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Board approves Skipper's Dockside variances and site plan for tiki‑style waterfront restaurant
Summary
The Planning & Development Board approved three variances, design and site plan for Skipper's Dockside, a tiki‑style waterfront restaurant and marina at 2308 North Ocean Drive, after staff said the project meets zoning criteria and the applicant noted prior agency approvals for seawall and docks; one board member voiced traffic/sightline concerns about reduced landscaping.
The Planning & Development Board on Sept. 10 approved variances, design and the site plan for Skipper's Dockside, a tiki‑style restaurant and marina proposed at 2308 North Ocean Drive.
Reggie White of the planning department told the board the project site is in the Beaches Community Redevelopment District and described the request as variances to reduce the 10‑foot seawall setback to 0 feet for the tiki gazebo and restaurant, and two landscape‑setback reductions for the parking lot (front and side setbacks from 10 feet to 5 feet). White said staff found the proposal consistent with zoning and recommended approval of the three variances, design and site plan if the variances are granted.
The applicant's attorney, Keith Poliakoff, said the site already had seawall and dock approvals from Broward County and the Army Corps of Engineers and that prior hurricane damage led the owner to rebuild and now seek design approvals. "The only reason why variance is required is because [the code] didn't contemplate that you could have ownership beyond the seawall," Poliakoff told the board, adding there will be no fuel sales or jet‑ski operations at the site.
A member of the public, Anthony Giambre, testified in support as a boater, saying the marina will direct attention to a nearby no‑wake zone and help protect dolphins and other wildlife. "Having another place on the water to go eat is attractive," Giambre said. A board member questioned groundwater testing and local flooding; staff said permitting will require coordination with county and state agencies during the permitting phase.
The board voted to approve variance 1 (seawall setback to 0 feet) unanimously. Variance 2 (front landscape setback to 5 feet) passed after discussion with one recorded 'no' vote by a board member who requested tighter landscaping height controls to preserve sightlines on A1A; variance 3 passed unanimously. The board then approved the project's design and site plan unanimously.
What happens next: The approvals allow the applicant to proceed to permitting and coordinate with the county and state agencies for required reviews and construction permits.
