FORT MYERS, Fla. - Fort Myers City Council is expected Tuesday to vote on final details of the downtown waterfront redevelopment plan. The project has been in the works for years, and if approved, crews could break ground in less than a month.

This first construction phase would involve the building of a 1.3-acre, 8-foot deep water basin between the Caloosahatchee River and Bay Street, where the Harborside parking lot and a parking lot on the other side of Edwards Street currently sit.

The prospect of extended waterfront is exciting for some nearby businesses, who think it could mean more foot traffic through the area.

"We need to rebuild downtown, and that's the beginning process of it," says Peter Martin, owner of downtown nail salon Pro Files.

Martin says the construction phase won't be easy to deal with, but he thinks the finished product will be worth it.

"We're loving it. We'll go through the bad to get to the good," Martin says.

Others though, aren't completely sold on the $5.4 million idea. Rich Castiano, who runs Cigar Bar downtown, thinks the money for the project could be better spent elsewhere and benefit more businesses.

"I don't know how it's going to help, I really don't," says Castiano. "We need parking. We need hotels. We need to fill up the Red Sox stadium."

Other frequent visitors downtown have criticized aspects of the plan, including the loss of 150 parking spaces to the new waterfront and possible concerns about the basin water going stagnant.

Quinn Sedam, who works on Bay Street, says he's generally in favor of any move that promises to generate more activity downtown, and only has one worry.

"Kind of worried about mosquitoes. I don't how that's going to affect things with an outdoor business and mosquitoes getting closer," Sedam says.

The Downtown Redevelopment Agency says a fountain and filtration system are among the circulation measures planned for the basin, which should cut down on algae buildup and mosquitoes.

As for the parking crunch, the city is looking at turning some short-term parking spaces into long-term ones and adding spaces near the boat ramp. Eventually, 2 parking decks will be built, bringing roughly 900 parking spaces to downtown, but that could take 3 to 4 years.

The water basin phase of the redevelopment plan is expected to wrap up around September, the DRA says.