Silvers Sands hotel proposal gets first approval from Town of Fort Myers Beach Council
A proposal by TPI to build a six-story, 60-unit hotel on Estero Boulevard at the intersection of Primo Drive at the former Silvers Sands Resort, sailed through its first hearing in front of the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council on Monday despite letters from a neighbor objecting to the impact on the nearby residential street at Primo Drive.
The new name of the proposed hotel is One Particular Harbour, and is being planned by TPI, developers of the Margaritaville Beach Resort on the island.
The proposed hotel, situated on a .74 acre lot where the former Silver Sands Resort cottages stood, requires 11 deviations from the town code.
Those 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.
Patrick Vanasse, of The Neighborhood Company, presented the plans to Town Council on Monday and fielded few questions from councilmembers. Mayor Dan Allers recused himself from taking part in the review due to a business relationship with TPI. Councilmembers Rebecca Link and John McLean had no questions about the project.
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.
Vice Mayor Scott Safford asked 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.” Vanasse said there has been a modification to the plans.
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.”
Former Fort Myers Beach Tracey Gore, who lives on Primo Drive, 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” 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.
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.”
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.
Tom Torgerson, who helped build Margaritaville and who is involved in this project with TPI, 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.”
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.
“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.
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.”