A Buffalo, New York-based beer brewer is planning to build a satellite brew pub and restaurant with an adjacent indoor rock-climbing facility in south Fort Myers.
Jeff Ware, the owner and founder of Resurgence Brewing Company, said his project is at least two years away from being opened. It would be located at 6150 Exchange Lane, which is just south of the Lee County Sports Complex and just east of the RaceTrac gas station at 14575 Ben C. Pratt/Six Mile Cypress Parkway in south Fort Myers.
A lot of work has to be done before this project can commence, Ware said, including rezoning the land with Lee County from general commercial district to industrial planned development, which would allow for recreation and the restaurant. “We’re slowly working our way through the process of opening down there,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been working on for a while now. We think it would be a good spot for us and our brand. We’re not ready to announce a whole lot yet.”
Ware said he didn’t have any connections to Southwest Florida other than visiting on vacations over the past 20 years. “We’ve got a lot of Buffalonians who live down there,” he said. “There’s a lot of upside. Buffalo is making a comeback on craft beer. It’s a very similar vibe to Fort Myers.”
The Resurgence Brewing owner also liked that particular location near the beginning of Michael Rippe Parkway with easy access to U.S. 41 and Daniels Parkway as well.
“We want to be centralized,” Ware said. “We want to have a food focus. So, there would be a restaurant. Our whole thing is the beer experience. Our focus is to get people to come in and get some fresh beers. And have that encompassing beer experience. It could be a nice add for the beer scene in Fort Myers.”
Resurgence brews about 7,000 barrels of beer per year in its 30,000 square-foot brewery in Buffalo. Ware envisioned the Fort Myers location to be about a third of that size.
By comparison, the Fort Myers Brewing company brews about 12,000 barrels per year.
In addition to Resurgence Brewing, Central Rock Gym, an indoor rock-climbing experience, would be part of the project, adjacent to the brewery, Ware said.
