Fort Myers City Council Workshop Set For Tonight Prior To Regular Meeting

From the City of Fort Myers:

March 14, 2021

REMINDER: Two items are scheduled for a city council workshop on Monday, March 15 at 2:00 p.m. in council chambers, prior to the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting at 4:30 p.m.

Florida International University: Building Corridors of Opportunity Community Economic Development Initiative

The purpose of the Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS): Building Corridors of Opportunity is to continue integrated short -term and long-range community economic development strategies for the city's major commercial corridors - Palm Beach Blvd., Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., US 41 (Cleveland Ave.), and Colonial Blvd. - and the surrounding residential communities.

A goal of the CEDS is to make the city's major commercial corridors more functional and efficient. The CEDS planning process included input from various community, government, and business leaders. The input established guiding principles:

• Position the city's major commercial corridors for economic growth and opportunity
• Expand economic opportunity and upward mobility
• Support local innovation
• Plan for stable, sustainable long-term growth
• Targeted and strategic allocation of resources to stimulate economic growth
• Address housing market imbalances
• Incentivize land use and zoning
• Focused implementation strategies

Midtown Vision Plan Update

The Midtown Vision Plan is a long-term conceptual strategy for redeveloping the Midtown area of downtown Fort Myers, finalized in 2018. The plan resulted from a one-year effort that engaged the Fort Myers community in crafting a vision for the future. As such, it is a shared vison that reflects the desires and aspirations of the Fort Myers community.

As part of a broader integrated redevelopment strategy for this area, the plan proposes a long-term buildout scenario that focuses on physical conditions related to form, function, visual character and human dimensions. The plan defines an urban and community design framework that serves as a guide for transforming Midtown into a vibrant, mixed-use district. It is comprehensive in scope and incorporates a number of strategies that address physical conditions at multiple scales. These strategies are intended to identify the redevelopment potential of the area and how to foster market conditions that will lead to long-term viability and enduring value through repurposing much of the area’s vacant and under-utilized property.

This press release was produced by the City of Fort Myers. The views expressed here are the author’s own.