in the plans.
Special Events/Marketing: The Agency produced or sponsored numerous special events during the year that were designed to attract people into downtown to support the businesses. These events included: car shows; car cruise-ins; art shows; holiday promotions; bike nights; art and wine gatherings; business anniversary celebrations; Red Sox spring training promotions; July 4th Riverfest; Viva Fort Myers; and a New Year’s Eve block party.
Marketing activities included publication of a quarterly newsletter called Currents, co-op advertising programs with the merchants, a Dinner and a Show promotion with the Florida Repertory Theater and the restaurants, a retail market study and special insert sections in the Florida Real Estate Journal and Gulf Shore Business magazines.