BSI - Dock, Lift, boat rules (for sale, to rent, buying a house)

[tansey90]

Hello,

My husband and I are looking for a home in PGI or possibly BSI to retire to in a couple years. We are ready to buy now, and, in fact, have had 2 accepted offers on homes (one PGI, one BSI) that we had to back out of due to low elevation and dock/lift rules in BSI.

Anyway, reading BSI rules, and speaking with the city officials, we were directly told in BSI you MUST put in a lift if you put in a dock unless the grandfathered in. The house we had an agreement on did not have a dock. We were fine with that as we want a lift for a fishing boat anyway. But here's the kicker, reading the regulations, we also found that if not grandfathered in, ANY boat in BSI MUST be on a lift. That would mean that we would have to put in two lifts (and, of course, have a lot over 85'). We have a 47' sailboat and would not want to put in a lift for that as the cost is too high. It seems strange to us that you can't have a boat in the water. We have seen many that way in our past recent trips but they may have been there for years for all we know!

Should we simply forget about looking at anything in BSI and mainly concentrate on lots in PGI over 85'? Or, does anyone have experiences with getting a variance to do what we would like? It sure would be a gamble buying a house in BSI and having to wait to see if a variance would be granted. The main reason we are choosing the PBI/BSI area is to have our sailboat in our backyard.

Anyone with experience getting a variance in BSI with any advice?

At this point we have ruled out PC but think we may have to expand to that area if we can't find anything that meets our needs elsewhere. Not many homes are for sale, if any, in the $400-$625 range now. Hoping more homes come on the market in the fall as our realtor tells us should happen.

Thanks for listening and any thoughts you may wish to share.

[SeaRay35]

Just reading through BSI documents and quite surprised a lift is required. We live in PGI and that is not the case that we know of. A buddy had to get a variance for his lift on the rim canal in BSI and that was a PITA. With that being said I can’t remember seeing many if any 80th lots with 2 lifts. Best advice would to be call the city and feel them out if you are set on BSI. IMO BSI is prettier than PGI but you do run into these issues. Best of luck.

[ranchonodinero]

Only problem in BSI is the LONG boat ride. I would encourage you, next time you are down, to rent a boat and then just "no wake" through the various neighborhoods to see how long it takes. We bought in PGI on a vacant lot. There's actually another vacant lot on the street too. PM me-I'm not a realtor nor do I get anything out of this.

[JERSEY MAN]

I had to get a variance about 8 months ago in BSI to get a new dock and lift. We had to get an engineers drawing and had 2 hearings in which the company that we contracted with attended and presented our case. After a bit of negotiations with the city on how the lift was angled the canal committee approved it. It was not fun knowing that it could have gone either way but it seems the city, the company and the canal committee work together as I stood on the sidelines. I'm a happy camper(boater) now. If you want or need more info you can DM me. Good luck

[wpc691]

We have a 106’ lot in PGI with a 10K# lift for our fishing boat, and an extended dock for our 43’ Hatteras. Permitting for moving the original lift, adding to the dock, and rewiring the whole thing to add a 120/240 power pedestal was zero issue - no meetings, no reports, completely painless. Don’t forget about the 45 degree rule when you’re planning - it chews up a lot of space on each end. We could get a 47 footer at our dock, but I wouldn’t want any less space than that, so I’d say 106’ is the minimum you want. The best situation for two boats is a tip lot, but I really doubt you can find one if $625K is the top of your budget. Glad to provide any additional info if you need it.

A little off topic, but does anybody know the status of the multimillion dollar project in BSI to bury all their electric? I thought it was approved (which I couldn’t believe), but haven’t heard anything about it lately.

[JERSEY MAN]

Originally Posted by wpc691

We have a 106’ lot in PGI with a 10K# lift for our fishing boat, and an extended dock for our 43’ Hatteras. Permitting for moving the original lift, adding to the dock, and rewiring the whole thing to add a 120/240 power pedestal was zero issue - no meetings, no reports, completely painless. Don’t forget about the 45 degree rule when you’re planning - it chews up a lot of space on each end. We could get a 47 footer at our dock, but I wouldn’t want any less space than that, so I’d say 106’ is the minimum you want. The best situation for two boats is a tip lot, but I really doubt you can find one if $625K is the top of your budget. Glad to provide any additional info if you need it.

A little off topic, but does anybody know the status of the multimillion dollar project in BSI to bury all their electric? I thought it was approved (which I couldn’t believe), but haven’t heard anything about it lately.

Underground Utilities VOTING Results. Burnt Store Isles Undergrounding Results – Ballots were mailed to 1248 property owners on Mar. 2. Deadline for submission was Apr. 15. A total of 941 voted ballots were received with 932 received ballots being properly executed as follows:
YES – 181 Votes (19.42%)
NO – 751 Votes (80.58%)
City Council will discuss the results of the Straw Ballot at their May 6 meeting.

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN

Underground Utilities VOTING Results. Burnt Store Isles Undergrounding Results – Ballots were mailed to 1248 property owners on Mar. 2. Deadline for submission was Apr. 15. A total of 941 voted ballots were received with 932 received ballots being properly executed as follows:
YES – 181 Votes (19.42%)
NO – 751 Votes (80.58%)
City Council will discuss the results of the Straw Ballot at their May 6 meeting.

Thanks. Common sense prevails, at least for now.

[SeaRay35]

Originally Posted by wpc691

Thanks. Common sense prevails, at least for now.

Common sense by residents, hopefully city council has the same common sense.

[mr&mrssunshine]

city council
common sense


does not compute :-)

[tansey90]

Originally Posted by wpc691

We have a 106’ lot in PGI with a 10K# lift for our fishing boat, and an extended dock for our 43’ Hatteras. Permitting for moving the original lift, adding to the dock, and rewiring the whole thing to add a 120/240 power pedestal was zero issue - no meetings, no reports, completely painless. Don’t forget about the 45 degree rule when you’re planning - it chews up a lot of space on each end. We could get a 47 footer at our dock, but I wouldn’t want any less space than that, so I’d say 106’ is the minimum you want. The best situation for two boats is a tip lot, but I really doubt you can find one if $625K is the top of your budget. Glad to provide any additional info if you need it.

A little off topic, but does anybody know the status of the multimillion dollar project in BSI to bury all their electric? I thought it was approved (which I couldn’t believe), but haven’t heard anything about it lately.

I don't really understand what the 45 degree rule is! Can you explain in a 5th graders' terms - lol!!!?

So BSI wants to bury the lines? I assume this would be an added expense on property taxes then?

Thanks
Lisa