The City of Fort Myers Midtown Vision was recognized with an Awards of Merit at the 2019 American Planning Association’s (APA) Florida Conference held in Sandestin, Florida. The city’s Midtown Vision Plan won a Best Practices award, and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s Collaboratory also won in the Planning Project category. Tony Palermo, AICP, Assistant Director, and Laura Tefft, Senior Planner, both of the Community Development Department, accepted the awards on the city’s behalf.
The Midtown Vision Plan: Downtown Fort Myers Integrated Redevelopment Strategy was the result of a multi-year effort to engage the community in crafting a vision for the city, its downtown and the new Midtown. The 243-acre Midtown area was the intense focus of the city’s planning and visioning efforts, exploring in-depth how the new proposed Midtown will accommodate smart growth, more housing options, and enhanced economic opportunities for urban infill redevelopment. The city and the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) were recognized for best practices in planning for this project.