CAPE CORAL, Fla. — On Friday, a new 140-acre property in Cape Coral received millions of dollars to help build a veteran-focused development: Victory Park.
Veterans like Keith Berres, the Commander for the American Legion Post 90 in Cape Coral, said the Purple Heart City is great at recognizing but bad at supporting its vets.
“The easiest way to say it is the City of Cape Coral does a great job at recognizing veterans...but when it comes to services, it's pretty much null and void,” said Berres.
That gap in veteran resources is also a concern for Christopher Spiro, the spokesperson for the development team heading the project, Blue Waters Development Group LLC.
“They [City of Cape Coral] are not letting just anybody come out there and build a building or be part of the community out there they are making sure that the mixture of businesses residences all of that is the right blending for Cape Coral,” said Spiro.
On Friday, Spiro told Fox 4 Victory Park will support the growth of Cape Coral by creating an engaged Veterans focused community that Spiro said would create an ideal work, live, and play environment.
Spiro added that the property would include higher-end employment opportunities, convenience workforce housing, demand-driven educational facilities, under-served veteran-related services, and essential retail stores.
Overall, Spiro told Fox 4 that Victory Park is estimated to create approximately 1,100 new jobs in the following industries:
- Hospitality
- Warehousing
- Logistics
- Assisted Living and Senior Housing
- Medical
- Education
Spiro said 42% of the new jobs will carry an average annual wage of over $80,000 per year.
Victory Park also received a grant from the Florida Department of Commerce.
Spiro explained the grant will provide just over $4,020,401 to complete public infrastructure improvements within the Victory Park property including:
- Roadway Paving and Grading
- Drainage Improvements
- Potable Water System Improvements
- Fire Protection System Improvements
- Re-use Water System Improvements
- Sanitary Sewer Improvements
It was money that veterans like Keith Berres said would be well spent.
“I think the fact that they are now doing that is going to help,” said Berres.
The first phases of the project are expected to be completed in 2025.
