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St. Pete Beach Board approves Yacht & Tennis Club sheds with landscaping, fencing conditions
Summary
The Board of Adjustment approved a variance allowing two replacement storage sheds at the Yacht & Tennis Club, contingent on final zoning review of materials, a landscaping plan using fast-growing buttonwoods, a solid minimum 6-foot pen on the west side and other conditions addressing drainage and lighting.
The City of St. Pete Beach Board of Adjustment on a March 2025 meeting approved a variance allowing the Yacht & Tennis Club to install two replacement storage sheds, after the applicant and neighboring condominium associations presented a negotiated compromise on appearance and screening.
Board members said the clubs’ recent meeting with Captiva Cay association leaders produced concessions that addressed neighbors’ aesthetic and maintenance concerns.
Dan Nelson, representing the Yacht & Tennis Club, told the board the club met March 12, 2025 with Captiva Cay condominium and townhome association presidents to discuss a propertywide landscaping initiative and a more attractive “bungalow” style shed. Nelson said the club submitted renderings and lists of salt‑tolerant, fast‑growing shrubs to association leaders and described a possible alternate shed location that would require about $16,000 in trenching and relocation costs to move the sheds closer to the preferred site.
Captiva Cay Condominium Association President Anne John Lowe and Nicole Meyer, secretary of the neighboring homeowners association, said they were receptive to the aesthetics changes but sought assurance that the materials and final shed design would be reviewed. Lowe asked for roofing and guttering considerations in case roof pitch redirected runoff toward Captiva property, and asked that the maintenance pen fence be 8 feet rather than 6 feet if the sheds stayed in the current location. Meyer said her association favored compromise given the club’s hurricane damage and the relocation cost.
Board and staff clarifications at the hearing separated two fence elements: (1) a fenced “pen” to conceal maintenance materials on the west side that the club said would be replaced whether or not the sheds are approved, and (2) a chain‑link divider between properties. The applicant said the pen would be rebuilt in PVC or similar solid material and that buttonwood shrubs would be planted to screen the sheds; the club said it can provide 6‑gallon to 17‑gallon buttonwood plants to start screening immediately and that the vegetation typically grows 12–24 inches per year.
The board approved the variance with conditions requiring final zoning review and approval of the shed construction materials; a commitment to the landscaping plan (buttonwoods across the south border, with staff review at permitting and attention to any drainage issues that may arise); a minimum 6‑foot solid PVC fence to pen maintenance materials on the western side (the board clarified 6 feet as a minimum for the pen, with neighbors free to request taller screening); assurance that any lighting would face north away from Captiva; and confirmation that the approved sheds meet the size limit allowed (two buildings, each 60 square feet and up to 10 feet in height). A roll call recorded five yes votes and the motion carried.
Board members and neighborhood representatives emphasized the cooperative outcome: the club will provide renderings and plant lists to staff, the associations said they will continue to monitor plant choice and fence details, and staff will confirm whether any additional variances are required if the chosen shed product differs materially from what was filed.
The board’s approval did not obligate the Yacht & Tennis Club to relocate the sheds; the club noted the $16,000 relocation cost and said owners prefer to invest in landscaping, fence restoration and a more attractive cottage‑style shed rather than pay relocation costs.
Evidence from the meeting includes photographic plans and a staff findings packet that the board used when framing conditions; the board asked staff to verify the final materials and landscaping at permitting.
Votes at a glance Case 24104 (Yacht & Tennis Club sheds) — Approved with conditions (final material review by zoning; landscaping plan with buttonwoods and drainage review; minimum 6‑ft solid PVC pen on west side; lighting facing north; sheds limited to two 60‑sq‑ft units, 10 ft height). Vote: 5–0.
