Fort Myers City Council members in March agreed to sell the old downtown News-Press site and Fire Station No. 1 to Catalyst Community Development LLC for $11.5 million. On Sept. 15, they approved an extension of the agreement’s due diligence period until Dec. 15. That will give the city and the buyer time to work out several issues with the 9.84-acre site, including the potential removal of railroad tracks, negotiation of economic incentives and the removal of several easements on the property.
The old Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Fort Myers is part of a $11.5 million sale agreement with Catalyst Community Development LLC.
Catalyst’s plans include removing the old buildings to create a mixed-use project with residences, retail, office space, a hotel, grocery store, parking garages and a public gathering place.
Council members voted 5-2 to extend the due diligence period with Terolyn Watson and Liston Bochette dissenting. Bochette said he assumed the amendment would pass but cast the vote on the principle that the city’s history is its charm. He also suggested a plaque at the site memorializing the buildings. “I take a moral stand that we have to preserve our history,” he said.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.