London Bay to go in front of LPA with Outrigger plans on Tuesday
The plans by London Bay for the redevelopment of the Outrigger Beach Resort will go in front of the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency on Tuesday.
The developers are seeking a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and rezoning to construct a 15-story hotel and condo tower that will reach 195 feet high. The plans also include a restaurant and tiki bar, both of which existed at the former Outrigger Resort. The tiki bar was located around an outdoor pool.
The town’s code allows for up to three stories of height.
The project seeks 12 deviations from town code. The zoning change would create a site specific Outrigger Resort mixed use district.
The new proposal calls for 150 hotel and condo units, and 46 multi-family units. The Outrigger had 144 hotel rooms across several two-floor building on three and a half acres.
In addition to their request for relief from the town’s building height requirements, the deviations sought by the developers include a 211 parking space reduction (a 38% reduction in the required parking spaces) from town code and a break from town setback requirements. The Town of Fort Myers Beach Council will have to ultimately decide whether to approve the plans following the vote by the LPA on its recommendation.
The Outrigger property was acquired by London Bay in 2023 for $38.2 million along with Charley’s Boat House Grill & Wine Bar across the street. Both properties were demolished due to damage from Hurricane Ian the year before.
The plans for the mixed condo and hotel use were first presented to the public in 2024 and were scheduled to go in front of the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency that year, when they were shelved that August.
The project has since been reworked, though it has the same basic outline. The plans have been undergoing review from town staff.
Fort Myers Beach LPA Chair Anita Cereceda said she will be seeking clarity from the developers regarding the height and other aspects of the plans.
“There has been a lot of outreach from the public both in favor and both opposed to this project,” Cereceda said. “We know that the developer has a strong, proven track record. We hope that everyone will be patient as we deliberate every element.”
Cereceda said she expects a long meeting. There will be a public hearing. The LPA could decide to continue the hearing into a second hearing depending on how long it goes.
“This is a good developer, they’ve got the money, they have the ability, they are ready to go. They are asking for the limit, the stars and the planets. They are asking for a lot,” Cereceda said.
Cereceda said most of the communications she has received support the restaurant and tiki bar. Cereceda said not everybody supports the height that is being requested to accommodate that.
“Most people say they want the restaurant and tiki bar. They want their neighborhood back, they want their gathering spaces back. Those are emotional things that we all feel. This is a zoning process. It’s technical and tedious and it has to be,” Cereceda said.
The maximum building height is 195 feet, measured from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Lowest Horizontal Structural Member to the midpoint of the roof and 15 stories, inclusive of parking on the first two floors.
Cereceda said she needs further clarification as to the height based on the description.
“This is going to take time to go through. People need to be patient with this process,” Cereceda said.
Cereceda also has questions regarding the request by the developers for a 3.0 floor-to -area ratio, which is more than the 2.5 floor- to-area ratio the town allows.
In exchange for the deviations from the town code, the developers are offering a public benefit of restaurants, bars, retail, event and meeting space, golf cart and bicycle parking, parks, public beach access, and coastal storm risk reduction improvements.
The review of the plans by the Local Planning Agency will include a new board member, after the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council voted on Monday to approve the appointment of Edward Schoonover to the LPA. Schoonover currently also sits on the town’s Charter Review Commission. Schoonover is replacing John McLean, who was appointed by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council to fill the council seat vacated by Jim Atterholt.
The following are the 12 deviations sought by London Bay for its redevelopment plans.
1. Deviate from LDC 34-2020(d)(2) to allow for a 211-parking space reduction (38% reduction) in required vehicular parking spaces for the non-residential floor area within the mixed-use development.
2. Deviate from LDC 34-633 where the gross floor area includes the total floor area of all stories of a building within the surrounding exterior walls (whether the walls are solid or screened), plus all area below an elevated building that is six feet or more in height, plus all stories of covered parking; to exclude the vaults for elevated planters and stormwater, balconies and covered terraces, enclosed or unenclosed stairs or fire escapes, elevator structures, cooling towers, areas devoted to air conditioning, ventilating or heating or other building machinery and equipment (MEP), parking structures and vehicular service areas from the Outrigger FAR calculation; and establish an FAR of 3.0 for the CPD.
3. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 4, Table 34-3, Dimensional Regulations in Conventional Zoning Districts, where height in the CR District is limited to 30 feet and 3 stories and building size in a CPD zoning district shall be the same as for the CR zoning district for CPDs that are primarily lodging (LDC 34-953); to allow a maximum height of 195 feet as measured from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Lowest Horizontal Structural Member (LHSM) and up to 15 stories.
4. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 4, Table 34-3, Dimensional Regulations in Conventional Zoning Districts, where side yard setbacks for waterfront lots in the CR District is 20 feet and building placement in a CPD zoning district shall be the same as for the CR zoning district for CPDs that are primarily lodging (LDC 34-953); to allow a minimum setback of 15 feet to provide for 5-foot balconies extending from the facade into the setback on the upper living levels (floors 3-15-17).
(5) Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 4, Table 34-3, Dimensional Regulations in Conventional Zoning Districts, where side yard setbacks for buildings in the EC District is 25 feet; to allow a minimum side yard setback of 10 feet from the southern boundary for the tiki bar.
5. Deviate from LDC 10-416(d)(2) Table 10-8 requiring a Type C buffer with a wall when a proposed commercial use is next to a residential property; to allow a Type C buffer with no wall on the north and south boundaries.
6. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-994(c)(1) that requires transparent windows to cover at least 30 percent of the wall area below the expression line and at least ten percent of the wall area between the expression line and the cornice; to allow the parking, service, and MEP areas to not meet the requirements.
7. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-995(c)(1)b.1 requiring every principal facade to contain transparent windows on each story with visible sills and lintels on the exterior wall; to not apply to the floors of the project.
8. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-995(b)(4) where building frontages exceed 50 feet to require operable doors or entrances with public access to be provided along streets at intervals averaging no greater than 50 feet; to not apply to the façade.
9. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-995(c)(2) that requires first-story windows of every commercial building’s principal facade to have transparent windows; to exempt the parking, service and MEP areas from meeting the following requirements:
a) Window openings shall cover at least 60 percent of the wall area below the expression line;
b) The bottoms of the window opening can be no higher than 30 inches from sidewalk level; and
c) These windows shall be maintained so that they provide continuous view of interior spaces lit from within. Private interior spaces such as offices may use operable interior blinds for privacy.
10. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-995(c)(3) that requires upper story windows of every commercial building’s principal facade to meet the following requirements:
a) All stories above the first story of every commercial building’s principal facade shall contain between 15 percent and 75 percent of the wall area with transparent windows
b) No single pane of glass may exceed 36 square feet in area. to allow the parking, service and MEP areas to meet the requirements.
11. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-996 that allows sloped roofs with wells to conceal mechanical equipment; to allow alternative roof designs.
12. Deviate from LDC Chapter 34, Division 7, Sec. 34-997(b) that requires plazas and courtyards to conform to “build-to lines” that require new commercial buildings to be placed near public sidewalks; to allow build to requirements to not be applicable to this development.
The Fort Myers Beach LPA will meet at Town of Fort Myers Beach Town Hall at 6231 Estero Boulevard on Tuesday to review the plans at 9 a.m.