What downtown residents, business owners, and buyers should know about the projects reshaping the riverfront.
Downtown Fort Myers is rebuilding its riverfront for the first time since Hurricane Ian. Marina capacity is returning, downtown is getting its first new residential condominium development in over 20 years, and branded hospitality is expanding for the first time in decades.
Florida Weekly announced on May 12 that Legacy Harbour Marina will reopen this spring. The marina is one part of a much larger pattern. This article walks through what’s actually happening project by project, what’s verified versus speculative, and what local homeowners, business owners, and buyers should watch over the next 12 to 24 months.
Key Takeaways
- Hurricane Ian destroyed two downtown marinas. Unless you boat the Caloosahatchee, it’s easy to confuse Legacy Harbour Marina with the Fort Myers Yacht Basin, but they are separate projects.
- AIRN Management is rebuilding Legacy Harbour Marina as part of the larger Legacy Harbour Master Plan. The master plan includes 377 entitled units, two 25-story towers, and a galleria, with Michael Graves Architecture & Design as the architect.
- The City of Fort Myers owns the Fort Myers Yacht Basin and leases it to Suntex Marinas, which is awaiting federal permits to expand the basin to 286 slips.
- ONE Fort Myers, a 21-story boutique tower with 34 residences priced from $1.25 million, is downtown’s first new condo project in over two decades.
- Downtown’s hospitality capacity is expanding with Riverline by Marriott (under construction, 196 rooms), a proposed Tempo by Hilton, and a hotel component in the Legacy Harbour Master Plan.
Legacy Harbour Marina and Master Plan
Legacy Harbour Marina is opening this spring as one piece of the larger Legacy Harbour Master Plan, a 13-acre development that includes two 25-story towers, a galleria, and 377 entitled units approved by the City of Fort Myers.
The Marina Nears Opening
Legacy Harbour Marina sits next to Centennial Park at 2044 West First Street, just west of the Caloosahatchee Bridge. AIRN Management, LLC owns the marina and operates it under lease with the City of Fort Myers. The approximately $15 million waterfront transformation includes the marina, harbor master building, and on-site amenities. Redevelopment began in early 2025.
AIRN expects the marina to open this spring. The rebuilt facility features 131 slips ranging from 40 to 150 feet. Bellingham Marine’s Unifloat concrete wave attenuation system sits on 70-foot steel piles. The infrastructure can handle Southwest Florida waterfront conditions. Coastal Marina Management will run day-to-day operations. The marina will serve boaters traveling Florida’s west coast. Prospective boaters can join the waitlist via Dockwa or request a slip at fmlegacyharbour.com, with formal slip reservations launching once AIRN confirms a definitive opening date.
An Adjacent Waterfront Restaurant Space Is Available
Directly adjacent to the marina, the former Joe’s Crab Shack waterfront restaurant space at 2024 West First Street is currently available for lease. Michael Price, ALC, Principal and Managing Director at LQ Commercial, and Mike Doyle, CCIM, Senior Associate, are handling the deal.
Here’s how Michael Price sees it:
“Legacy Harbour Marina’s reopening is exactly the kind of momentum downtown Fort Myers needs. The marina was a true anchor for the waterfront before Hurricane Ian, and its return signals that the corridor is coming back strong. We’re excited to be contributing to that momentum. Our team is working with a restaurant group on the former Joe’s Crab Shack space next door, which will bring a new waterfront dining experience to the area and add another layer of energy to this revitalized stretch of downtown.”
The Master Plan Beyond the Marina
On June 2, 2025, Fort Myers City Council approved a 30% density bonus for the Legacy Harbour Master Plan. The bonus allows 377 dwelling units on the 13-acre site, up from the 290 units the land would normally permit. In exchange, AIRN committed to roughly 37,000 square feet of public gathering space.
The approved program includes two 25-story towers with a mix of apartments, condominiums, and hotel rooms. The final mix is not yet decided. The program also includes a galleria with retail and restaurants between the towers, parking garages of six and seven stories on West First Street, and 37,674 square feet of commercial and retail space. Michael Graves Architecture & Design is the architect of record, with the total project described as over one million square feet.
The architectural concept references the City’s 2018 Downtown Plan, which has been the underlying framework guiding much of the corridor’s coordinated redevelopment.
The Site’s Complicated Recent History
Haywood Sullivan, the former Boston Red Sox catcher and later part-owner of the team, assembled most of the land in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Sullivan family trust sold the site in early 2022. Later that year, Hurricane Ian destroyed the marina. The AIRN Management-affiliated company that now controls the property acquired it in August 2023 and began construction in early 2025.
What the Tower Timeline Actually Looks Like
AIRN’s land-use attorney told City Council the marina would open first, with the parking garage coming next once construction commences. The company has five years to apply for permits on the broader project and eight years to break ground.
Gulfshore Business reported realistic completion is roughly a decade out. The marina opens this spring while the towers may not finish until 2030 or 2035. City Council has approved the project, but AIRN has not set a construction schedule.
The Fort Myers Yacht Basin Is on a Different Track
The Fort Myers Yacht Basin sits west of the Edison Bridge in front of downtown’s Edison Grand Apartments. The City of Fort Myers owns the land. Suntex Marinas, a Dallas-based operator, signed a 30-year lease in April 2022 months before Ian hit.
Suntex initially received a federal permit to repair and replace the existing docks. In June 2024, the company submitted a larger permit application that calls for filling part of the basin, dredging a new channel, and expanding the slip count to 286. The expanded scope triggered a multi-agency federal and state review, including endangered species evaluation for protected populations like the smalltooth sawfish and manatees that use the Caloosahatchee.
As of mid-April 2026, the federal permit is still in process. City Council has granted Suntex two one-year extensions. The City is now seeking $250,000 per year in lease payments during the delay. The basin currently sits as skeletal pilings.
The Other Riverfront Projects Restarting Now
Legacy Harbour is one of several major projects moving on the downtown waterfront.
ONE Fort Myers: The First New Condo in 20+ Years
ONE Fort Myers is a 21-story luxury boutique condominium tower under construction along the Caloosahatchee. The development is a partnership between Miami-based JAXI Builders and The Astor Companies, with architecture by Behar Font and interiors by Adriana Hoyos. The building will feature 34 residences priced from $1.25 million.
Pesche Robinson of the SERHANT sales team told Gulf Coast News this is the first new residential condominium development being built in downtown Fort Myers in over 20 years. The existing downtown riverfront condos were all built in the late 1990s through early 2000s. ONE Fort Myers features elevated parking and residential units starting on the third floor 40 feet above ground. The design accounts for the storm surge risk Ian made clear in 2022. The developers target completion by mid-2027.
Triton Cay Phase Two Adds Downtown Residential Inventory
Triton Cay phase two, an eight-story apartment building, is progressing on West First Street. Adjacent businesses including Cafe Chocolattés and Point Ybel Brewing are already operating.
The Hospitality Buildout: Riverline, Tempo, and a Hotel in the Legacy Harbour Master Plan
JAXI is involved in redeveloping a former senior housing property into a 196-room Marriott-flagged hotel called Riverline, with a target of spring 2028. A Tempo by Hilton has been proposed downtown. The Legacy Harbour Master Plan itself includes a hotel component. Mayor Anderson has publicly noted that downtown’s hotel shortage limits the size of conventions the city’s convention center can host.
What Boater Return Means for Downtown Restaurants and Condos
Boating traffic was a distinct customer segment that vanished in September 2022. Steve Brantner, who runs the Waterfront Cafe across from Legacy Harbour Marina, has publicly described losing all that business. The loopers traveling the Okeechobee Waterway, the seasonal boaters, the day-trippers all left. Their return will show up in restaurant revenue, retail foot traffic, and the lived experience of being downtown. That is likely to change the desirability of riverfront condos in ways that lag the standard metrics.
Three Things to Watch Over the Next 12 to 24 Months
- The Army Corps permit for the Yacht Basin. Without it, the largest piece of downtown slip capacity stays on the sidelines.
- Parking garage progress at the Legacy Harbour Master Plan. AIRN’s land-use attorney told City Council the parking garage is the next phase after the marina. Permitting activity or vertical work on the garage within this window would signal the broader project is advancing on the schedule AIRN described. Tower construction is unlikely within 24 months and is not the realistic near-term signal.
- The Tempo by Hilton construction commitment. If Tempo progresses through permitting and into active construction, that tells you downtown’s hospitality buildout extends beyond just the Riverline conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Florida Weekly’s May 12 article described the opening as “spring 2026.” As of mid-May, the marina is in its final phases of preparation for opening.
No. Legacy Harbour Marina is the marina near the Caloosahatchee Bridge and Centennial Park that is reopening this spring. The Fort Myers Yacht Basin is the marina near the Edison Bridge that is currently sitting as pilings while Suntex Marinas waits on federal permits to rebuild and expand.
The towers are approved at the entitlement level, designed by Michael Graves Architecture & Design. AIRN has five years to apply for permits and eight years to break ground. Realistic completion is roughly a decade out.
ONE Fort Myers is a 21-story luxury boutique condominium tower under construction along the Caloosahatchee River, with 34 residences priced from $1.25 million. The developers are JAXI Builders and The Astor Companies. Construction is expected to be completed by mid-2027.
Downtown hospitality is expanding through several projects. Riverline by Marriott (196 rooms, target spring 2028) is under construction. A Tempo by Hilton has been proposed downtown. The Legacy Harbour Master Plan also includes a hotel component, though specifics are undetermined.
Final Thoughts
The broader picture across downtown Fort Myers’ riverfront spans a dozen projects across marina, residential, and hospitality construction, with completion dates stretching from this spring to the next decade.
At Worthington Realty, we live and work in Southwest Florida and cover the downtown Fort Myers corridor closely. Our search tools don’t require registration, so you can explore listings along the riverfront without giving up your email first.
If you’re thinking about buying, selling, or investing along the downtown Fort Myers waterfront, start at worthingtonrealty.com or reach out directly. We’re happy to walk through what these changes mean for your specific situation.
