Myerside owners to present redevelopment plans Thursday at ...

Myerside Resort and Cottages was wiped out by Hurricane Ian. Photo provided courtesy of Beverley Milligan

The owners of Myerside Resort and Cottages, which was devastated by Hurricane Ian at its location off Oak and School Street near the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, have new plans to rebuild the property with a 42-unit hotel.

The property, owned by Beverley Milligan and Roland Weinmann, would require a new rezoning to a commercial planned development.

The developers will be making a presentation to the community Thursday at the DiamondHead Beach Resort at 5 p.m. to introduce the project.

The property, which was approved for a rezoning by the town council in 2021, formerly consisted of a group of seven cottages on the 14-lot property. A rezoning allowed the owners to construct a restaurant and boutique story at the property.

Under the new plans, a 42-unit hotel with four additional work or housing units would be constructed at the site which fronts Estero Blvd. on one side, the Fort Myers Beach Library on another side and the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus on the other end.

Myerside Resort and Cottages before Hurricane Ian. File photo

Milligan said Myerside Resort and Cottages was “wiped away” by Hurricane Ian. Only one building survived which will be used as a construction office and for construction housing if the new project is approved, Milligan said. “Our hope is to create a Myerside that is beautiful and respectful of our community, balancing the challenges of rebuilding with keeping the old FMB vibe alive at Myerside,” she said. Milligan said they had hoped to preserve the cottages until Ian.

The developers are now proposing a hotel with 8,500 square feet of commercial, retail, personal services, and small restaurant space. Architectural plans are not yet finalized though the project is being designed by Patrick Vanasse’s The Neighborhood Company. According to Ken Gallander, vice president of the firm, the overall building height will be less than the town library which is more than 50 feet in height.

Aiming to preserve the town’s cottages, the Fort Myers Beach Council in 2021 approved a rezoning of the property from residential conservation to commercial planned development and gave the go-ahead for the property to have a boutique store and restaurant which would allow for the sale of alcohol despite opposition from the Lee County School District and some in the community over its location next to the Fort Myers Beach Little League and Bay Oaks Recreational Campus.

Town staff had recommended denial of that project for being inconsistent with the comprehensive plan and the residential neighborhood.

As part of the stipulations of the 2021 agreement, the hotel had noise restrictions barring music until after school hours on weekdays. The owners delivered a check to the town in 2021 for $12,000 to help pay for a new sidewalk in front of the property and had hoped to preserve the cottages before Hurricane Ian