Punta Gorda committee delays variance request for Isles Yacht Club dock canopies

The City of Punta Gorda Development Review Committee postponed a variance request on June 27 for fabric sun covers proposed on the fuel dock at Isles Yacht Club, saying the application did not supply enough information to meet multiple variance criteria.

The committee’s urban design manager, Hank Flores, read the staff recommendation: "We are unable to recommend approval at this time. Application does not contain sufficient evidence and or information to prove criteria 1, 2, 3, and 7 as true in reference to the subject property." The committee voted to delay action until the applicant supplies additional documentation.

Applicant representative Jake Dye described the proposed covers as small, removable fabric structures intended to provide shade for dock masters who supervise refueling. "They're about the size of a large umbrella," Dye said, and the covers are removable during storm preparation. He said the fueling point is roughly 170 feet from the main club building and that refueling some vessels can take over an hour, requiring the dock master to remain on the dock.

Paula Williams, who said she is the club’s agent, said the shade would reduce heat exposure for dock staff. "The beneficial factor is the heat. It can keep them from having heat strokes because they're not in, you know, under the sun directly," Williams said.

A vendor representative, Sherry Gaston of Water Weed Canopies, told the committee she had an engineer’s statement that the structures could withstand winds of up to 170 miles per hour and that the canopies can be removed in about 10 minutes. "They'll come off in about 10 minutes time," Gaston said, and said the club’s hurricane-preparation procedures would include removing the canopies.

Flores and staff said the application lacked key technical details, including sufficient drawings and documentation of the proposed chain/attachment details; staff asked the applicant to provide the statute references cited in the application and additional engineering or product specifications before the matter moves to the Board of Zoning Appeals or the Planning and Zoning Board depending on next steps.

The committee’s action was procedural: members moved to postpone approval until the applicant supplied the requested information and a second was recorded. The motion carried with all members in favor.

The committee did not approve the variance at this meeting; staff and the applicants agreed the item will return to the committee or the applicable appeals board after the applicant supplies the requested documentation.