Beaches Gateway Village project progressing
Affordable housing is a key component of the Beaches Gateway Village project.
John Gucciardo, the community spokesperson for Margaritaville, said the Beaches Gateway Village project is going pretty well.
The mixed use, 15-acre project to be built off island, is undergoing the same kind of approval process for rezoning that the Margaritaville property did on the Beach.
“We are in the process of having the planners working with county staff to finalize the application that we have to submit. That application will go through the approval process that will take nine months,” he said.
The plan is to build at the corner of Pine Ridge Road and San Carlos Boulevard.
“There is 15 acres of undeveloped property that is around 7-Eleven,” Gucciardo said.
Beaches Gateway Village will have a free standing hotel, a 90-unit residential complex, as well as commercial parking. The preliminary numbers include approximately 130 units for the hotel and commercial parking, overflow parking, of about 50 spots.
The Beaches Gateway Hotel & Suites would include in-room kitchens, complimentary breakfast, outdoor pool and patio, free Wi-Fi, business center, guest laundry, fitness center, complimentary shuttle to and from Margaritaville Fort Myers Beach and access to Margaritaville Fort Myers Beach amenities.
The fully furnished, inclusive of utilities and internet, residential units would include a common kitchen, living space, balcony and in-unit laundry, as well as four bedroom/four bathroom lockout rental units.
Gucciardo said the fourplex units would provide singles who may not be ready to start a family with affordable housing.
“It’s a fully furnished upscale unit in their price range,” he said. “We are still working on what the final mix would be. The majority would be fourplex-type units. There may be some one-bedroom, two-bedroom units.”
The village amenities would include a club house; fitness center; pool; patio and barbecue area; free shuttle to and from Margaritaville Fort Myers Beach; free parking and security.
The property’s transportation, would include shuttle operation to Margaritaville Fort Myers Beach.
“It could be something as simple as mini vans. They have 10-person, 18- person vans to transport people back and forth,” Gucciardo said.
In terms of when the project will begin, he said they are trying to tie construction coming out of the ground with the project on Fort Myers Beach.
“What you would probably see first, the plan calls for two residential units, would be one of those buildings to go up first and then stagger the next one and then stagger the hotel,” he said.
The project came about because they have heard from resort, hotels and restaurants on both Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach that it is very difficult for them to maintain a steady workforce in season, Gucciardo said, adding there may be a market for that type of housing and demographic that is centrally located with access to both Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach.
There is another whole demographic that is undeserved, such individuals who work as servers and housekeepers.
“It could be a model for some other employers that could serve an undeserved community,” Gucciardo said.
According to a TPI Hospitality PowerPoint presentation, “Lee County housing costs 60 percent, or more, of the starting wages for many Fort Myers Beach resort employees.” That same presentation states that 31.5 percent of households can afford $875 or less per month for housing.
The typical rent for Beaches Gateway Village would be $750, which would include a furnished unit, utilities and rent. TPI employees would be subsidized at $0.75 per hour worked per month. In other words, they would receive a reduction of $130 a month for their rent, making their rent $620 a month.
Gucciardo said they have heard horror stories from hotel and restaurant owners of trying to get folks from other parts of the county to their business during season.
“Maybe there is a way to solve some of those problems,” he said. “Maybe there is a way to fill that market. We are trying to figure out if that is possible.”
The Margaritaville project estimates employing around 300 people. Gucciardo said not all of those employees would want to live in the type of housing to be offered..
“We are not anticipating we will take up all those units. Some of the other hotel and resort folks might want to tap into the access, also,” he said.