The microphone is yours, FMB
Grand Resorts will hold its second public meeting on Estero Island on Jan. 14, and this time it will share the microphone with the public.
The event will be at Bay Oaks Recreational Center and is free.
The development team will address five topics and after each will open the room to questions on the topic just covered. At a Dec. 14 meeting, many members of the overflow crowd on hand voiced frustration that they could not ask questions during the presentation, but rather had to speak with representatives afterward at different information stations.
“I think this format is exactly what needs to happen,” said Mayor Anita Cereceda. “Residents need to understand exactly what is being proposed and also have a voice in the process.”
The presentation will include general updates and some changes to the original plan unveiled Nov. 30, according to Tom Torgerson, the project’s developer.
Grand Resorts is a proposed $250 million downtown Fort Myers Beach development that features four hotels, a pedestrian mall, a parking garage and combination boardwalk and seawall. It would require a roundabout and the rerouting of Estero Boulevard as well.
The Bay Oaks gymnasium venue will allow for plenty of seating and better conditions. At the Dec. 14 meeting at Chapel by the Sea’s Silver Hall, more than 500 people showed up but seating was established for only about half that number, and no air conditioning was available.