CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Change is inevitable in a rapidly growing city and the City of Cape Coral is trying to get ahead of it.
In August, the city council voted to buy up almost all of the lots in the Bimini East District located in downtown Cape Coral.
Now, they are adding, bit by bit, to that $40 million purchase.
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"It's all going to be, all going to be different now, I guess," said William Stutter, a nearby condominium owner.
This map shows some of the properties the city has purchased so far and on Wednesday they voted to add one more lot.
Since Fox 4's Bella Line spoke with people in August about the redevelopment, it's become nearly empty.
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"This is a good place to live over here," said Rick Moseley, a renter in the site area. "We don't need our places torn down, you know? This is home to me. I never planned on leaving here, you know, but I mean, I'm 62 and I don't want to keep moving."
However, many condominium owners who live around the future redevelopment say they are excited about what could come.
"I want to sit out here with my lawn chair and watch the wrecking ball take that building down," said Stutter.
"I think it's going to really improve, not just our area here. I think it's going to improve the whole City of Cape Coral," said Debbie Hall, a nearby condominium owner.
Some are hoping for more green space, while others say they are hoping for a cardiac institute, which was originally discussed in the plans back in August.
"Population density is getting kind of crazy right now, so we want to make sure that they're not going to overload us with more people here," said Stutter. "I know the city didn't spend $40 million to put a park in there. You know, they want to make their money back somehow."
Fox 4 will keep you up to date on this development on-air and online.
