London Bay CEO requests continuance for Outrigger project after concerns from LPA members
Following a hearing in front of the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency (LPA) that ran about six hours long for the Outrigger Resort project that brought out a sharply divided public and divided LPA members, London Bay President and CEO Mark Wilson requested a continuance of the hearing.
The LPA will meet again on May 8 to take up the plans again.
The project faced skepticism from at least three members, though it also saw broad support from at least three board members. Several board members, including Chair Anita Cereceda expressed concern for the height of the hotel and condo tower project. The tallest tower would reach 15 stories high, with another tower reaching 12 stories high. Town code limits height for buildings to three stories.
“I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of it,” Cereceda said.
The project also requires a deviation from the town’s floor area ratio requirements. While Cereceda and LPA members James Boan and Jane Plummer expressed concerns for the height and the intensity of the project, other board members said they were not concerned. Board members James Dunlap, Doug Eckmann, Don Sudduth, and newly appointed member Edward Schoonover expressed broad support for the project.
During a discussion about the floor area ratio of the project, which is 3.0, above the 2.5 allowed by the town, Sudduth said “I don’t care of it’s 2.5 or 3.” Sudduth said “I kind of don’t care.”
Schoonover said he believes the updated comprehensive plan “has made this a viable path for the developers and that’s why they are going in this direction.”
A vote was not taken on the plans, following Wilson’s request for a continuance.
Cereceda suggested the developers consider an accommodation to scale back their plans.
At one point, Wilson offered to lower the tallest tower by two stories if he could gain approval for the project. Wilson said he had already lowered the height of the tallest tower for the project by two stories from the original proposal in 2024.
The LPA will be making a recommendation on the plans to the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council on the developer’s request for a rezoning to a commercial planned development, a special exception permit to construct a tiki bar in the environmentally critical zone, along with a comprehensive plan amendment to construct a 15-story and 12-story tower for a mixed hotel and condo development, along with 46 multi-family units and multiple deviations from town code including height, parking and setbacks.
The former Outrigger Resort, before it was damaged by Hurricane Ian and bulldozed by its new owners, London Bay. Photo credit: David Cordea
The LPA voted two years ago to recommend denial of another large-scale development that needed a height deviation from the town. That project, from Seagate Development Group, was voted down by the LPA by a vote of 4-3, though ultimately approved by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council.
Members of the public who spoke out on Tuesday against the new Outrigger project noted similar reasons to opposition to the Seagate project as they saw for London Bay’s proposal: too much, too high, too dense. Concerns were expressed for the project’s impact on the local neighborhood and its impact on traffic.
Support from the public came largely from residents of the Grandview at Bay Beach Lane, where London Bay built a luxury tower that opened in 2023, and which was the last high-rise condo tower that was approved in the town, having been grandfathered in before the town’s limit on high-rise condos went into effect after incorporation.
Another source of support was from Island Winds Condominiums President Dave Nusbaum, who also chairs the Fort Myers Beach Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force. Nusbaum said his comments were only for himself, and not his condo association or the task force. Nusbaum, who doesn’t see an issue with the height of the project, said the town can’t wait for the project to start. He said that while the Outrigger was missed on the island, “we can’t bring it back.”
Fort Myers Beach resident Nancy Walker, who has lived on Fort Myers Beach for more than two decades, opposed the plans and the deviations from the town code to allow the project, and asked “Why are we changing the entire comprehensive plan for the whole town for one entity? Why do they have the right to change our comprehensive plan?”
This story will be updated.
Fort Myers Beach Observer Nathan Mayberg can be reached at NMayberg@breezenewspapers.com