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Fernandina Beach board prioritizes resiliency wall and waterfront options as Brett’s lease, Atlantic Seafood influence design
Summary
At its meeting, the CRA executive board discussed sequencing for a federally sensitive resiliency wall and options for replacing Brett’s and Atlantic Seafood, noting a June 2025 design timeline tied to roughly $1M for design and $2M for construction and urging quick decisions to avoid delaying demolition and seawall work.
The Community Redevelopment Agency executive board in Fernandina Beach prioritized near-term decisions on the waterfront’s resiliency wall and on what should replace the Brett’s and Atlantic Seafood sites before demolition proceeds. Jeremiah, speaking for staff, said grant timelines and permitting choices limit design options and put a premium on clarifying what will go back in place of existing waterfront structures.
Jeremiah said the board has two grant-funded elements with a design deadline “I think it’s June 2025,” and noted approximately $1,000,000 for design and $2,000,000 for construction tied to the resiliency work. “We have some money to do something, but not enough to continue it much further,” he added, urging a staged or scaled approach that can tie into existing segments of the seawall.
Why it matters: staff and board members said they cannot finalize seawall design until they know whether Brett’s or Atlantic Seafood will be demolished and what replacement structure would occupy the footprint. The board emphasized that demolition without a plan for replacement risks leaving an empty structure or disrupting marina operations and funding alignment for the grant.
Board members and staff flagged several constraints and choices: whether to rebuild over water or on land to avoid Army Corps permitting; whether to replace restaurants with an open-air pavilion or a smaller, income-generating concession; and how to sequence demolition to preserve marina use. Jake, staff member, noted civil bids and procurement steps are already underway for related park work, and that the timeline could be affected if the commission requests additional workshops.
Members discussed the logistics of demolition and the marina: Jeremiah warned that docks and fueling infrastructure are connected to the Brett’s structure and that demolition will likely require floating docks, temporary gangways and careful sequencing so the marina can remain operational. “You can’t just demolish and say, we’ll figure it out later. Good luck,” he said, arguing that the replacement plan should be prepared in tandem with demolition planning.
Several board members favored an open-air pavilion or a modest platform as options that would preserve sightlines and be simpler to permit than a full-service restaurant over water; one member suggested exploring income-generating and non-income-generating options and bringing two or three concrete concepts to the January workshop so the commission can compare alternatives.
Next steps: staff and board members said they will present prioritized recommendations at the January workshop and the executive board’s January 17 meeting. Staff will collect additional reference projects and permitting examples and will try to refine cost and permitting estimates so the commission can make informed choices before demolition proceeds.
