Former mayor, neighbors of new hotel proposal, question public benefit for height, parking deviations

TPI offering to build pedestrian barrier, expand sidewalks

Former Fort Myers Beach Mayor Tracey Gore and neighbors of the proposed six-story hotel on the property of the former Silver Sands Resort are raising objections over the increased traffic they say the project will bring to their already-burdened residential street at Primo Drive.

TPI, the developers of the Margaritaville Beach Resort, are seeking 11 deviations from town code for the 60-room hotel project dubbed “One Particular Habour” on the .74 acre parcel. The hotel would be built at the intersection of Estero Boulevard and Primo Drive, where 22 cottages once stood.

The deviations include a break from height requirements in the town code, which limits the height to three stories. The proposed hotel would be 70-feet high, above the town’s height restrictions. Plans show the building rising between 5 and a half to six stories, with a rooftop pool. TPI is also seeking an exception from the town’s parking requirements, to be able to provide just 46 parking spaces. The developers have plans to shuttle staff from property on Buttonwood Drive off island. They are also planning to build a pedestrian barrier.

Gore, who lives on Primo Drive, said the size of the development is too dense for her residential street, which also intersects with The Whale, across from Margaritaville Beach Resort. That section of Estero Boulevard is the center of traffic during the town’s busy season.

“It’s just too big for that corner,” Gore said. Gore said the hotel threatens the small-town character of her residential street.

Gore has written letters to the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council expressing serious concerns about the impact to the narrow residential road from the proposed hotel. A dead end street, which abuts the hotel property, Gore said in an email to the Town Council that the project “will impede the only ingress/egress we have to come and go to our homes on our already constrained dead-end street.”

Gore said “it’s a nightmare to get out now” onto Estero Boulevard in the middle of season from Primo Drive. Traffic typically backs up at that section of Estero Boulevard during most of the day during season. “Now you are going to add 60 units to where a fire truck can barely make it down,” Gore said.

Gore asked councilmembers to drive up and down Primo Drive to “see for yourself the constraints we already have on our road that pavement to pavement is only about 16-feet wide. The parallel parking will not work.”

The project moved through its first hearing in front of the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council earlier this month and is due for a second public hearing on Aug. 24, when the Town Council could formally approve the project.

During the first hearing, the representatives of the developers fielded questions about the height of the building, and related traffic.

Councilmember John King asked about traffic concerns that have been related to the board, as well as height, intensity and density code deviations.

“For the last year on social media I have seen all the smart people tell me Margaritaville is the gold standard of this town and now we have exceeded Margaritaville on this,” King said.

The Margaritaville Beach Resort was approved for up to four stories and 38 feet and 10 inches up to the roof, and up to 52 feet for architectural features.

Vice Mayor Scott Safford asked TPI’s planner Patrick Vanasse of The Neighborhood Company if the developers have reached to neighbors on Primo Drive about the traffic concerns.

Vanasse said “we believe that the compromise we are presenting addresses that concern to the greatest extent that we can.”

Safford asked if there could be a change to the use of some of the parking spaces to limit traffic issues. Vanasse said they could put some planters in a few of the parking spaces in the off-season as a compromise.

“That would be showing some good faith toward the neighbors,” Safford said. “Let’s be honest. There are a lot of trucks there especially early in the morning, with deliveries and everything else. Anything we can do to help the flow of traffic would be really nice.”

Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers has recused himself from taking part in the review during the first hearing due to a business relationship with TPI. Councilmembers Rebecca Link and John McLean had no questions about the project.

Gore said there are three utility poles in front of this property where the plan shows parking and that cars parking on the street would block traffic, as would Ubers.

“It is too high, it is too intense, and it is too many people for this little corner of a residential street with a very narrow road,” Gore said.

Gore said the project should be limited to three stories as the town code calls for. She said the project did not provide adequate benefits for the deviations being sought. “The noted extra sidewalks from 10 to 15 feet on Estero (Boulevard) side is not a benefit to the island residents, its just cementing the resort’s property against the county’s sidewalks that are already there. It takes you into the retail or resort. The pedestrian area at the corner just promotes people to hang out on an already crowded intersection,” Gore wrote.

“You are giving away height, density, intensity, uses with nothing in return and no conditions to protect the residential from noise, traffic,” Gore wrote.

“I see no hardship, no reasoning to give six stories when three stories is our max,” Gore said.

There were previously 22 rental cottages on the site, with a swimming pool.

Gore said the new hotel would be taller than Lighthouse Inn or Margaritaville Beach Resort. “This will create a tunnel effect on our street,” Gore wrote to Town Council.

“Our street cannot handle this intensity. We all have cones up now to stop people from turning around on our properties. When the Whale has deliveries, its a struggle to maneuver around. Where would the Silver Sands deliveries be made?”

According to statements made by Vanasse, 36 of the units would be under 450 square feet and 24 would be more than 450 square feet. Torgerson said the rooms will be a combination of two-bay and three-bay suites with Gulf views and balconies.

The owners are seeking to also build 2,500 square of commercial space on the first floor, which would be leased out.

Gore has said the community benefit that TPI is offering the town in exchange for the deviations, is inadequate.

Tom Torgerson, who helped build Margaritaville and who is involved in this project with TPI, said TPI is offering to expand sidewalks in front of the hotel on Estero Boulevard. That plan would require Lee County approval since Estero Boulevard is a Lee County road.

Torgerson is also proposing pedestrian barriers along Estero Boulevard that he said would run from Primo Drive to Crescent Street. Those plans too would require approvals from Lee County. Torgerson said the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council would also be deciding whether to approve the concept of the barriers if they approve the project at the Aug. 24 meeting.

“The pedestrian barrier is proposed in concept form to the Town as a public benefit that we are offering to pay for,” Torgerson said.

Torgerson said the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council would be approving the concept, and if they approve the One Particular Harbour project, it would go to Lee County for review and also back to the Town of Fort Myers Beach for permitting. Torgerson said he has discussed the pedestrian barriers with Lee County Department of Transportation (DOT) officials, who he said have expressed support.

“It is up to the (Town of Fort Myers Beach) Council as to whether they want to have it,” Torgerson said. “Lee DOT supports It, which was necessary to accomplish in order for us to offer it as a public benefit to the Town.”

Torgerson described the pedestrian barriers as jaywalking pedestrian barriers.

Lee County spokesperson Betsy Clayton said “the county cannot confirm it is reviewing pedestrian barrier plans. That would not be an accurate description. It would be accurate to say that the county was included in an informal meeting with the developer related to the developer’s rezoning request with respect to impacts to the county’s Estero Boulevard right-of-way.”

Barriers along Estero Boulevard have been discussed in the past by former town councils but have also been controversial, raising questions about whether they could lead to more accidents on the sidewalks by leaving less room for pedestrians. Those potential issues have increased with the actions by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council to allow electric bikes on sidewalks. Other concerns include whether barriers would lead to more pedestrian traffic being funneled to the busy intersection of Estero Boulevard and Crescent Street where the pedestrian traffic already bottles up.

Torgerson said “we set the building back from Estero to enlarge the safety visibility at the Primo intersection as well as widen the sidewalk circulation area.  Of further note is our setback along Primo at the intersection creates a huge safety visibility area.  Lastly, you will see all the way along Primo and adjacent to our property we are widening the Primo ROW via a permanent easement to the Town that along our property enlarges the Primo Dr. ROW to 25′

Torgerson said the new 60-room hotel will be separate from Margaritaville though guests will have access to all of the facilities at Margaritaville, including the pool. Torgerson, who is working with John Dammermann of TPI to build the project, said the hotel would act quasi-independently of Margaritaville, though guests would have access to all of the amenities at Margaritaville and could put charges at Margaritaville on their Silver Sands Resort room bill.

In response to questions about the traffic issues raised at Monday’s hearing, Torgerson said “Primo has a 20-foot right of way, but actually only about 16 feet of it is paved for roadway. We are providing the Town an additional 5 feet from our property to expand the right of way to 25 feet. In doing so, that provides the Town the opportunity to improve the issues of concern. The only concerns that have been voiced, although significant, are in the narrow roadway. Our contribution of property will allow for a 16-foot wide street to widen to as much as 25-feet if that is what is desired. Additionally we have removed many ingress/egress points that were existing previously with Silver Sands on both Estero Boulevard right at the Primo intersection interested as well as on Primo.”

Paul Swenson, who lives on Primo Drive, said “we are beside ourselves” that the town may approve the project.

Swenson said the pedestrian barriers would only serve to keep pedestrians at their businesses.

Swenson said getting out of Primo Drive onto Estero Boulevard was “already a pain” due to the high-traffic volume which can grind to a standstill in the middle of the winter.

“I am shocked the town would approve a 60-unit hotel on that property,” Swenson said. He said the property is only zoned to allow about one-third of the units that TPI is seeking.

The town’s planning consultant has said only 18 hotel units could be built on the property by right.

Swenson said the new hotel would add to traffic woes emanating from deliveries to The Whale, which is across from the proposed hotel and has limited parking. Swenson said the new hotel would require even more truck deliveries and trucks idling and parking on Primo Drive for extended periods of times. “Where are all the trucks going to turn around?”

Swenson said trucks currently go down Primo Drive, which is a one-way street, and turn around on residential driveways. “People are putting orange cones in their driveways,” he said. “There is no place to turn around.”

TPI acquired the Silver Sands property on Estero Boulevard in 2023 for $7.1 million, months after the cottages on site were destroyed by Hurricane Ian. There were 22 cottages and a pool at Silver Sands before Hurricane Ian, with the property dating back to the 1920’s.

TPI initially announced plans to build a resort on the lot but a year after purchasing the .74 acre lot at 1207 Estero Boulevard, TPI-FMB put the land up for sale, asking $9.9 million. The property was still listed for sale as of last month, though Torgerson said it is no longer for sale. The property is still listed for sale on Realtor websites.

“Guests will have access to every amenity at Margaritaville, the gym and wellness classes, the beach club, the chairs on the beach, the spa, all restaurants and bars, be able to make all Margaritaville charges to their Silver Sands room, etc.,” Torgerson said in an email.

The Silver Sands property is currently being used as an office for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, as well as for parking for employees of Margaritaville Beach Resort.

The property is located at the busy intersection of Estero Boulevard and Primo Drive. On the other side of Primo Drive facing Estero Boulevard, is The Whale.

On the issue of parking, Torgerson said on Monday after the hearing that “We have proved out at Margaritaville that our overnight guests parking demand does not exceed 80% of booked rooms. So with full occupancy at One Particular Harbour, that equates to 48 parking stalls. The balance of stalls will be made available for the retail/service commercial space at ground level on Estero.”

Torgerson said that once construction begins, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office space on the property will move to the former Seafarers property next to the Margaritaville Beach Resort, and be part of the bike/scooter/cart parking lot the county is planning to construct there.

“We are working on recapitalizing Margaritaville and wrapping One Particular Harbour into it and that will generate the funding to finance construction. If approved September 9, will move immediately into Development Order, construction plans and permitting,” Torgerson said

Swenson said the new hotel would make it difficult for fire trucks to get through on Primo Drive if there are delivery trucks on the road attending to the new hotel as well as The Whale.

Swenson said he already has to arrange his schedule during season around the existing traffic.

Swenson said the hotel should not be allowed to be constructed higher than Margaritaville. “It’s going to be way taller than Margaritaville and the Lighthouse,” he said.

In addition, Swenson said he didn’t receive any notification for the first hearing, despite living about 10 homes away from the site.

Gore said she and others remain frustrated by the lack of understanding they believe members of the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council has shown for the concerns of those worried about commercial development intruding on residential neighborhoods.

“It’s just too big for that corner,” Gore said. “This Council has no idea about what we have been trying to protect for 30 years.”

Gore said “we have been trying to save this island and the small-town character and charm of this island.” Gore said “the people of this island, we have lost. It’s changing and this council they have no idea about what we have been trying to protect for 30 years.”