The long-awaited opening of the Veterans Affairs clinic in Cape Coral

· 

· 

· 

The long-awaited opening of the Veterans Affairs clinic in Cape Coral today means easier access to health care for many area veterans, but also — city officials hope — a dose of good medicine for the city’s economy. Dana Brunett, the city’s director of economic development, said more than 500,000 people could visit the clinic each year. “You got people traveling pretty fair distances,” he said. “They’re gonna have to get something to eat, buy gas, stuff like that. We want to make sure that happens in our community.” The city has pushed hard for development on more than 400 acres of untapped land within a mile of the site, what it calls the Veterans Investment Zone. On its wish list is everything from medical offices and pharmacies to movie theaters and bars. Nothing much is stirring yet, Brunett said, but that should change. “People like to see it happen,” he said. “They don’t want to be pioneers, but I think once you see the bodies showing up at that place and the amount of traffic they’re going to have, I think it’s really going to pick up.” Cape Coral real estate agent Hal Leopard said it’s pretty clear what’ll happen first. “Primarily, you’re gonna see hotels first, then there’ll be food vendors, restaurants, and then you’re gonna have the last (wave): retail,” Leopard said. And since many of the veterans will be disabled, that means they’ll be traveling with families, he said. “It’s gonna be a serious impact in that area,” he said. “Because once you close the Fort Myers location of the existing clinic, the only other two places vets can go is Tampa or Miami.” With more than 200,000 veterans in Southwest Florida and others coming from six counties, Cape Coral Councilman Kevin McGrail said the next step is securing a straight shot from Interstate 75, a federal project that will likely cost tens of millions.

Cape Coral Florida
Provided by CapeCoralRealEstate