FORT MYERS, Fla. — After stalled plans, community leaders in Fort Myers tell Fox 4 they are cutting out developers and taking on the historic McCollum Hall restoration project themselves.
The Community Redevelopment Agency said it is moving forward with plans to develop McCollum Hall directly, bypassing the traditional developer request for proposals process that failed to produce results for 20 years, according to the CRA.
Tuesday night, there will be a listening session where the CRA will outline their new approach to bring the historic building back to life.
The CRA said, people are tired of the back-and-forth over what this place could be and who might make it happen. However, not everything is unknown. The second floor is locked in as an event space thanks to federal HUD funding — a nod to the building's glory days. That leaves 10,000 square feet downstairs as a blank slate with potential.
Michele Hylton Terry, executive director of the CRA, encouraged community participation in the planning process.
"Come out and be a part of the process. I know there's been frustration… it's taken longer than anyone wanted. But the agency is leading this process now — and we want the community at the table," Hylton Terry said.
The CRA said big restorations like this usually need government help, and they're still figuring out how to finance the project. But they say the first step is hearing ideas from the community through tonight's listening session at the Quality of Life Center on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 6 p.m.
