Cape Coral is moving forward with massive design changes that will transform the Yacht Club Community Park into a more extravagant waterfront gem for the city.
It will include a new resort-style pool, restaurant and community center in the master plan.
“I think the draw will be a lot bigger than the Yacht Club draw,” said board member Dan Sheppard.
The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which includes a yacht basin, tennis courts, swimming pool, ballroom and riverside beach, has been a popular attraction and city staple since the 1960s.
At a town meeting Wednesday, council discussed the Yacht Club master plan, following a previous discussion at a winter retreat in January.
There, the council issued orders to adjust initial renovation plans, which could include a two-story ballroom, removing tennis courts and redeveloping the area to accommodate parking and a new restaurant.
The council has now decided on a framework based on the first concept presented by Kimley-Horn, a consulting firm specializing in public and private developments.
Previous discussions said the project could cost up to $100 million.
Recently updated plans include:
- A curved driveway leading into the park that surrounds the proposed parking garage and stormwater pond to the east and south portions of the park.
- A three-story car park with 500 spaces
- A new restaurant near the beach and inlet, complementing the current waterfront restaurant, The Boathouse Tiki Bar & Restaurant.
- New toilets
- A resort-style swimming pool
- A new harbor master building near the boat trailer parking lot
- A second shaded pier to the north of the park
- A new Yacht Club community center
- A rainwater basin
- A new fountain
City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said the changes will be used for the site plan.
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Nautical club background
The city had planned in 2022 to close the park for two years for renovations which included replacing the marina’s sea walls and wet slipways, replacing the harbor master’s building and boat ramp, and constructing a three-story car park and toilets on the beach.
The beach would also be expanded and utilities relocated.
Then Hurricane Ian hit on September 28, 2022, delaying plans and closing the beach for more than a year.
During the January winter retreat, board members decided to take a “clean slate” approach to renovating the facilities, which included demolishing all facilities.
Facilities included the main ballroom building, the Tony Rotino Center, tennis courts, a swimming pool and the harbor master’s office.
Many residents opposed the project but the city intends to move forward. with complete demolition by early 2024.
Council members express their concerns
James Pankonin, landscape architect at Kimley-Horn, gave a presentation. He highlighted two concepts.
The second concept presented was similar to the first, but the road would be realigned and cut around the stormwater basin and parking lot, the proposed restaurant faced the main road, had a smaller pool and a longer pier.
Many elements were integrated into the concept, with the exception of the small swimming pool.
Council member Tom Hayden, who recently opposed the demolition of the main ballroom, liked the plans.
“I realized that after the initial plans to renovate the old one weren’t going to work, I continued. And I like the fact that we’re bringing something to the community that will attract people interested in different things with the beach, resort pool, event space and boating,” Hayden said.
He wants to see a room dedicated to the old Yacht Club building in the new community center.
The council reached consensus on many aspects of the park’s appearance, but many had concerns about amenities such as parking, tennis courts and the pool.
Sheppard liked the plans but worried parking would become a problem.
“My only fear is that we don’t have anything like this in the city and when that is done I think the draw will be much bigger than the Yacht Club, so my concerns are about parking,” Sheppard said .
Hayden and Mayor John Gunter shared that concern.
The city plans to conduct a parking study to account for this potential problem.
Another council member, Bill Steinke, wanted the tennis courts preserved.
“I play tennis very regularly at the Yacht Club and we have a large number of residents who have purchased their homes in this neighborhood because of the proximity to tennis,” Steinke said.
He discussed the possibility of using the roof of the parking lot as space for tennis courts and, eventually, pickleball courts.
Gunter said the cost would be too high.
“I’d rather spend that money on parking or putting tennis courts in somewhere,” Gunter said.
Steinke relented if tennis courts could be made available in another part of the city, preferably in the south.
Steinke also brought in the resort-style pool and said they should take into account how residents use it.
“The problem is that many current residents use the park and pool for exercise and lane swimming,” Steinke said.
Council members Patty Cummings and Jessica Cosden shared that sentiment and wanted to see another pool for the public.
Gunter ended the discussion by saying he wanted to see a timeline for the project.
Ilczyszyn said more activities will soon take place in the park, including the reopening of the beach and the demolition of buildings. He hopes the permits will be issued in due time.
What’s next for Yacht Club Park?
The council will meet again on the subject, after the city’s winter break in 2024.
Kimley-Horn will update the designs with council feedback and host a public meeting where residents can review the new concept before moving forward with a permanent design.
Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.
