Council approves “Olde Seaport” project
A commercial planned development rezoning request to allow a mixture of uses such as outdoor seating, retail, food preparation and a marine educational facility adjacent to the bayside area of Old San Carlos Boulevard was approved to advance to the development and building stages during a long hearing that stuck on ownership issues Monday. Restaurant uses and docking on submerged lands are also involved in the overall project.
The Fort Myers Beach Town Council granted construction, engineer and ownership officials to go forward with the “Olde Seaport of Fort Myers Beach” project. The intended three-phase project involves 11,436 square feet of new development on 1.38 acres of upland property and 0.08 acres of submerged land property.
According to the application, the theme of the Olde Seaport “creates facilities that are reminiscent of the Caribbean ports of the 1800s.”
A lengthy debate regarding property ownership of ground floor restaurant utility area units within MarinaVillage condominium stalled a quicker decision and almost created a hearing continuation. The units are an integral part of most every part of the project.
“I am in favor of this, but my concern is the property ownership issue. I fear a lawsuit from the condominium (officials) about this project,” said Councilwoman Rexann Hosafros, the only dissenter in the 4-1 vote. “There are too many unanswered questions for me.”
“My guess is that he (Barrier Island Management owner Rob DeGennaro) owns the four parcels,” said Vice Mayor Dan Andre.
Mayor Anita Cereceda claims ownership was established in the hearing with the condominium documents. Once the hearing was closed, she directed comments to both DeGennaro and Fowler Construction owner Rob Fowler.
“I am going to put great faith in you, Rob and Rob, that the issues that have been raised by the condominium association will be addressed, and we are not going to have to hear about this again until we see the project underway,” she said. “I genuinely think that (condominium officials) want to see it happen, but they have to be considered in this.”
DeGennaro said integrity for both Fowler and himself will come into play.
“I promise we will continue to work with the condo (officials) to make sure we put together some kind of a development that will make everybody happy,” said.
Specifically, Town records show plans call for an Olde Seaport Market (4,020 square feet of open-air retail spaces within open covered structures with some walls that will not be subject to enclosed building FEMA regulations as supply and inventory will be removed nightly); the “Lobster Pot” (3,547 square feet of outdoor and covered open-air seating that will include outdoor cooking in steamer pots or similar operations and supported by full kitchen facilities); the “Full Belly Deli” (2,729 square feet of outdoor seating with primary intentions for breakfast and lunch that is supported by kitchen facilities); and “History House” (1,140 square feet of open-air public space upon a submerged land lease that will feature an interchangeable seaport-themed exhibit on the history of the area and act as the focal point to the overall project.) The submerged land lease uses may also contain a Sheriff’s office substation for water patrol, marine patrol office and/or dock master’s office if a pending Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit allows additional dock spaces.
DeGennaro stated he has had a vision to create a historical presence along the bay front on Fort Myers Beach since he purchased Nervous Nellie’s Crazy Waterfront Eatery. In 2013, 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. He recently sold the Nervous Nellie’s business, but remains the property owner.
In the past, DeGennaro has stated the venture would add more culture and year-round schooner ships in a proposed master waterfront site plan that features an expanded marina and a pirate museum within his MarinaVillage units. The pirate museum idea has since been abandoned.
At the hearing, there were claims of contradictions, specifically applicant discussions were not the same as proposed plans. Concerns raised were the ownership issue, noise from delivery trucks, music and late night diners, inadequate parking and not enough input considered from MarinaVillage officials.
“The condominium is an integral part of this project and that applied otherwise is a manipulation of reality,” said MarinaVillage Association board member Paul Rosen. “We are not against a reasonable, smart development that works for everybody.”
FMB Chamber President Bud Nocera stated the vision of Fort Myers Beach since Town inception has included a vibrant walking street on Old San Carlos Boulevard with “anchors at both ends” that already involves an established anchor at the Times Square end.
“The Ole Seaport project will go a long way to bring the vision to fruition by providing the other anchor at the other end of Old San Carlos,” he said. “I think that this will have the additional benefit of creating additional accesses to the Beach by water – by boat, by water taxi- and to provide a landing for that at the end of Old San Carlos.”
The seaport expansion idea was heard by the Town Local Planning Agency on Nov. 14, 2014. The 4-1 voting approval with conditions that dealt with limited business hours, non-amplified acoustic music, moving steamer pots outside the building, delivery hours, parking and a parking lot flow-through pushed the proposed project to Council. Town staff has also shown approval of the project.
Permits for floating docks for the marina expansion were received roughly last year, but DeGennaro decided to go with fixed wood dock on the recommendation of engineers and to fit the old seaport theme. The proposed west dock plan to have a “T” structure with added finger walkways for easier access to get on and off boats.
The “History House” 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 earlier. “(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.”
The new CPD is called a near 90 percent reduction in proposed development intensity from the existing approved Snug Harbor CPD, which included a hotel/motel mixed-use complex and a 123-car parking structure.
The project, which was stated to be more than two years in the making, was said to eliminate gated-off docks that are not used due to wear and tear and of which are considered an eyesore. Applicant officials called the overall project “low key” and that it “adds character.”