Downtown Fort Myers high-rise unanimously approved by city council

FORT MYERS, Fla. – After six hours of deliberation, the fate of downtown and a controversial river-front high-rise has been decided.

City council members voted unanimously in favor of adding The Vue to downtown Fort Myers’ skyline. The high-rise condo project has been more than a decade in the making.

The Vue, a newly-approved 18-story condominium tower, returned with a new developer, gaining the support of a city planners in November 2015. Tuesday’s final vote gives the project the green-light.

The construction site for the high-rise building is located west of Centennial Park, just seconds from a playground.

Opponents to the project said they do not welcome the proposed addition to Fort Myers’ skyline because it will ruin the open ambiance of downtown.

“I think the park’s going to be obstructed by it,” Dan Small, a Fort Myers homeowner, said. “It’s going to look more commercial now, more residential with more buildings.”

But supporters, like business owner Steve Branter, said development will bring in needed dollars.

“We’re out of things to sell. There’s plenty more room downtown for another several high-rise condominiums and it would bring a lot of revenue and good people right to the area,” he said.

The Vue is expected to replace the standing boat storage lot with 133 condo units, commercial space and a proposed public river walk. City council members were not required to make a final decision, but they called Tuesday’s meeting to discuss high-rise developments. More than a dozen Fort Myers residents voiced their concerns — mostly in opposition to The Vue — during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

In the end, their frustrations did little to sway council members.

City council members were also expected to begin making changes that could affect another high-rise development east of downtown. Developers at Prima Luce want to increase the number of floors and condo units it their two proposed towers.