Sometimes, with big dreams come big price tags. As the Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park enters yet another phase of redevelopment, the city estimates that the price tag to fully implement improvements to the property could cost $225 million dollars. The Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park is a beachfront property bordering the Caloosahatchee River. In May, a phased plan for improvements was presented to the city council. With the completion of each phase, the Yacht Club would come another step closer to the reimagined renderings, which include property improvements ranging from a basic beach-goer carpool-style drop-off to elaborate yacht slips. The property has been referred to as Cape Coral’s crown jewel. Currently, there does not appear to be an estimated date for completion. Additionally, it is unclear where the money will come from to complete a more storm-resilient body of structures on the property.
What is clear, from artistic renderings available to the public on the City of Cape Coral website, is that the approved master plan for the Cape Coral Yacht Club is complex. The master plan contains 27-day dock boat slips, 121 yacht basin slips, and five emergency service boat slips. Additionally, a parking garage with 769 total garage spaces, a multi-level community center and a Harbormaster building are part of the approved plan. The Harbormaster will house amenities for tenants of the boat slips, Coast Guard support and police support spaces. The Kearns Restaurant Group, owner of The Boat House in Fort Myers, is also eager to provide The Boat House 2.0 along the water’s edge on the Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park property.
Devin Hill, a member of the marketing team for Kearns Restaurant Group, said: “The company is known for bringing bold concepts to life.” Izzy’s Fish and Oyster, as well as Capone’s Coal-fired Pizza – each located in downtown Fort Myers – are two of the Kearns Group’s specialized locations. In the spirit of bringing concepts to life, Capone’s features a basement “bank safe” viewable from the main floor through a glass ceiling. From above, diners may view the safe below, which contains old wine bottles and mannequins disguised as members of the mob. While the theme of Capone’s is a far cry from their Fort Myers Boat House, Capone’s does prove the Kearns Group’s commitment to theme and detail. “Like the Fort Myers Boat House, our restaurant rebuild in Cape Coral will have a definite tiki bar vibe,” Hill shared. She explained that while she has seen renderings of the proposed Boat House in Cape Coral, details beyond the tiki bar theme are limited.
The Fort Myers Boat House is a sprawling property with multiple bars, open-air seating, a huge, thatched tiki roof and boat slips along the exterior. A swimming pool is also part of the Fort Myers Boat House experience. Just steps from the poolside, sun bathers may grab a pina colada or place an order for fish tacos. It seems unlikely that the Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park Boat House will have its own pool, Hill said. Both a resort-style pool and kid’s pool are part of the city’s master plan for the property. Still, artistic renderings of the Boat House do picture the restaurant bordering the boat docks; a true nod to the original.
Like so much of Southwest Florida’s recent history, the 2018 and 2020 plans for the Cape Coral Yacht Club before Hurricane Ian had to be scrapped after Ian, the catastrophic hundred-year storm that hit Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. In January 2023, under the assumption that none of the original buildings on the Cape Coral Yacht Club property would be salvageable, the city requested a new master plan. Ideas were presented for public input in June of 2023. A new master plan was approved in May of 2024. Aspects of the 2024 Cape Coral Yacht Club Master Plan include new floating and fixed docks estimated at $12 million dollars, the $35 million dollar parking garage and the Community Center estimated at $45 million dollars. A resort-style pool is another big-ticket project, estimated to cost $11 million dollars, but estimates continue to increase.
Phase 1 of the Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park redevelopment is focused on marine and site improvements. This estimated $22 million phase includes removing old docks, replacing seawalls, relocating the boat ramps, dredging and reconfiguring the marina. Mayor John Gunter said the Cape Coral City Council has proposed that the city begin implementing Phase 2 of reconstruction. This phase of the project will focus on utilities, The Boat House restaurant rebuild and a fuel tank station. Underlying the Crowned Jewel nickname and stunning, elaborate artistic renderings remains the question of funding. Who will foot the bill for the reimagined Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park?
Residents wonder about the timeline for the Yacht Club Community Park. Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter has not commented regarding the future of the Cape Coral Yacht Club Community Park when Florida Weekly reached out to him. The communications office did return an email, confirming that Phase 2 construction on the project has not begun. Additionally, the office shared that the topic of when Phase 2 might begin will be addressed during the September Council meeting…