City to seek requests for proposal for Bimini East
With the demolition component of Bimini East expected to wrap up by mid-June, plans to bring the project to potential investors are underway.
City staff presented the next steps for the Cape Coral City Council at a workshop session Wednesday.
“We are going to be holding developer meetings in early May,” interim Assistant City Manager Mark Mason said.
Those meetings will give developers an opportunity to come in and look at the property and have a discussion of what the city’s vision is for the “blighted” sites purchased for a total of a little more than $43 million for hoped-for redevelopment in the South Cape.
A Request for Proposals for purchase and development of the land assemblage will be issued in mid-May if not earlier.
Mason said the due date for the proposals will be late July, early August with discussions in August and September. Contract estimates are to be negotiated by year end.
Council also discussed the vacation of some roadways throughout the project area.
“If we don’t vacate the road, we don’t get access to the land underneath it,” City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said.
The city can vacate a road connection — small strip of road out, sod it and leave the demolition of the road for a later date.
The purchase timeline dates back to Aug. 7, 2024, when an interlocal agreement was made between the South Cape Redevelopment Agency and Cape Coral City Council, which also acts as the CRA governing board. Ilczyszyn said they closed on the target properties on Oct. 4 before purchasing an additional four properties with the last one purchased on Jan. 24.
The demolition timeline began when a contract was awarded to HONC Demolition on Dec. 4, 2024 to take down existing buildings, many of which were older residential units.
With contingency, the contract is $1.7 million.
“We have not used any of that contingency,” CRA Project Manager Zac Gogel said.
Four additional properties were added to the contract for $182,538.
The first demo took place at 4841 Atlantic Court on Jan. 21, 2025.
Gogel said they have a total of 47 sites to be demolished. As of Wednesday morning, 37 sites have been, and active sites remain at three. He said 46 out of the 47 sites will be demolished by mid-May.
There is still a tenant in one of the structures who will vacate by the end of April. Gogel said the demolition for this structure will bring the completion into the first week of June.
Ilczyszyn spoke about some of the properties within the project area.
“The properties that are cross hatched – northeast corner — George’s Auto — several people are working with him to look at acquisition of that,” he said.
Ilczyszyn said the property in the middle was purchased by an investor who is using it as leverage for a future RFP. There are also three properties along Triton Court East and Cape Coral Parkway East with owners who are willing to sell, but the price is not worth the city to acquire, he said.
“All of the ones remaining are all in play and willing to sell. It’s getting to the right price for the right property,” Ilczyszyn said.