Demolition of the Ballroom at the Cape Coral Yacht Club continued Thursday. PHOTO BY ROB BRAITLING

Comments from the community regarding the Yacht Club are being integrated into city plans for the future, officials said Wednesday.

As the demolition of the historic ballroom got under way at the riverfront park, James Pankonin, with Kimley-Horn and Associates told City Council that about 100 or so people attended the Yacht Club meeting. The session included some discussion, dialogue and comments, which may affect and influence the plan and operational focus of the design going forward.

From a plan comment standpoint, the community asked about additional drop off spots for visitors and walking distance from the new parking garage to other amenities planned for the site, he said.

Operational comments included parking fees and how such fees would be structured, pool usage fees, a shuttle or golf cart service, canal width on the north side of the park and the size of boats to be allowed in that area as displacement of senior programming, previously held in the now-gone Tony Rotino Center.

Pankonin addressed the comments with many already having solutions. He said the large number of meeting spaces provides a great opportunity to shift the senior programming to the new Community Center.

Demolition of the Ballroom at the Cape Coral Yacht Club continued Thursday. PHOTO BY ROB BRAITLING

In addition, there could be drop off lanes added by shifting things inward to allow for more vehicular drop off. Pankonin said they could have a skip lane and a one-way return on Driftwood Parkway instead of vehicles having to travel all the way through the grounds.

“The stormwater treatment can still be accomplished if add the skip lane. (You would) still have stormwater and vegetation on the west side,” he said.

Walking distance was also touched upon with the longest being a three-to-four-minute walk from the parking garage to the Boat House.

The presentation highlighted many areas of increase within the Yacht Club revised master plan. One that saw a large increase, was the pool deck with about a 330% increase, Pankonin said .“We have expanded that greatly to provide more amenities in that area for residents,” he said.

The beach area also saw an increase — about a 130% — from the previously approved master plan. He said there is a 226% increase in space from the existing conditions prior to the storm.

Demolition of the Ballroom at the Cape Coral Yacht Club continued Thursday. PHOTO BY ROB BRAITLING

The Yacht Club Community Center increased the usable space by 185% with it expanding to a second floor. Pankonin said the senior center functions and functions in other buildings have been consolidated into a single footprint.

The parking deck, in creating an L shape, and an additional story to a total of four, has increased the parking spaces by 300 spaces. The boat trailer parking includes 45 spaces, an increase of six spaces than what was there previously by making the area more efficient.

There was concern regarding the canal on the northern section of the Yacht Club.

Mayor John Gunter said it is fairly narrow.

“I would hate to allow parking, as much as I would like to see additional boat parking for residents and visitors, we don’t want boats to parallel park on the seawall and impede residents to get out of their boat slips,” he said, adding that he wants the city to be a good neighbor.

Councilmember Bill Steinke said plans do not show, or indicate, any of the docks, or lifts residents have to take up space in the canal.

Pankonin said there is 55 feet between the edge of the dock and proposed edge of the new dock, which could yield up to a 32-foot boat.