Seawall Construction Once Again to be Debated

The discussions at the March 6th Planning Board Meeting on Friday will be centering around a quality of life issue which has been debated for as long as Marco Island has been incorporated as a city and even before that.

With over 100 miles of canals, the issue of aging seawalls is constantly on the minds of property owners and businesses around the island. With the island now over 50 years old, that labyrinth of waterways is rapidly closing in on the life expectancy of those vertical cement sheets that hold our yards from sliding into those canals and choking off the access to the Marco River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Over 8300 single-family lots were plotted out across the island, and that does not include the many condominium and commercial entities across Marco that also have seawalls stabilizing their backyards and providing them access to those waterways and the gulf.

The city has struggled with the issue of where to allow seawalls to be built that will eventually replace those older structures that were installed when the island was dredged, and the maze of waterways was created.

Currently, the City of Marco Island Land Development Code allows the manufacturing of concrete seawall panels and boats docks on residential lots for a maximum of 100 consecutive days. That same lot can again be utilized for that same purpose for an additional 365 after the expiration of the first 100 days.

There is no requirement that the panels manufactured there be used on that parcel of land, effectively allowing a heavy manufacturing process to occur within a residential neighborhood.

The seawall construction process is the only one allowed outside the C-5 Zone, which is designated as the city’s “Heavy Commercial District.”

Paul Winter, the owner of 1200 Orange Court, came forward earlier in February to complain about the utilization of the lots near his residential home that are being used as a manufacturing site for the cement seawall panels. “I don’t have any problems with construction. I however became suspicious as heavy trucks would be transporting these panels from the site where they were being produced. The contractor was operating a full-scale manufacturing operation in our residential neighborhood and transporting these panels to other sites across the island.”

He was advised at the council meeting that the city staff was in the process of addressing the issue and on the March 6th Planning Board Agenda the issue was listed for discussion, with several recommendations from staff.

Some of those recommendations may, in fact, ban the manufacturing of the panels in all areas, with the exception of C-5 Zoning Districts. Another may require contractors to seek off-site locations for the manufacture of any of these panels.

Cost, convenience and increased heavy truck traffic entering the island might all be issues that are sure to be discussed at this Friday’s meeting.

New Vice-Chair Elected for Planning Board

Jason Bailey will be assuming the position as Vice-Chairman of the City’s Planning Board and joining with Claire Babrowski who took the reins of the Planning Board as their new Chair last month.

Bailey is an active working partner with FCI Home Builders on Marco Island. Previous to that, he was a partner with Allied Pavers, located here on Marco Island. When he initially moved from the metro-Detroit area in 1996 he had opened his own landscaping business on the island.

He and his wife Lisa Nguyen were the former owners of the Montessori School here on the island. The building which the school was located within was severely damaged as a result of Hurricane Irma and the school was temporarily located at the Presbyterian Church. When no suitable location was found, and the church needed the space, the popular school was forced to close.

In an earlier article, we had reported that Claire Babrowski had received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and her MBA from the University of North Carolina. Ms. Babrowski had in fact attended the University of Illinois but not received her undergraduate degree from there. We regret that error.

The Planning Board meets on the first Friday of each month in the City Council Chambers located in the downstairs of the Marco Police Department. Meetings begin at 9 AM and are open to the general public.