Fort Myers is willing to kick in $1.55 million to get rid of an auto salvage yard in the Dunbar neighborhood.
The Community Redevelopment Agency has voted to pledge that money, if a private company buys out the property — the land underneath.
Affordable Auto Salvage has sold vehicle parts for 67 years. The business covers at least half a city block in the heart of the Dunbar community.
Fort Myers city officials call the business a junkyard. Longtime Dunbar resident Elijah McCoy agrees.
"All it is, is an eyesore," McCoy said. "Should have been gone years ago."
Floyd Williams feels differently.
"You know I'm 50 years old and that junkyard's been there since I was a kid," Williams said. "It's still a great place to get parts. It's not an eyesore to me. It's still a functional business."
Fort Myers City Council members and the mayor serve as directors of the Community Redevelopment Agency - the CRA. They have voted to buy out the salvage business for $1.55 million.
But there's a catch. The CRA invests the money only if Megen Construction of Cincinnati also buys the land underneath the salvage yard. A price of $2 million has been mentioned, but it's not finalized. The city would expect Megen to pay the bill and to clean up environmental hazards that likely are in the soil. CRA directors have said they would expect a lot of gas, oil and other contaminants to have seeped into the soil over the decades.
Fort Myers City Council member and CRA director Fred Burson said he's enthusiastic about this possible deal.
"I think it's the right thing to do for the residents," he said. "Nobody wants to live next to a junkyard."
Megen Construction has mentioned in public meetings that it might build affordable housing on the site. That's a big selling point for Burson.
"If we can get a subdivision and housing on that property, it would help the tax roll," Burson said.
But CRA attorney Clifford Shepard warned recently that the city's agreement with Megen has no commitment to that.
"There is nothing in this, that promises affordable housing or workforce housing," Shepard said. "There is nothing that says what will be built there. It's up to the whim of Megen Construction."
Megen and its attorney in Fort Myers did not respond to requests for a statement or interview.
The CRA is giving Megen 30 days to sign a contract to buy the land. Then it must close on the property by December 17. If Megen doesn't close, the whole deal is off, the city pays nothing, and the so-called junkyard stays where it is.
Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches journalism at FGCU. He can be reached at mwalcher@fgcu.edu