• The owner of Moss Marina in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, has submitted new plans for a scaled-back entertainment and hotel complex.
• The revised proposal includes a 263-room hotel, down from the original 400 units, and a maximum building height of 102 feet.
• The Fort Myers Beach Planning Board is scheduled to review the updated plans at their meeting on Tuesday, April 8th.
• Some residents have expressed concerns about overdevelopment, citing recent approvals for large-scale projects like the Pink Shell expansion and the Red Coconut redevelopment.

With the Fort Myers Beach Town Council coming off at least a couple of recent major development approvals, the operator of Moss Marina plans to give it another shot at a planned entertainment and hotel complex on the bay.

Largely rebuffed so far the past couple of years, Moss owner Ben Freeland said he plans to present updated plans on behalf of Freeland FL Holdings LLC for the bayfront promenade at the April 8 planning board meeting including “a scaled-back 263-room hotel.”

Here’s what to know.

How many hotel rooms originally planned for FMB promenade?

At one point, there were at least 400 units in play on the 4.5 acres for what has been tabbed as Arches Bayfront Resort, near the shadow of the Matanzas Pass Bridge

Other amenities Freeland is touting include 336 total parking spots (96 of them would be designated public) and a terminal for a water taxi system we first told you about in February that Freeland would co-found.

How tall would Moss Marina towers be on Fort Myers Beach?

The Arches Bayfront Resort would have buildings varying in height between one and seven stories, with a total maximum height of 102 feet, according to what’s going to be proposed on Tuesday to the planning board.

By comparison, the six-story Marina Village at Snug Harbor next door has an overall height of 71 feet, town records show. The proposal includes 15,000 square feet of commercial uses.

When will Fort Myers Beach planning board hear Moss effort?

The planning board is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

The gathering will be held at 2731 Oak St., Fort Myers Beach.

When did Moss Marina go back ‘to drawing board’ on its project?

Freeland had told In the Know last summer that he was not giving up and had gone back to “the drawing board reimagining the site” on Harbor Court, near Old San Carlos Boulevard.

He also hired The Neighborhood Company, a consulting firm with Fort Myers Beach roots that has been involved in various endeavors on Estero Island.

‘We strongly believe we’re on the right track’

Going back to about when Margaritaville made its historic debut in December 2023 after a long and winding road, Freeland then said he expected his project to come back as well, about 110 paces from his new Jimmy Buffett-inspired neighbor.

At the time, he was disappointed by the continued reluctance by the town to change its land use plan that would pave the path for his endeavor, saying “We strongly believe we’re on the right track to be an important part of our island’s rebuild.”

When was Arches Bayfront district put on pause on Estero Island?

Freeland had put the project on pause in October 2023 after members of the Beach Town Council and planning board signaled they don’t plan to deviate far from the comprehensive plan that’s been in place for almost three decades. The plan is a blueprint that guides future land use, such as density.

However, some residents feel the Town Council may have gone too far in recent approvals of the Pink Shell expansion and especially the high rises to replace the Red Coconut RV park, saying it has opened the door to major development. As In the Know has reported, the Coconut, as approved near the library, would rise as high as 17 stories and occupy space 10 times larger than the White House. Pink Shell received backing for a new 40-room structure that could rise six stories above the bay on the north side.

Moss Marina owners have prevailed in the past against FM Beach

The Freeland family has gone to battle with the town in the past and prevailed.

Just before the turn of the century, they won a suit over their gambling yacht operation after officials raised concerns about parking and licensing.

What was the inspiration for the name of the bayside complex?

As originally conceived, Freeland, working with the Restore the Arches group, has been wanting to have a memorial dedicated to the iconic Beach symbol along the planned bay walk as a way to educate the public about the history tied to them.

The late entrepreneur Tom Phillips perched gateway stone bell tower arches in 1924 on the future San Carlos Boulevard near the McGregor Boulevard intersection to promote massive development he had planned to assemble but didn’t execute due to a variety of factors. He had planted a similar arch of native coral rock not far from where the Sky Bridge to Fort Myers Beach is now.

Near Moss, what land for sale is in “pedestrian-oriented realm?”

Just southwest of Moss, LSI Cos. has been marketing the sale of a half-acre on Old San Carlos Boulevard between Second and Third streets that includes the address of the Cigar Hut. On the market for $5 million, LSI touts it as within the corridor of the town’s envisioned “pedestrian-oriented public realm” and previously approved for up to 40 resort units and about 5,000 square feet of retail.

Further south on Estero Island, LSI also said this week that the old Lahaina Inn Resort land at 5600 Estero Blvd. is now selling for $25.5 million. At one point, the price had been at $30 million for the 2.5 acres. Built more than four decades ago with interval ownership in mind, the property hammered by Hurricane Ian had featured 37 accommodations ranging from efficiencies to three bedrooms in various two-story structures to go with a pair of swimming pools, records show.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez ([email protected]) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network’s most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.