Gardeners Gateway Feature: Staff has been working for two years to acquire and develop a conceptual design according to the Downtown Plan to create a gateway feature and welcoming entry into the Downtown/Gardner’s Park redevelopment area at the Northeast corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Blvd. and Fowler Ave. The conceptual plan and cost estimate were presented and approved at the May 1, 2023 CRA Board of Commissioner (BOC) meeting.

The City of Fort Myers Beautification Committee expressed their support for the concept gateway feature at their June 2023 meeting. CRA consultants are working in coordination with the Naples Botanical Garden on the plants that will be used. Resolution #2023-08 to request the Florida Department of Transportation was approved by the CRA on July 26, 2023. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has approved the concept and has conveyed the property by quick claim deed. The CRA accepted the quit claim deed from the FDOT. We are currently in permitting. The tentative name for the feature is “Gateway Garden”.