One month after unveiling plans for the Red Coconut property on Beach Talk Radio, Seagate has officially filed those plans with the town of Fort Myers Beach. The process is now in motion. Town staff will provide Seagate with feedback before the project goes before the LPA.
With the Seagate proposal now on the books, the LPA and Town Council have quite a few big development projects to make decisions about that will shape the future of the island. Those projects include; The Outrigger property from London Bay, The Arches from The Freeland Group at Moss Marina, The Neptune Hotel by The Continental Hospitality Group and the Estero Island Beach Club condo and time-share building. The new Myerside boutique resort on Estero Boulevard was recently approved. The LPA and the Town Council do not meet again until August.
Fran Myers and her late husband Tom owned the iconic Red Coconut RV Park on Fort Myers Beach since 1984. On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian wiped out the park which was followed by Fran Myers selling the 10-acre property to Seagate Development one year after the storm for $52 million.
The Seagate proposal includes 2 buildings that are home to a total of 137 condo units, 4 single family homes, 3 parks, a restaurant open to the public, a 240 foot view corridor on the beach side of the property, a private pedestrian walkover and a private beach club.
The application reveals a few more details than we had during our interview with Seagate CEO Matt Price.
The North condo building is 15 floors over 2 floors of parking with 69 condo units. The South condo building is also 15 floors over 2 floors of parking with 68 units. Amenities in both condo buildings will include a fitness center and spa inside, outdoor pools, spas and cabanas, conference room, pet facilities and storage.
Seagate is hoping to get approval from the town for the two higher buildings in lieu of spreading out smaller buildings, over the 10 acres of property, to get their allowable density in. In return Seagate has proposed wider beach view corridors than what the code calls for and 3 public parks as public benefit.
The 4 homes would back up against the Matanzas Pass Preserve.
The Sunset Restaurant and Terrace (pictured below), open to the public, is on the Bay side of Estero Boulevard and includes a 7,500 square foot restaurant with a 2,500 square foot dining terrace. The building is one story over 1 floor of parking.
The private beach club on the beach side of the property will be 29,000 square feet with access from Estero Boulevard and a private pedestrian overpass. That building would be 3 stories, 2 over parking.
A linear park would be constructed on the Bay side of Estero Boulevard. If approved Seagate will build and maintain a 90 by 120 public beach park on the beach side of their property. A second public park would be built on the Bay side of Estero Boulevard which would be linked to a kayak path, water taxi, walking path, and bicycle path.
While Seagate will be asking the town for a deviation for height, they are under the amount of units they are allowed to build on that property by right. At 10 acres, Seagate is allowed to build 15 residential units per acre for a total of 150 units. They are proposing 141 units (137 condo units and 4 homes).
Based on the current plan, the first layer of the north building is 9 stories over parking and is setback 70ft from the right-of-way. The next layer is 14 stories and is set back 165 feet. The top layer is 15 stories over parking and is set back 257 feet. The south building is set back 346 from the right-of-way.
In their application Seagate is requesting a total of 8 deviations:
#1) One primary entry and internal street from Estero Boulevard on the Bay Side.
#2) One Internal east/west street from Donora Boulevard with the opportunity for future
expansion.
#3) Porches or balconies on front, side and rear facades for the multi-family structure.
#4) Outdoor seating and terraces for the private beach club and public restaurant.
#5) Terraced landscaping structure with water feature for the multi-family structure
adjacent to Estero Boulevard.
#6) A private pedestrian entry above ground level along Estero Boulevard for the
private beach club.
#7) A primary vehicular entry along the side façade and a drop off along the front
facade for the private beach club on the Gulf side of Estero.
#8) Vehicular access from controlled access points to ground level parking for the
multi-family and private beach club structures.
And here are the 10 public benefits Seagate states in their application.
1) 2 view corridors to the Gulf of Mexico from Estero Boulevard;
2) 1 view corridor to Matanzas Pass Preserve;
3) Enhancements to existing private beach access;
4) Incorporating new public beach access with a gulf side public park;
5) A new public park adjacent to Matanzas Pass Preserve;
6) A new public park adjacent to the bay side of Estero Boulevard;
7) A new public linear park interconnecting Estero and Donora Boulevards through the Property;
8) Establishing the first portion of an east/west local street from Donora Boulevard to Lovers Lane;
9) Enhancing the street frontage of Estero Boulevard;
10) Parking in excess of LDC requirements for the multi-family structure and single family units.
The Town Council and LPA do not meet in July setting up August, September and October as very important months for the major developments being proposed on Fort Myers Beach. In November there will also be an election and voters are watching how the 4 candidates for 3 open seats on the Fort Myers Beach Town Council vote on these projects.