City Council approved donating 3-plus acres of a land to an as yet unnamed company that wants to build a facility across from City Hall.
Assistant City Manager Carl Schwing described the company as an “advertising firm,” but declined to name the company due to a confidentiality agreement.
Schwing said if all goes according to plan, the company could break ground on the facility this year.
The firm would employ 104 people, generate $12 million in annual sales with revenue coming from outside the area and offer a median wage of $56,000, according to city documents.
“They do want to be here in Cape Coral, and we will be working to see what their time frames are to get something up and running in terms of construction and jobs in the Cape,” Schwing said.
The land is owned by the city and has an estimated value of $300,000.
The unknown company is also applying for $250,000 of Lee County economic development funds.
Schwing said the company and the city would “work on a contract” over the next few weeks and the name of the company would become public once the terms of the contract have been approved by city council.
In other news, City Council delayed voting on the scrub jay mitigation plan, instead pulling the agenda item for a decision at an unspecified time. Mayor John Sullivan said he wants to make certain the public has more information before council makes its decision.
The mitigation plan calls for spending $788,025 for a land that Lee County would conduct on Cape Coral’s behalf, making improvements to Florida scrub jay habitats.
The price includes an initial restoration of $465,025, and $323,000 for long-term maintenance of the site, which lays on Conservation 20/20 land in Alva.
The plan is necessary to compensate for loss of scrub jay habitat on land the city hopes to develop into Festival Park. The Florida scrub jay is considered a threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.