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Resident warns proposed dry‑stack storage on U.S. 41 could bring more boats through Burnt Star Isles canals
Summary
At the Burnt Star Isles Canal Advisory Committee meeting, resident Bob Fritz and committee members pressed staff about a parcel on U.S. 41 marketed for dry‑stack boat storage, warning it could increase traffic through narrow canals; staff said negotiations on a related city land acquisition are ongoing but declined to disclose details.
Bob Fritz, a Burnt Star Isles resident, told the Burnt Star Isles Canal Advisory Committee on April 7 that a parcel along U.S. 41 is being marketed for uses that include a dry‑stack boat storage facility and a marina, raising concerns about added boat traffic through the neighborhood's narrow canal network.
"The uses they're proposing for that is crazy — a dry stack storage marina going through our waterway," Fritz said, noting he found the listing on the marketing agent's website and that, based on tax rolls, the owner had "not paid one dime into the BSI canal situation." He asked whether the city had been approached about the proposal and whether anything would come before the advisory committee for advisement.
Mark Storm, canal maintenance supervisor for Punta Gorda City public works, said staff had not been formally approached and that if the parcel is outside city limits county permitting could apply. "If it's county and it's not within the city limits then they may deal with the county mainly," he said, while offering to "voice your concerns further up" within city processes.
Committee members emphasized the narrowness of the canal section between U.S. 41 and the lock and cautioned that even single‑family development or a dry‑stack facility could increase transits through Alligator Creek and BSI canals. "If you have a 30‑foot boat, you're the only one going through," one member said, describing navigation constraints.
Separately, members pressed staff for an update on the city's reported interest in acquiring a nearby parcel. Brian Clemens of public works said the city has reached out to the landowner and that "there are things actively going on" but declined to provide negotiation details at the meeting, citing limits on what staff could disclose. Committee members said prior communications about a potential acquisition had stalled in earlier cycles and urged clearer, sooner status updates to avoid losing the opportunity to purchase the lot.
No formal permit or development application for the U.S. 41 parcel was before the committee at the April 7 meeting. Staff noted recent seawall repairs at a nearby lot and said they would check records to determine who paid for the work. Members asked staff to notify the committee if a permitting or quasi‑judicial canal construction special permit (CCSP) were to be requested, because such an application would come before this body for review and possibly sworn public testimony.
The committee did not vote on any land‑use action at the meeting. Members approved the prior meeting minutes and asked staff to provide more information on the land acquisition process as soon as permissible under procurement and negotiation rules.
Next steps: staff said they would look into what information about negotiations can be shared, provide updates on who repaired the seawall in question, and report back at a future meeting if a permit application or formal acquisition milestone arises.
