Shack at Cape Coral beach

[rikoshaprl]

The city raised the rent at the end of her lease and she did not want to pay the increase. It took a larger restaurant to be able to cover the cost of the added rent. Other restaurants put in bids to rent the property and Ford's came in with the best offer. That rent paid to the city is helping to keep our property taxes lower.

[rikoshaprl]

Originally Posted by Izmack

This bridge thing won't go away.

What I don't get is this:

A second plan would build a drawbridge over Cape Coral Parkway, but the CRA ruled that plan out as well because it would stall traffic approximately 20 minutes each time it needed to be opened.

20 minutes?! That's ridiculous. There are so many towns across the US that have drawbridges across major thoroughfares (Annapolis and Venice come to mind) and it certainly does not take that long.

The last option would be building a $12 million fixed bridge over Cape Coral Parkway and reroute traffic from SE 47th Terrace. The project could be financed through an independent tax on homeowners along the canal.

Not exactly clear what this means - rerouting traffic. But the 900 homeowners who benefit from the canal connection should bear the brunt of this cost. $13,000 each, which would be by far offset by the increase in their property values.

Where did you see the 900 homeowner, $13,000 each numbers?

[Izmack]

Originally Posted by rikoshaprl

Wasn't there a restaurant at the beach before the Boathouse? There were parking problems then and there are parking problems now. Now, there is a 6 person golf cart standing by at all times to shuttle people to their cars. The valet parking is a great idea. It was stupid to park those cars at the lot right near the beach. But now they are parking the cars at a remote lot like every valet service I have ever seen. They do need a few spots in front of the restaurant for patrons to exit their cars for the valet. BTW, the valet service can be used by beachgoers if they can't find a parking spot. That could be a useful option instead of carrying beach paraphernalia from a remote lot.
I am happy to have a place to get food and drink at the beach. The owners put a ton of money into this restaurant and are paying very high rent. They deserve a chance to make a profit.

The bridge over Cape Coral Pkwy should have its own thread.

Riko, it was a snack bar at the site prior, generally patronized by beachgoers and their families. This is a far different situtation. Sure, it's a great addition. But surely you agree the ramifications of a full scale restaurant (which isn't nearly as kid-friendly) on the community park was not well thought out.

[don1945]

What the city did was they took her rent from a reasonable amount to an astronomical amount that they knew she couldn't ever pay. That was their way of getting rid of her. If she has simply been a tenant for a short period of time that would have been one thing, but she was a fixture there for many, many years and they paid back that loyal, good paying tenant by giving her no option but to fold.

It is going to be interesting to see all the issues that arise from this new, bigger, noisier business in what is primarily a residential area. I also feel that this area was originally set aside for the use of all Cape Coral residents, and now, due to crowding, mainly patrons of Ford's will be the ones getting the benefits.......not the folks who want to go to the beach or pier and enjoy a pleasant day.

Don

[Izmack]

Ford's is doing a great job at crowding out the independents everywhere. Just look at the landscape in downtown Fort Myers. Yet another one opened last night. Some say it's a good thing to have so many bright fun spots....but by the same conglomerate? It's almost impossible for the little guy to compete on so many levels with the buying power of this behemoth.

[Samiamnh]

Originally Posted by don1945

What the city did was they took her rent from a reasonable amount to an astronomical amount that they knew she couldn't ever pay. That was their way of getting rid of her. If she has simply been a tenant for a short period of time that would have been one thing, but she was a fixture there for many, many years and they paid back that loyal, good paying tenant by giving her no option but to fold.

It is going to be interesting to see all the issues that arise from this new, bigger, noisier business in what is primarily a residential area. I also feel that this area was originally set aside for the use of all Cape Coral residents, and now, due to crowding, mainly patrons of Ford's will be the ones getting the benefits.......not the folks who want to go to the beach or pier and enjoy a pleasant day.

Don

Well said,Don.....those were hard working ladies and it was a nice place to stop by boat for a burger and beer.True,it wasn't fancy but do we really need another place that costs $50 for lunch for two?

[rikoshaprl]

Originally Posted by Izmack

Ford's is doing a great job at crowding out the independents everywhere. Just look at the landscape in downtown Fort Myers. Yet another one opened last night. Some say it's a good thing to have so many bright fun spots....but by the same conglomerate? It's almost impossible for the little guy to compete on so many levels with the buying power of this behemoth.

I couldn't be happier to see another beautiful restaurant opening in Downtown Fort Myers. I have been visiting Fort Myers since 1987. The downtown was filled with empty stores, dilapidated buildings but plenty of independents. There is still room for independents looking for lower rentals. They may need to open on the outskirts of the downtown.
I liked KC's too but it under utilized the location. They were closed at 7 PM and had a limited menu. Why wouldn't Cape Coral residents want a destination restaurant in one of the only open waterfront locations in SE CC? A burger is $9.00 but it is much better than the $7.00 KC burger. $3.50 for a Yuengling is not bad either.

[nhkev]

Originally Posted by rikoshaprl

I couldn't be happier to see another beautiful restaurant opening in Downtown Fort Myers. I have been visiting Fort Myers since 1987. The downtown was filled with empty stores, dilapidated buildings but plenty of independents. There is still room for independents looking for lower rentals. They may need to open on the outskirts of the downtown.
I liked KC's too but it under utilized the location. They were closed at 7 PM and had a limited menu. Why wouldn't Cape Coral residents want a destination restaurant in one of the only open waterfront locations in SE CC? A burger is $9.00 but it is much better than the $7.00 KC burger. $3.50 for a Yuengling is not bad either.

I agree when you have prime waterfront location like the
yacht club you can do better than a snack bar.