Fort Myers approves $2M acquisition for road extension

Fort Myers City Council on March 2 approved the $2 million purchase of 2.3 acres at 4011 Colonial Boulevard, plus closing costs, for the Challenger Boulevard Extension Project.

The acquisition includes 2.02 acres of vacant land and 0.28 acres of slope easement on which the city plans to extend Challenger Boulevard from Colonial Boulevard to Winkler Avenue.

Council members voted 4-3 to approve the acquisition with Liston Bochette, Diana Giraldo and Fred Burson dissenting. Burson objected to the cost, nearly 25% more than the property’s $1,549,163 appraisal by Maxwell, Hendry & Simmons.

But officials wanted to expedite the road project so that it is complete alongside the Lee Health Fort Myers hospital complex being built just across the street on Jones-Walker Boulevard, formerly Challenger Blvd. The hospital is expected to open in 2028.