Councilors Praise Citizen Volunteer and Question Neighborhood Impact

Some people came to the Marco Island City Council Chambers on Monday, March 7 to celebrate the accomplishments of one of their own, while others came forward to plead with the city council to protect their neighborhood. Some came away with smiles, while others left disheartened and disappointed.

Longtime resident and volunteer, Rocky Cale came away with a “Thank You” from the community in which he has volunteered for two decades. Cale is well-known for his work with the community’s Youth Sailing Program, which he helped to create. The program has served over 1,000 young men and women during the summer months.

Cale also become an integral member of the remote controlled (RC) laser model sailboat club, which will be celebrating its 18th Annual Marco Island Midwinter Championship for RC Laser Sailboats held at the Mackle Park Lake and sponsored by the Marco Island Model Yacht Club.

Council Chambers were packed on Monday evening with Cale’s supporters, who came out to show their appreciation for Cale and his efforts in the community.

As Council Chairman Erik Brechnitz moved to the front of the dais to read the Proclamation, the chambers reverberated with applause and shouts of praise from both young and old in support of the indefatigable Cale. Chairman Brechnitz praised Cale’s dedication and commitment to the programs he breathed life into over these last 20 years.

Unfortunately, the mood couldn’t have changed any faster than it did when residents of Old Marco came forward to plead with councilors to help them protect their neighborhood. 

The residents feel that the peace and tranquility of the Old Marco neighborhood has been under assault over the last two decades, and it is about to further change with the addition of a three story, 268-seat restaurant and bar. They are concerned it will further add to the congestion, parking and noise issues in the neighborhood.

The developer of the proposed three-story elevated structure, which is to be located at 1202 Bald Eagle Drive, previously saw a small “time-share” facility on that property. The new owners demolished that shortly after its purchase. In addition to the property at 1202 Bald Eagle Drive, the developer also owns the Marek property at 1121 Bald Eagle Drive and proposes to utilize it as additional parking to meet the new restaurant’s parking requirements.

Residents from Old Marco came forward to plead with councilors to protect their neighborhood. The newly adopted Comprehensive Plan for Marco Island recognized the unique nature of Old Marco and calls for paying special attention to the area’s character. 

Two years ago, the Ad-Hoc Parking Solutions Committee pointed out that improvements to the area’s poorly maintained infrastructure were needed, to address the area’s parking, lighting and stormwater issues. This was in recognition of the “unique historical nature” of the area. Council chose to pass on those recommendations.

Some audience members came forward to state that the addition of a new restaurant would meet the demands of a growing population and saw no problems. However, none of the people who came forward in support of the new structure resided in the area being impacted.

Luigi Carvelli came forward to respond to a complaint from one speaker who said that there are no “fine dining” restaurants on Marco, therefore requiring residents to drive into Naples. “No one needs to drive into Naples to experience fine dining,” said Carvelli, whose family owns The Oyster Society, Marco Prime, DaVinci’s and the Snook Inn under the Carvelli Restaurant Group.

Council Chairman Erik Brechnitz and several others were concerned that the details about parking, traffic and impacts on the neighborhood were not better defined. As such, Councilor Greg Folley made a motion that information about those details be brought back before council within 60 days. His motion was seconded by Councilor Claire Babrowski. 

Councilors Brechnitz, Folley, Babrowski and Joe Rola voted in favor of Folley’s motion to receive additional information, while Vice Chair Jared Grifoni and Councilors Rich Blonna and Becky Irwin opposed the motion.