BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Another day, another groundbreaking - this time, Bonita Springs.
A food truck park is coming to Bonita Springs and on Tuesday, there was a groundbreaking for the project.
For the past 20-years, the city has been trying to redevelop its downtown area and it seems as if the third time is the charm.
"We’ve had about three false starts, we have had this thing fall apart come back together and reemerge under new names and new people but we could never get it over the finish line," said Councilman Jesse Purdon.
Now the finish line is in sight, with the new project, the Rooftop at Riverside-which is considered the first catalyst project for the downtown development.
“This is a really exciting project, it started back in 2019," said Chris Magnus, founder of the Rooftop at Riverside.
Magnus is the founder and owner of the family-owned business which will be an eight-pad food truck park, with a two-story rooftop bar and a play area for children. The park will be built on a half-acre of land right near the intersection of Old US 41 and Reynolds Street.
“We want to have a place where Bonita Springs families can gather for great food and cold drinks," Magnus said.
The food truck park is the first of its kind in Lee County after the Bonita Springs City council voted to approve the project back in 2020.
“We are going to be able to look back years from now," said councilman Jesse Purdon. "Even if I don’t run for reelection I'll be able to hang out on the second floor of this rooftop bar and say ‘hey, I was here for this, I fought bullets for this.”
“We’re excited to get going, we want to get going as quickly as we can and get open. I think old 41 will really explode," said Magnus.
Construction on the project is set to begin this summer and with a goal to be done the following year.
