Developer plans four beach resorts

FORT MYERS BEACH — Tom Torgerson, chairman and CEO of Minnesota-based TPI Hospitality, plans to develop four beachfront hotels, a conference center and a 1,500-car parking garage in this seaside town.

Speaking to a large crowd in Fort Myers Monday, Torgerson says the Grand Resorts project will be at the foot of the Matanzas Pass Bridge on Fort Myers Beach and will involve rerouting Estero Boulevard. “We expect a lot of public input,” says Torgerson, who recently became a Fort Myers Beach resident.

The project will include 562 rooms in four hotels. These include a 176-room Hilton Resort, a 200-room Holiday Inn Resort, a 100-room Marriott Resort and an 86-room Hampton Inn. In addition, TPI plans to build a 30,000-square-foot conference center, a 10,000-square-foot fitness center and a 1,500-car parking garage.

Besides a pedestrian mall, Grand Resorts will include a half-mile-long beach boardwalk that will also be a flood barrier. The boardwalk will have 10 beach access points, including three for handicapped people and emergency vehicles or beach equipment.

TPI operates hotels with a total of 3,000 rooms and nine restaurants. The employee-owned company has 2,000 employees.