This past week I attended the joint Fort Myers Beach Town Council and Lee County Commission workshop to hear a bold proposal by developer Tom Torgerson that was dubbed an opportunity of a lifetime at Fort Myers Beach.

After viewing the presentation I would concur that is indeed true.  There were some things that I liked and a few things I didn’t like. I still have a lot of questions. The presentation was an overview.  It was not complete.

I did not see renderings of Crescent Beach.  It looks like some open space remains but perhaps not in its current form.  Like Commissioner Mann, I wonder how adding 700 hotel rooms would reduce trips on the road.

The four new hotels will be a Holiday Inn Resort at the South end of the property.  Next to that will be the Marriott AC property, followed by the Hilton Resort which will have a Hampton Inn inside the Hilton Resort.  The parking garage will connect to the Hilton Resort.  The Holiday Inn Resort will hold 200 rooms, while the Hampton Inn would hold 85 rooms and the Hilton Resort 76 units.  I couldn’t write fast enough to get the Marriott number. All told I’ve read we’re looking at about 476 new rooms at the beach.

I can see how the new traffic flow would be a big boost to traffic snarls at the beach.  Traffic impacts quality of life and improvements there would go a long way to allowing me to make compromises, but we need more facts.

Last year I took a road trip to Siesta Key in Sarasota.  What I didn’t like was that the Gulf views were obscured by businesses and hotels.  I fear that Fort Myers Beach will go the same route.  I hate to lose that beautiful beach access.

Oh, the developers have opened up access points to the beach.  I’m talking about the views.  It will look more like a downtown shopping district in front of these hotels and businesses until you go in back on the boardwalk.

I’d like to see a virtual reality rendering of what this all looks like.  I’d like to see the access to the beach and see how closed off it really is.

I also worry that the trend would continue further down the beach and we’d add more high-rise hotels, further blocking beach view access.  If we do this project, is there a way to make it stop?  This is a CPD (Commercial Planned Development).  Is there a way to restrict further CPD’s?

Opportunity of a Lifetime at Fort Myers Beach Boardwalk
Proposed Boardwalk

For the most part, driving over the big bridge would afford similar views to what we have now.  It’s when you’re at street level that you begin to feel like you’re boxed in.  It almost feels like First Street Village in Downtown Fort Myers.  There are arches in the renderings that looks like it could open up to beach views at street level.  And of course, there is the boardwalk.  I just want to make sure there is enough open space to not feel boxed in and lose that beach feel. As opposed to downtown, the beach is the draw, not the businesses.

Opportunity of a Lifetime at Fort Myers Beach Parking Garage
Proposed Parking garage and Pedestrian Walkway

There are parking benefits.  I’m not sure I like valet parking versus self parking.  If Lee County residents are going to give up so much, I’d like to see residents be able to buy parking passes like Collier County does.  This may bust their revenue budget, but everything is a negotiation at this point.  The developers know there will be some give and take.

I can see benefits to traffic flow, storm water improvements, parking, and tax revenues.  There are a lot of plusses to consider.  It’s just that we’re being asked to trade-off and lose that small town feel and some views for the sake of development.

Traffic flow would benefit in a number of ways.  Pedestrians would not be crossing Estero Blvd at choke points anymore.  They’d be using the elevated walkways.  Left turns from Estero onto side streets would also be done away with.  Traffic would also be diverted away with the use of the round-about and behind the garage area.  The traffic plan actually does look like a well thought out plan.

Opportunity of a Lifetime at Fort Myers Beach View Looking up Beach
View Looking Up Beach

Like I said, it’s complicated, and it is a opportunity of a lifetime at Fort Myers Beach.   Nobody knows how much they’re asking the state and county to contribute.  They make mention of tax revenues exceeding what is needed.  That is code for asking for tax dollars, and of course some land swaps.  They propose giving the county the parking garage in exchange for Seafarer’s Village Property, Crescent Beach, and some right of ways.

If Lee County is going to be doing some land swaps, perhaps there is an opportunity to acquire more land down the beach adjacent to one of the parks.  This way the County could expand an existing park more like Lynn Hall Memorial Park but down the beach.  Then locals would have a quiet place with parking if they wanted to escape all the hustle and bustle of the new project.

It will be interesting to see what the Town of Fort Myers Beach thinks as well as Lee County residents.  I see some positives, and if I were in charge I’d be willing to let go of a few tings in return for some assurances on others.  Both ways it’s a quality of life issue, and we need to make sure we get this right.

Fort Myers Beach Proposal
View Looking Up Old Estero Blvd

Plans are ambitious.  They would like to start sometime between October- December 2106.  They would need FEMA approval for the seawall change which they believe they could get within about 4 months from application.  That seems pretty fast for FEMA.

Good luck to the Town of Fort Myers Beach and Lee County.  We’ve got some work to do.  To search the Fort Myers Beach or Lee County MLS, visit www.LeeCountyOnline.com

What are your thoughts on the Fort Myers Beach proposal?  Is it a opportunity of a lifetime at Fort Myers Beach or a bad idea that will destroy the way of life as we know it?

More renderings below:

Fort Myers Beach Proposal Skyline with scale
Proposed Fort Myers Beach Skyline with Scale Drawings
Proposed Fort Myers Beach Master Conceptual Plan
Master Conceptual Plan
Fort Myers Beach Proposed Roundabout
Proposed Roundabout
Looking Up Island Toward Roundabout
Looking Up Island Towards Proposed Roundabout
Once in a Lefite Opportinity Back View of Proposed Parking Lot
Back View of Proposed Parking Lot

Public input upcoming at December 14 meeting on Fort Myers Beach

Grading Period Ends Friday! Do those words bring back memories from your childhood school days?  Were you one of those students that began searching for lost assignments the last week and began studying for that all important test so you could catch up and get that acceptable grade before your parents saw your report card?  Perhaps you were organized and on-time and the reminder from teachers didn’t faze you much.

Grading Period Ends Friday

As the parent of two students in the school system I get these notices emailed to me so we can remind our children.  It does bring back memories, although it seems my generation worried about grades and assignments just a little bit more than today’s kids seem to.  I don’t recall having assignments not turned in, but my kids do, and other parents I talk to say the same thing.

Real Estate Grading Period Ends Friday!

Did you know that there are report cards in real estate too?  One such grade you might want to pay attention to if you’re a seller is the Days on Market class.

SW Florida Real Estate Average Days on Market Chart

As you can see from the attached chart, the average days on market for a foreclosure (REO) is only 33 days.  This means they sell almost as fast as they come on the market.  Buyers know it’s best not wait too long to make an offer on these properties or they’ll be gone in a blink.

Traditional Sales

The good news is traditional sales are down to 40 days on average.  We have a shortage of homes on the market and a home that’s priced at the market will sell almost as fast as a foreclosure will.  Short sales take a little longer, 109 days, as some buyers can’t afford to wait and see if the bank will take their offer.  Some buyers need housing now and can’t wait for a yes/no/maybe answer for several months; all the while new listings hit the market and sell each week.

If you’re a seller and you see the average days on market is 40 days and your home has been on the market 200 days, it might be time to ask yourself some important questions.  Your sale is failing the test.  The market has not accepted what you’re doing.

Is it the Marketing?

It could be the marketing, the presentation, or the price.  Of course, all the marketing in the world won’t sell a home that’s dramatically over-priced.  Usually it is the price.  If you’re going to pass the test, it’s wise to study the market and evaluate where your property stands in the market, not in your eyes as the seller but in the market’s eyes.  It never mattered how smart I thought I was, what mattered was what the teacher thought.  And believe me, the teacher’s thoughts mattered to my parents.  There’s only so much fast talking you can do when the grades don’t come in.

You might ask yourself.  Who am I fast talking?  Am I selling myself on the value of my own home, or the buyer?  If you’re selling yourself, you’re essentially buying your own home back at an inflated price.  You wouldn’t do that if you were buying someone else’s home, so why do it to yourself?  If the buyer’s aren’t buying and your home has been on the market a long time, you probably know the answer.

All Real Estate is Local

In school grading there is a district wide average and then there is a class average, and in real estate there is a county or city wide average and a smaller neighborhood or type average.  This is important too.  Perhaps $1 Million + homes take longer to sell, which they do.  Golf course properties with high mandatory golf fees do as well.  If your maintenance fee is high, that can add time.  Be sure to compare the grades of like kind properties.  Although, if you live in a home or community that has an average of 1.5 years to sell, you might want to price your home so it is the Next to sell, not # 14 on the list.

We hope this helps explain the Days on Market class grading system.  If you have questions or considering selling your home, feel free to call us.  239-489-4042. We’ll be glad to help you get that perfect report card. You can search all the homes for sale at Ellis Team Website.

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