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Fort Myers is thinking big about Midtown. At a Sept. 16 meeting, City Council members and developer Card & Associates settled on the largest of four concepts for a new indoor sports fieldhouse on the former City of Palms Park property — a facility that could reach 200,000 square feet.

The fieldhouse would serve as the economic anchor of the wider Midtown redevelopment, which pairs the sports complex with apartments, townhouses, hotels, retail and dining along Broadway. An economic study commissioned by the city and Card found the facility could generate about $62.7 million in annual economic impact once fully operational, boosted by Southwest Florida’s visitor base.

The building is designed as flex space: a turf field, multipurpose courts, a fitness center, audience seating and concessions that can shift from youth and traveling-league tournaments to community events and entertainment. Card has agreed to cover development costs — including repaying the city for the site’s scoping work — if the project reaches a formal construction agreement.

Demolition is already underway at the old City of Palms Park, and the city’s $29.5 million Midtown streetscape and utility project is moving through Phase One. Public design charrettes, where neighbors can weigh in, are set to begin in October.

For a downtown rebuilding block by block, this is the kind of anchor that changes the math: more year-round events, more visitors, and another reason to build a trip around Fort Myers.

Source: Gulfshore Business — Fort Myers eyes 200,000-square-foot Midtown fieldhouse.