One down and one to go: City gets state permit for Yacht Club rebuild
Federal permits still pending
Cape Coral has received a long-awaited Environmental Resource Permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, granting authorization for the city’s redevelopment of the Yacht Club.
The state agency notified city officials Thursday that the permit needed for various aspects of the rebuild – the relocation of the boat ramp in the Caloosahatchee, replacement and reconfiguration of existing docks in the marina, replacement of nearly 3,000 feet of seawall, repair of the fishing pier and redevelopment of the 16.6-acre park itself — has been granted.
Also required, and still pending, is permit authorization from the Army Corps of Engineers.
“I’m excited to see some progress finally,” said Cape Coral City Councilmember Rachel Kaduk. “One permit down. One permit to go. Let’s get our beautiful Yacht Club rebuilt.”
The riverfront park – the city’s first, built by the Cape’s founding developers — was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian and has since been razed pending a $130-$150 million rebuild as a island-style “destination” with a new two-story community center, resort style pool, four-story parking garage, new piers and a marina with additional boat slips.
Councilmember Bill Steinke, in whose district the Yacht Club is located, said the state permit is an important first step.
“We’re highly appreciative of that being issued. It’s been a labor of love,” he said. “Certainly it’s taken a lot longer than we had hoped that it would.”
The next step will be a city review of any conditions that may be attached to FDEP’s permit authorization.
“I’ve not officially seen what conditions are being requested, if any,” Steinke said.”Most often conditions will come as a part of it, and we’ll just see how we would respond to those and then hopefully we’ll have an expedited process to having the Army Corps’ approval and will be able to be able to get started, finally.”
A release issued by the city’s Communications Office Friday afternoon addresses the process.
“The environmental resource permit will now be sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with federal approval anticipated in April 2025, barring unforeseen circumstances,” the release states. “Once received, the construction manager at risk will advertise the marine improvement portion of the project for construction bids, marking a significant step forward in the project.”
The 84-page permit response outlines the various changes the city plans to make to the Yacht Club campus which include both land and waterfront amenities. The changes, particularly those that may impact the river, require specific state and federal authorizations, including lease modifications for submerged lands owned by the state of Florida and specified standards for a range of things from construction and dredging practices to water quality standards and habitat and wildlife protections while the project progresses.
Potential environmental impact issues have been addressed, officials said.
“Since 2021, the City has worked closely with USACE and FDEP to secure necessary approvals for the park’s transformation. This process has included extensive environmental and regulatory reviews, addressing water quality, submerged land leases, and slip transfers. Following Hurricane Ian’s impact in September 2022, additional coordination with state and federal agencies was required,” the release states.
Design plans for the Yacht Club Community Park renovation are underway, with completion anticipated by November 2025, officials said.
A project timeline and related information be found on the city’s Yacht Club Community Park webpage,
https://www.capecoral.gov/department/parks_and_recreationhome/yacht_club_community_center/index.php.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information provided by the city.