News-Press site hits market for $8.5 million

Gannett Co., owner of the News-Press in Fort Myers, has put the newspaper's current site on the market for $8.5 million.

The four-building complex, which was developed beginning in 1955 and contains offices, warehouse space and a former printing plant, is being marketed for sale by Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida.

Gannett also operates a $40 million, digital press jointly operated by the paper and the Naples Daily News, another company holding. The presses are eight years old, and the News-Press began printing there last August.

The 11.5-acre tract, containing 180,277 square feet of space at 2404-2442 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., is adjacent to a historic train station undergoing a $10 million renovation. When completed, the depot will house the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and a new technology center.

Gary Tasman, CEO of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property, says the News-Press site also is at a “gateway location” to downtown Fort Myers, which is being revitalized with an upgraded conference center, hotel, restaurants and entertainment.

“We think this would be an ideal site for a mid-rise, mixed-use development containing residences, some office, retail and restaurants,” Tasman says.

(This story was updated to reflect that the News-Press continues to operate its business from the site that's for sale. The story was also updated to reflect the status of the digital press, and how long the News-Press has utilized that facility.)