COASTE | COMMUNITY
cuisine, it has generated more than 250 jobs for local residents.
allowed us to make great progress in the River District. We don’t always agree, but we listen to each other, we are cordial, and we get things done.” There’s an old saying: “If you build it, they will come.” But, in the case of the Fort Myers River District, the better wisdom may be: “If you rebuild it they will come.” The City is counting on reaching a critical mass of residents, which in turn attracts more restaurants, retail, professional and hospitality businesses. For downtown Fort Myers, the timing couldn’t be better. Urban living is a trend happening all across America, and baby boomers especially are looking for a high quality of life as they near retirement. The downtown River District is only place in Lee County that offers within walking or biking distance a picturesque riverfront, exciting restaurant experiences, retail shopping, a new $20 million library cultural center, post office, bank, government center and all the things that make for a very high quality city. It’s almost as if
The Kearns Group currently is working on a fourth restaurant concept for the River District. Legendary gangster Al Capone was rumored to have an escape house in the River District area, and Kearns’ new joint, Capone’s, will feature the mobster’s Alcatraz prison cell and prohibition style vibe. The menu will serve up pizza from a coal fired, earth stone oven, with full liquor bar. The Kearns Group is just one story among many business owners and entrepreneurs who are helping to raise the tide for River District revitalization. Mayor Henderson believes that the River District is still underused today, but with a big difference from the early 1980s. “We have a very specific plan for development, of which 60% has evolved in tangible ways.” Importantly, he emphasizes that “the Fort Myers body politic enjoys tremendous consensus and respect for each other that has
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