Prima Luce project advancing

MacFarlane Barney Development plans to begin vertical construction of its twin-towered Prima Luce condominium project on the Caloosahatchee River just outside downtown Fort Myers in the weeks ahead.

Company CEO Robert MacFarlane says earlier this month that the $120 million residential project has met sales thresholds necessary to move forward. Site work to clear the two-acre property on First Street has already begun.

“We’re going deep with the foundation, and vertical development will follow shortly afterward,” MacFarlane says. “It’s taken longer than anticipated but we’re now moving forward.”

MacFarlane Barney had originally planned to begin construction of the 22-story Prima Luce at the end of 2018, with delivery later this year.

Construction now will take 18 months to complete, MacFarlane says. Prima Luce’s 220 units have been priced at $250,000 to about $750,000.

The residential high rise will be the company’s fifth in the region, and feature amenities such as a three-tiered, heated, zero-entry swimming pool, a yoga studio and fitness center, a social room and a virtual concierge service.

MacFarlane Barney’s forward progress comes as competitor Jaxi Builders, of Miami, is offering a waterfront condo site nearby for sale at $16.2 million, after sales of its luxury One and Allure towers failed to gain traction as it expected.