Strong demand for high-rise buildings in downtown Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Florida. Planned downtown high rises could change Fort Myers’ skyline in the next few years.

Fox 4 is getting an update on the progress of downtown housing developments ahead of Hurricane Jan and Covid.

“You can’t stop progress, dear,” said John Campbell, a Fort Myers resident.

As for residents like Campbell, who has lived in Fort Myers since he was six, he says he understands things have to evolve but isn’t necessarily a fan.

“I don’t like it, but I have to go with the flow,” Campbell said.

Examples include the long-planned Prima Luce and Irving, scheduled to open in 2025.

“Prima Luce is a project that has been worked on for a very long time, for many, many years,” said Steve Belden, director of community development for Fort Myer. “The demand is there again, as with Irving, we see the market coming back for these high rises.”

Walking along First Street, you will see an empty lot that is fenced off, but the 22-story Prima Luce building is expected to be completed in 2025.

Prima Luce will have 220 apartments with two towers, and half of the apartments have already been booked, according to Prima Luce marketing executive Dee Dee Bussy.

But it’s not the only high-rise building in downtown Fort Myers. Irving will be located on the corner near the intersection of Bay and Lee streets, in the heart of the River District.

“The Irving team is currently working with the city of Fort Myers and local utility providers to establish equipment easements required to remove existing overhead power lines from the project site, while final vertical permit drawings are under review,” Jeff Barney said. , vice president of Alzada. “Site work and other utility permits have already been approved, and once these are issued, we hope to officially start work this fall.”

The 12-story building will have 98 apartments, and Barney said the waiting list is already in place.

Belden said the current demand for high-rise buildings is the best since the 2008 real estate market crash.

“The housing market is back, but the high-rise market was the last one, and that’s what we’re seeing now,” Belden said.

Belden added that demand is driven by a combination of things like COVID, Hurricane Yan and an influx of people moving into the area wanting certain amenities.

Looks like Mike Kinnery and his wife Tiffany from Michigan.

“We love it. We’re going to buy an apartment,” Mike Kinnery said. “We like restaurants, we like live bands and friendly people.”

“People certainly enjoy living in an urban environment where all amenities are within walking distance,” Belden said.

The City of Fort Myers provided a graph showing population growth in Fort Myers. The graph shows the population of Fort Myers in 2000 compared to the previous year 2022, when the Palm City had nearly 100,000 residents.

Photo Credit: City of Fort Myers

And with growth comes an ambiguous reaction.

“Well, I’m concerned about the buildings they’re building now because if they build it taller than that. I’d rather see the face of the building because it’s kind of ugly on top, there’s no greenery,” said Jerry Turin. , a resident of Fort Myers.

Irving was first announced in November 2021. Alzada Vice President said Irving was designed to preserve and enhance the historic integrity and natural beauty of the existing downtown River District community.

“While The Irving is technically a high-rise building, it is also technically a mid-rise building. Edison Grand and Royal Palm Towers are northeast of The Irving, while Luminary is a little further west along Bay Street. at some height to Downtown, but no higher than some of its nearby neighbors,” Barney said.

As for Prima Luce, it was announced in 2018 and launched in mid-2022. The project has completed its first phase.

“We are located further down First Street and not in the hustle and bustle of the historic downtown area, where you’ll find well-preserved downtown charm,” Bassi said. “There is also a huge need for housing at this price point to accommodate the massive expansion of Lee County.”

Both projects are expected to be completed in 2025.