$300M Fort Myers revitalization project wins more federal funding

The Greater Dunbar Initiative, a $300 million project designed to revitalize a portion of the Dunbar community east of downtown Fort Myers, has received $8 million in federal funding. 

“My vision for this city is that we be one, united city — a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson says in a statement. “This is a big, $300 million project, so every little bit that comes in helps toward reaching that goal, fulfilling that dream and making that vision come true.”

The funding announcement, which will be awarded to the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers, comes nearly two years after the project received a separate $30 million grant through the federal Choice Neighborhood Initiative. The $8 million, according to a statement, is split between $5 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a $3 million federal appropriation. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, “a longtime advocate for affordable housing in Southwest Florida,” the release states, secured the federal appropriation.