Apartment construction heats up in Lee

FORT MYERS — Contractors pulled more than $25 million worth of permits to build apartments in Lee County in March as rising rents and high occupancies attracted developers.

Contractors pulled permits to build 183 multifamily units in March, compared with 91 in March 2014, according to the Lee County Department of Community Development. The March permits included 136 units in 17 buildings at the Courtyards at Estero Apartments at 10471 Corkscrew Commons Drive and 50 units in nine buildings for Copper Oak Townhomes on Tin Maple Drive.

Meanwhile, contractors pulled $13.9 million worth of commercial permits in March, compared with about $1.4 million in March 2014. Commercial permits included a nearly $13 million memory care and assisted living facility with 44 residential units that Lee Memorial Health System is building on Cypress Cove Drive.

On the residential side, homebuilders pulled 93 permits to build single-family houses in Lee County in March. That compares with 90 permits in the same month one year ago.