HISTORIC HARBOR: Visionary seeks “Old Seaport” with proposed plan
Nervous Nellie’s Owner Rob DeGennaro has a proposed plan to create a historical presence along the bayfront by his establishment on Fort Myers Beach.
DeGennaro is hoping to add more culture and year-round schooner ships in a proposed master waterfront site plan that features an expanded marina and a pirate museum. The plan, if approved, would produce an “old seaport” design in the downtown zoning district of the island.
Such a venture would attract more tourism onto the Beach and a waterfront walking district on the Back Bay, says DeGennaro. The project is being called “The Old Seaport on Fort Myers Beach.”
“Our vision is to have these tall ships year round,” DeGennaro said. “If they know that they have a dock where they are welcomed with a deep passage like Matanzas Pass is, they’ll come. We have 25 to 30 feet of water out there.”
On Monday, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council unanimously approved the construction of a passageway from the right-of-way under Matanzas Sky Bridge through Nervous Nellies, adjacent Bayside Park and the docks at the Marina Village at Snug Harbor.
Back in 2002, a non-exclusive pedestrian access agreement was approved to have that walkway across the dock at the formerly known Snug Harbor Restaurant. The connecting passage was interrupted for seawall work a few years back.
“The DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) is requiring that we put the dock back so that we have a continual pass from the parking lot under the bridge all the way to the back of Snug Harbor condominiums,” said DeGennaro. “They want that walk-through placed back for handicap access.”
Some consider this a first step to the full range plans that are being proposed, but the future project is a commercial planning development rezoning request, says Town Planning Coordinator Josh Overmyer. The seaport expansion idea is scheduled to go in front of the Town Local Planning Agency next Tuesday, Oct. 14, during the 9 a.m. meeting. If approved at that level, Council would then entertain the project through public hearings.
Last year, DeGennaro purchased the 13,000-square-foot Nervous Nellie’s property, the adjacent Snug Harbor Marina, the common area around Snug Harbor, three commercial condominium units in the Marina Village at Snug Harbor (two through a re-application and the other is the rehabilitated kitchen) and parking lots behind it for $4 million.
Permits for floating docks for the marina expansion were received roughly a year ago, but DeGennaro has decided to go with wooden docks instead, since other businesses have been having problems with the unsecured style.
“The engineer recommended we go with fixed wood docks,” he said. “This will fit in with the old seaport theme.”
The Nervous Nellies marina setup is being proposed to have the same “T” structure, but with added finger walkways for easier access to get on and off boats. The Snug Harbor marina would change from a regular basin to a possibly more configured setup with smaller slips, an area for first responders, the Snug Harbor condo tour boat within one arrangement and the Fort Myers Princess and schooner ships housed on the other.
“DEP has already approved the marina. We are just waiting on the Army Corps of Engineers with a saw fish review and Town approval,” DeGennaro said.
The proposed marina plan is part of an overall development of a proposed culture center on the docks and within the bottom floor of the Marina Village at Snug Harbor.
“Part of that would be a marine history house, which would have a little museum that would include the Calusa Indians up to the Shrimp Boat Fleet. A good emphasis on that would be pirates,” said DeGennaro. “It would be operated and curated as the Fort Myers Beach Pirate Museum. They are looking to put in 1,800 square feet of exhibits along with a retail application. We hope to tie in interpretive pirate cruises three days a week.”
The current dock at Nervous Nellies has been home of the Lynx privateer ship, which has established Fort Myers Beach as its winter port.
“We are awaiting on the Lynx to give us their arrival date,” said DeGennaro.
Last year, the Nao Victoria, a replica of Ferdinand Magellan’s ship that was first to circumnavigate the world, also ported there and is expected back.
The National Air, Sea and Space Foundation, an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of military, commercial, and civil enterprises in air, sea, and space, is hoping to bring up the El Galeon Andelucia from Puerto Rico, possibly in November. That ship, which was used for the canceled TV series “Crossbones,” starring John Malkovich, is a replica of the late 16th century fabled merchant vessels and war ships that made up the early navies of Europe.
DeGennaro stated such pirate vessels “Duck,” “Jousting Rover” and “The Black Pearl” will be at the docks for the Pirate Fest this weekend. A booth at that event will show plans of the proposed museum as well.
The center could add a new chapter to the historical heritage of the island, represented now by a Calusa Indian mound archeological site at Mound House.
“We are working very closely with the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau,” said DeGennaro. “(Lee VCB’s) Nancy (McPhee) believes the only real cultural draw we have is the Mound House. They said they would help us promote it. This would be the real deal.”
If all goes well for the visionary, including agency and governmental approvals, permits and orders, construction towards the project goal could come in the near future.
“We’re ready to go,” said DeGennaro. “As soon as we get the approval from Council, then we can certainly start the construction.”