Skybar, office building, breaks ground in South Cape
When the construction of a new four-story building at 1413 Cape Coral Parkway is completed, it will offer a new multi-use concept in the South Cape.
LAI Construction on Thursday held an unofficial groundbreaking for the building that will offer two stories of office space, a steakhouse on the ground floor and a martini “skybar” on the top.
Local business owners came to what is now an empty lot to see what is in store for this long-empty parcel next to Wendy’s.
Richard Losee, of LAI Construction, said the event was simply a formal announcement, since many people have been talking about the project and the potential it has to impact the area.
“We hope it’s a game changer. We have an exciting plan and we hope everyone will like it and come here,” Losee said.
Stacy Lomonaco, chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency, said the CRA was happy the South Cape was chosen for such a project and hopes this makes owners in the area think about beautifying their own properties.
“We need more restaurants and entertainment to be in this district, so we’re happy they chose to come here,” Lomonaco said. “This is the first building being built from the ground up, so this could be the standard by which other buildings are built.”
The building will house PRIME 239, which will offer high-end dining and fresh-cut steaks and a wide variety of whiskey.
The top floor will house SKYBAR 26, named after the latitude of the city. It will feature lofted skylight windows, indoor and outdoor seating and views of the Caloosahatchee River.
Losee, along with George Lukas, who will operate the steakhouse, showed off the concept of their design and the expectations they have for the bar and restaurant.
“We believe this will go very well and we’ll have a nice place to go to have a steak,” Losee said.
Oliver Straetz, the primary investor, said he has looked forward to this project for years and wants to start renting the office space next year.
“I saw the for sale sign here one day and decided to do it. The area is nice and I expect a strong season next year,” Straetz said. “I think something like this has been missing.”
Ricardo Noguera, city of Cape Coral Economic Development manager, said he is thrilled to see this building come to Cape Coral and he hopes it will be a magnet to attract more high-scale dining.
What the city and CRA are trying to promote is a gourmet dining destination that would attract more restaurants and more diners from Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Noguera said.
The official groundbreaking will be later this summer, as soon as all the permits are approved. The building is expected to be completed and open by next summer.