City of Fort Myers to invest $650,000 to revitalize MLK Boulevard corridor

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Fort Myers is investing $650,000 to purchase three empty properties along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as part of a larger plan to revitalize the area and manage its growth.

Residents have mixed emotions about the redevelopment. Business owners are optimistic about the changes, seeing them as an opportunity to bring more people and activity to the area.

"To bring more people in, to bring more hotels, more entertainment in is just a great thing for my business, too, because it just brings more people downtown," said Jason Bittner, a downtown Fort Myers business owner.

Others, particularly longtime residents, are concerned about the impact of the redevelopment on the area's character and environment.

"I think it is way too much development. We used to have so many trees and so many birds, and now there is none. And it's bringing in more people from more areas that don't really respect to the area in general. And I think it's got to stop," said Amee Rehrer, a Fort Myers resident.

The city's Community Redevelopment Agency says the purchase allows it to better manage how the area grows and ensures development fits into a larger vision for the community.

That vision includes creating a more walkable and accessible MLK Boulevard, one that attracts investment while also better serving the people who live there.

"Anything to help it be more walkable and help the experience of it all is a good thing," Bittner said.

Rehrer, however, believes the city should focus on making downtown more family-friendly.

"Put in some trees. Make it a park. Bring back the birds. Bring back the family picnics. Put in some benches like we used to have at Shady Oaks Park. Bring in places where people could go and be a family, just like it used to be in the 1980s, in the 1970s and before that," Rehrer said.

The purchase marks a step closer to transforming the area into a space that aligns with the city’s vision for the community.

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