close

Cape selected for U.S. Army Reserve Center

2 min read

Cape Coral has been officially chosen as the site of the U.S. Army’s Reserve Center on 15 acres of land on Corbett Road.
The city’s Economic Development Office made the announcement late Tuesday, saying the Army has completed its due diligence and plans on building the reserve center across from the forthcoming VA Clinic on Diplomat Parkway at Corbett Road.
Christy Vogt said the land has not yet been purchased for the Reserve Center, but the U.S. Army Reserves are now “in the paper work” phase of the proceedings.
“They are moving forward,” Vogt added.
The U.S. Army Reserve is already moving two units currently stationed in North Fort Myers into a temporary facility on Santa Barbara Boulevard.
A military police unit and a reserve unit will be using one of the “McGarvey developments” near Sun Splash for the time being, Vogt said.
When completed, the Reserve Center will include a 37,500-square-foot training building, a 7,650-square-foot vehicle maintenance shop, a 1,500-square-foot unheated storage facility and parking for approximately 300 U.S. Army Reserve personnel.
Though no time-frame exists as of yet, Vogt said she expects the facility to be completed within three years.
Another boon for the recently minted “Veterans Investment Zone,” the Reserve Center helps to solidify what the EDO envisioned when they branded the area surrounding the VA Clinic.
“Here we go, it’s more synergy of military and veterans and training,” Vogt said of the VIZ. “It’s one of the draws for the Army Reserve.”
Environmental mitigation has been completed for the reserve site, Vogt said, where reserve personnel will go through indoor training exercises one weekend each month.
The Reserve Center will draw reservists from as far away as Glades and Highland counties, Vogt said.