Revitalization of Down Town Fort Myers Florida (River District)

Introduction

Fort Myers, Fla.-has wrapped production on its four-year 52-block downtown utility infrastructure and year, 52-block downtown utility infrastructure mid streetscape reconstruction project. The city's downtown underground utilities - water sewer and drainage - were 70 to 80 years old, and malfunctions were common. Meanwhile, the city's streets and sidewalks were ready, for a makeover that had been recommended in a 2003 redevelopment plan (Reichel 2003, 50).

In 2003, the Fort Myers City Council passed a redevelopment plan for the River District that is part of Fort Myers' historic downtown with the aim of reviving the old part of town. As part of the 70-million-dollar project, the infrastructure of the city district bordering the Caloosahatchee River underwent a technical modernization. One of the first things, which were done, was to replace many conduits and pipes from the 1920s with new materials. The next step consisted of repainting the old building facades. In addition, the streetscape was improved by adding new and attractive shops, offices and restaurants. Before, downtown Fort Myers used to be fairly abandoned. Now, downtown Fort Myers has once again become an inviting place for shopping and dining. The new "old" pavement, in this part of the city, is particularly noteworthy, as the old bricks underneath the pavement were recovered and re-used for paving. The old-time splendor of downtown Fort Myers has been restored and, visitors can explore the city strolling along the same brick pavement that was once used by Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.

Background information

The center of the city of Fort Myers has been a great investment by the city government, but were not promoted or marketed properly. There are still too many vacancies and only two afternoons a month with significant activity at night, like the "Art Walk" and "Music Walk". The city has many advantages in its infrastructure and the revitalization of the river, but marketing was not working as it should be, along with not taking advantage of low cost tools such as social networks like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to tell people come and enjoy the beauty that has the center of the city (Hipler 2007, 66).

Florida is one of only 24 states with an existing MOA, making the Program automatically eligible for Section 128(a) funding. In 2010, DEP received $804,292 from this EPA program. Fort Myers owes its nickname “City of Palms” to Thomas A. Edison, who had his winter residence in the city and who commissioned the planting of royal palms from Cuba along McGregor Boulevard, the city's old main street in 1880. Edison was responsible for Fort Myer's transformation from a small fishing village to a city. The famous inventor's winter estate has been transformed into a museum and is one of the most popular attractions in Fort Myers.

The Mangoes estate, owned by Edison's friend and automobile tycoon Henry Ford, is also worth visiting. It features the first modern swimming pool, which was built in 1900. The two friends and their families used to ...