The owner of the property where Kilwins Chocolates once was will go before the Local Planning Agency Tuesday with a plan to rebuild his location in Times Square. The property is about .03 acres next to Bella Mozzarella. It was destroyed by Hurricane Ian.
Not a single new project has come before the LPA for consideration in the three years since Ian. Owner Carlos Chavez is requesting a Development Agreement to redevelop the property as a mixed-use with retail at ground level and residential above.
The Neighborhood Company will pitch the building, which was designed by Studio AD Architect, to the LPA. They will be asking for approval for a 3-story mixed-use building with an open ground floor for mobile ice cream vending (Meli’s Ice cream) with the second and third floors used for one bedroom residence. The entire property is only 1,119 square feet.
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I’m so happy to hear that some of the Local Restaurants are now buying Shrimp from our Local Shrimpers.👍 always ask the servers where does their shrimp come from and let them know you are local resident.
Mr Chavez
I commend you for the creative use of your property in Times Square. You are making the best of a difficult situation. I hope the town doesn’t try to put obstacles in your way. As for the people whining over your property, read Mr Chavez’s explanation of his plan. First level, Meli’s Ice Cream; second and third level his residence with an enviable view of the gulf at sunset. Best of luck to you and your wife.
Thank you for your support!
I know there were a few rentals above the market and other shops in Times Square before the storm. I also understand wanting to wanting to add these units to help cash flow reinvestment. What my concern is, people move there and start demanding no noise or music after sunset or quiet hours and there goes one of the only later night entertainment areas on island. As long as TS can be dedicated an entertainment district with the understanding that there will be amplified music and noise later in the night (something like downtown Nashville) then all the mixed uses can profit together.
I paid over $1 million dollars for this property 10 years ago, this is a lot of 1000 square feet, nothing can be build in such us small lot that would be financially viable. I am building here because I want to have my home there. I am not doing this for money,
I am doing this because I love to see the sunset from this place.
I would like to clarify that I am not the owner of Kilwins. Kilwins was my tenant before Ian. Currently my wife who is a pediatric ICU nurse owns MELI’S ice cream which is located in the property Kilwins use to be. I would appreciate if you refer the property as the home of MELI”S ice cream. Thank you
Blocks the view of the beach…NO from me…a resident with investment. Not on the beach side..no and it should be for business…only
What’s the difference if it’s 10 ft high or 30 ft high? Both will block your view.
Why??
Why do you think it should be only commercial? They are no asking for more high
No from you? LOL I didn’t realize that the owner needed to have people vote on what he is allowed to build. It’s his land, he paid for it, he has to pay to rebuild. As long as he can get permits, then it is none of our business. It’s like we have an island of “Karen’s” that want to tell owners what they need to do with their properties. There are so many people that are stuck in the 70’s and want the island to stay like it was back then. News Flash!!! Ian stole that from us and FEMA moved the goalpost. Get over it and move on. It’s been 3 years and people are still attacking anyone who wants to rebuild.
A lot size of .03 acres is 1308 square feet of land. After all the building regulations required good luck building anything the owner, town and the public like or approve.
I see a lot of b*tching and moaning in the comments about lodging included in new Times Square redevelopment. It will NEVER be as it was as these owners now have the very restrictive 2025 building codes to adhere to. Utilizing the upper floors with lodging helps with construction costs and cash flow during the non-season.
It sounds like it’s only one 1br residence. If the entire building is only 1119 sq. ft. I can’t imagine that it would be more. Maybe the owners want it for themselves.
More residential? C’mon people like is this really necessary! We need businesses down there and we need restaurants and bars and Santini Plaza Santini used to have five or six restaurants across the street you had Pinchers then you had the tiki bar out there’s nothing on this end but condos and now you want to add residential to the Times Square area to bring in more congestion and traffic. I just don’t get it.
There has always been residences there. You just didn’t know it. Ask me how I know…..
That is what these people that complain about hight because it will block their ocean view, well you could spend your money & buy a beach front home or condo so nothing will block your view.
Things WILL NEVER BE THE SAME,(1) owners have to stick to the new building codes so the fair thing to do is to try to compromise on a happy medium where the owners can make the payments of the new loans. OR YOU RATHER SEE ONE SMALL BUSINESS AFTER THE OTHER GO UNDER EVERY TWO TO THREE YEARS.?
Nobody wants to come to the island because all the locals bitch and complain and make owning a business undesirable. It’s plain and simple. I’m a former time square business owner, and I can tell you that the intolerable few whiny locals complaining about everything, make what should be a dream come true a nightmare to build.
You are right with your statement.
Here we go again. People with zero investment trying to tell the owners what they can and can not build. Maybe the property owners want the residence portion for themselves.
Maybe, and maybe if owners would start thinking about what would benefit Fort Myers Beach residents as well as themselves, more proposals would be embraced. Most of the people who oppose these proposals DO have investment.
This is great. It’s a start, and he isn’t asking for anything outrageous. It’s just a great first step. It’s a little step, but it’s a step. My two cents:)
More condos. We would love to have business back. An open floor movil ice cream is nothing like Kilwins was. This whole building is condos. What a waste.
“The whole building is condos.”
I guess that’s technically true — but it’s a single 1BR unit. To characterize it as a “whole building of condos” is a bit absurd.
Fool. Local. Resident fool.
Why does every owner of property in Times Square who is looking to rebuild want to put residential or lodging in their plans? This is the PRIME commercial area for the town that draws the most tourists and local visitors. Shops and restaurants on upper levels (as well as mobile offerings on the ground level) would be a huge draw for people in the area. I’m pretty confident most people don’t want residential and lodging versus commercial development in Times Square.
IMO, It’s simple , the new retail businesses can’t offset the investment in the new structure in any reasonable time period – the 4 units upstairs (500 sq ft studios) would more than offset the cost of the rebuild and within 1 yr .
It is essential to have business on the ground level in Times Square. But everyone is so focused on it being someone’s apartment on the 2nd level and not seeing the whole picture. This is a temporary solution to have a mobile shop on the ground level until the owners can generate the funds to hopefully eventually build on the ground level.
Not familiar with how many different owners are in the Time Square area but maybe the only solution is for a developer to buy all of the owners out so a 2 or 3 story complex for business only could be build that way there would be only one master plan to be approved by the City etc.
Several properties are for sale in Times Square for years now.
There is not investor that will invest knowing that they will never be able to recover their investment. Is just common sense !!
You don’t understand math sir. You don’t understand that even in season with a certain amount of seats you hit a max income due to size limitations. Now it will be worse. Before you spout off at the mouth do research. Understand what it takes to run a business on that space.