Montage at Midtown is preparing to welcome its first residents, marking a major milestone in the redevelopment of Fort Myers’ Midtown district.
David Dorsey
Montage at Midtown, a new 321-unit apartment complex in Fort Myers, is expected to welcome its first residents by the end of June following 29 months of construction and years of planning.
Joe Bonora, founder, president and CEO of Catalyst Community Development, which developed the property at 2325 Victoria Ave., gave a tour of the complex June 12, where Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson raved about it.
“This is monumentally the catalyst,” Anderson said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Anderson used the word “catalyst” to match the name of Bonora’s company while also putting the project into context; it’s the first significant investment in the Midtown area since City of Palms Park opened in 1993. The former Boston Red Sox spring training home is slated to be demolished as redevelopment of the area accelerates.
“This is the start of what Midtown is going to be,” Anderson said of Montage. “Thank you for your commitment to downtown.”
An aerial view shows the newly completed Montage at Midtown apartment community at 2325 Victoria Ave. in Fort Myers. The $100 million development includes 321 apartments and is expected to serve as a catalyst for additional investment in the Midtown district.
Brian Tietz
The completion of construction on Montage by contractor Brooks & Freund marks the end of a $100 million project, including about $67 million in construction costs, Bonora said. PDS Architecture designed it, and Stantec provided engineering services.
Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency gave Catalyst $11.6 million in tax increment financing.
Montage at Midtown LLC purchased the land, which previously was vacant and years ago had an industrial warehouse on it, for $5.5 million in November 2023. It borders Union Street to the north, Central Avenue to the east, Victoria Avenue to the south and Jackson Street to the west.
“It was just trees and a fence,” Bonora said.
ZRS Management has been leasing the apartments. There are 90 studio units, 136 one-bedroom units, 92 two-bedroom units and three two-bedroom units with a den.
Rents start at $1,730 for a 534-square-foot studio, $1,745 for a 682-square-foot one-bedroom and $2,020 for a 1,017-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit.
Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, center, joins developer Joe Bonora and community leaders during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Montage at Midtown on June 12. The 321-unit apartment community is expected to help spur redevelopment throughout the Midtown area.
Brian Tietz
“We have three leases on the books,” said Cortney Mondon, ZRS Management’s regional manager. She has helped Bonora fill his other projects, including City Walk and Grand Central in Fort Myers and Uptown and Midtown in Cape Coral.
The complex includes a five-story garage with 527 spaces. There are 100 more spaces than zoning requires, Bonora said, because he built them in advance to accommodate his next phase of the project, an office building of about 50,000 square feet that will front Jackson Street adjacent to Montage.
“I do think downtown needs more professional space,” Bonora said. “More office space. That’s what you need to have a vibrant downtown that has people living, working and playing. You need more of the work right now.”
As for the living and playing part, Montage has plenty of amenities. They include four courtyards, a swimming pool, workout center, virtual golf studio, dog park and spa, common areas with indoor kitchens and outdoor barbecue grills, and a grab-and-go neighborhood market.
There’s also a conference room and office space — including an office Bonora plans to use part time on-site — along with a unit he plans to live in part time during the leasing period.
Montage at Midtown is seen from above with downtown Fort Myers and the Caloosahatchee River in the background. The development is among the largest private investments in Midtown and is expected to welcome its first residents by the end of June.
Brian Tietz
“You don’t know when you design these projects if the people will appreciate all the time you put into it, the little intricacies,” Bonora said. “It’s a lot of visualizing what it can be and anticipating what the market’s going to be five years from when you start. You try to think about what will be the things people will want to have on-site. The grab-and-go is an example. There’s no grocery store in Midtown yet. So, we wanted to have on-site a place where they can get a drink, some food or a coffee.”
Bonora noted two vacant lots across Union Street from Montage, plus acreage behind the apartments that can be redeveloped. Bonora bought a house fronting Victoria Avenue and intends to demolish it and replace it with something modern.
“Honestly, I think almost every project I’ve done has been a little bit like this, where it’s a site or an area where it wasn’t quite there yet,” Bonora said. “I think an advantage I’ve had over many developers from outside of the area is having a better feel for what a place could be before the data shows that it’s ready for it.
“The fact that it’s almost a blank canvas. Everything over the next couple of years, the way it develops, there’s the ability to help shape what it will become. That’s the most exciting part to me about Midtown, is to have a role in what this will look like for the next 10 years and then, after that, the next 100 years.”