FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — You may soon see more people on the north end of Fort Myers Beach.
On Monday, the town council voted to approve the expansion of the Pink Shell Hotel. The project will convert an employee parking lot next to Bowditch Point Park into 40 hotel units, each with two bedrooms.
WATCH AS FOX 4'S ANVAR RUZIEV TAKES YOU TO THE SITE OF THE APPROVED DEVELOPMENT:
The new six-story building will stand just under 80 feet tall—double the town’s standard zoning limit.
The ground floor will primarily be used for parking spaces for future guests. However, increased traffic was one of the concerns raised by nearby neighbors who spoke out against the expansion during Monday’s town council meeting.
Neighbor Concerns
“What we're gonna see is we're putting in 40 more units in front of my unit,” said one Fort Myers Beach resident. “We're going to see more traffic, we're gonna see more noise, more problems with the park because there will be traffic with people trying to get into the park and restrict people from getting in and using the park.”
Expansion Details and Traffic Reduction Efforts
The $40 million expansion will also develop a public boardwalk around the marina and increase the total number of parking spaces by 23.
Bill Waichulis, the general manager of the Pink Shell, said that even with a density increase, the resort takes extra steps to help alleviate traffic on the island.
“Every guest that makes a reservation at the Pink Shell, we actually call them in advance, before arrival to educate them on, you know, do you need a car if you come to the Pink Shell?” Waichulis said.
The town has been exploring water taxis as a way to cut down on island traffic, and Pink Shell has agreed to provide a permanent docking point if the service launches. The resort has also agreed to allow the town to utilize its pump station for wastewater collected from moored boats.
“A lot of residents in the area do not want that in their backyard,” Waichulis added.
The Pink Shell has been providing the wastewater pumping service since Hurricane Ian to help out the town and has now agreed to make the deal permanent.
The resort also plans to add two standalone home units on a neighboring lot, three stories each. The town council approved it on Monday in a 4-0 vote.
The Pink Shell says it could take up to two years just to get shovels in the dirt, given the size of the project.
