FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — One of the biggest proposed developments on Fort Myers Beach is back with a new look.
Watch as Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent, Anvar Ruziev, shows just what the new project could be replacing:
Developers of the Arches Bayfront project have submitted updated plans to the town. The new version features a 263-room hotel spread across three buildings, each five, six, and seven stories tall. This is a major reduction from the original proposal of roughly 400 rooms.
Last April, the Local Planning Agency (LPA) voted 4-2 to deny the original request.
Now, Moss Marina owner Ben Freeland says the scaled-down plan reflects feedback from the community.
“These updates, which include a scaled-back hotel, resulted from constructive conversations with our friends and neighbors,” Freeland wrote in a public letter.
Freeland has operated Moss Marina on the island for more than 40 years. He says this new version includes 24 public benefits—like a downtown water taxi terminal, public parking, and a restaurant and cocktail bar open to the community.
Shashank Serum, a longtime visitor, welcomed the changes. “With 400 at times with neighbors, have so many traffic and crowds coming in this area it could be a lot, but sizing it down to 200 I think it's kinda perfect.”
Michael Sepesy, who has vacationed on the island for over a decade, also supported redevelopment but raised concerns.
“We lost a few places on the beach. I think you need a little more, but with that, you're gonna have more traffic, more people. You need to do something about the bridge. A second bridge wouldn't be bad," Sepesy said.
Some full-time residents remain divided. One neighbor near the proposed site supports the project, while another wants it to align more closely with the town’s comprehensive plan.
The Arches Bayfront proposal will go before the Local Planning Agency again on April 8.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
NOT IN MY BACKYARD: Roadblock for $200 Million Project on Fort Myers Beach
LOOK AT THE "BAYSIDE" | Two years for big plans for marina at Fort Myers Beach
