After a 6 hour Town Council public hearing last month, the final vote on the proposed food truck entertainment venue on Estero Boulevard will be taken Monday. The Town Council voted 5-0 to move the item to Monday’s final public hearing.
Fort Myers Beach residents Debbie and Jamie Hotka own the property and Dan Myers would be the General Manager of the business. The plan is to have 5 food truck pads, outdoor seating including right on Estero Boulevard, bike racks, restrooms open to the public during operating business hours (including showers), a paid parking lot with 45 spaces open to the public during operating business hours, a 2500 square foot 2-floor main building that serves beer and wine on the first floor with offices and storage on the 2nd floor. Live music will be in the main open structure which has three sides and faces Estero Boulevard to try to deflect the sound from the neighbors as much as possible.
In February the LPA approved the proposal in a 4-3 vote. If the Town Council approves the project Monday, construction could begin in 6 months and is expected to take up to a year.
The proposed venue has been met with stiff opposition from the neighboring residents and Pelican Watch condo owners.
Homeowners and Pelican Watch condo owners behind the proposed project came out in opposition to the project at the LPA meeting and again at the Town Council last month. Surrounding neighbors are concerned about loud music, the smell of food and garbage, people parading through their neighborhood to use the public restrooms, traffic going up and down their street and drivers parking on their property. They are not opposed to redeveloping that land, they just believe an open air business like this one does not fit on that spot. They would be in favor of another completely closed in restaurant building.
The original Town Council 5-0 vote came with strings attached. Councilman Scott Safford wants to see a solid short-term parking plan for customers that may be stopping just to pick up food and for Door-Dash drivers. Safford’s concern is customers parking on the side streets to avoid having to pay to park on the food truck property.
Vice Mayor Jim Attoerholt gave the plan a conditioned yes vote but only wants amplified music to be allowed 2 days per week for 3 hours, between the hours of 2PM and 8PM. He also wants it codified that the property owners will only hold up to 6 special events, outside their normal business operations, throughout the year.
Councilwoman Karen Woodson wants to see an increased buffer between the Pelican Watch pool fence – which is only feet away from the proposed business. She also agreed with Councilman John King who wants to see the owner reconsider bringing back shade sails – which was in an earlier proposal. Woodson’s concern is what Pelican Watch residents would see when they look out their windows or sitting on their lanai.
On Monday we’ll find out if Myers and Hotka have met and agree to all of those conditions.
We will carry the Monday Town Council meeting live here on Facebook and on our YouTube Channel.
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I’d question what the plan is for wastewater from the showers and toilets.
This is a bad idea and terrible for a residential area. Please, NO. Pelican Watch is not the only condominium association to be hurt by all that this food truck activity. The Estero Beach Club is very close to this proposed project. It should not be approved. Many objections have already been explained!
Maybe the residents would like a vape shop or a dispensary or a strip club or maybe Hooters could rebuild on that property. As for “loud music”, are there any places on the island with loud music? Trash? er…they’ll have dumpsters in a fenced area where they cannot be seen. In my opinion It fit’s FMB better than anything else that’s been pitched recently (like 15 story condo!)
Has anyone on this island paid attention to Key West/ Stock Islands food truck scenario. They’ve been doing it a lot longer then us and they just voted the food truck process out of their island. Why? It only benefits the food truck and does not promote restaurants, employment, homeowners etc. It’s loud, dirty, horrible to live near and does nothing for the real estate value. Now, if our wild neighbors, Key West, knows this, why with the lack of space would we put this on our island?
I’ve been to the stock island food truck “area” biggest difference is there is zero organization in their “park” , it is not even intended for tourist, and I agree, it’s a shit show.
Good to have insight where it is not favorable! The problem is very simple, if you owned a condo or home facing this property that has never had music, vendor trucks and lots of people coming, you to would be against it.
Trash, traffic, parking intrusions, indigents, odors, noise & potential crime. Great idea city council. We’ll be calling police incessantly about all your lack of insight on this one.
I love the food truck park
Please proceed
Another terrible idea that has no regard for Residents , environment or any long term vision-
town Council hasn’t gotten anything right – everything they touch is 1/2 assed at best .
So let’s see
It’s directly on Estero Boulevard
It’s next to a commercial pool
It’s already zoned for a restaurant which is a commercial property
It’s a beautiful park, setting with lush greenery as opposed to a big ugly restaurant
The location is as commercial as you can find anywhere on our island
Owners of big restaurants are offended by you saying they are ugly. I guess it’s eye of the beholder.
I guarantee there will be people driving under the Pelican Watch building to come out on the south side. Can I get council members home phone numbers to lodge a complaint? How is all of the garbage on the beach going to be handled. Can I call council on that too? Such a lousy idea for a residential area. I agree with the comment, why would anybody build a permanent building here? This island is swirling in the toilet.
Why would a business person invest in brick and mortar when the town will allow food trucks, sunglasses trucks, clothing trucks? Where is our long term thinking? Reminds me of a carnival.
Ed, you have not brought up the security question either. What do they plan on doing to prevent vagrancy after hours?
Commercial intrusion into residential neighborhood
And the hits just keep coming. Imagine this – you’re on the beach, it’s 102 degrees and you’re trying to enjoy whatever overpriced items you bought from a food truck. All of a sudden the wind picks up and the temperature drops 30 degrees. Before you know it there are wind gusts over 30mph and it starts pouring down rain. There’s nowhere to go. Another brainchild from people that have no clue what their doing on that island. I used to tell people “it’ll be a decade before the beach gets back to normal after Ian.” Man, was I wrong. At this rate I’ll be long gone before that place is even close to being back to “normal”.
You think greedy carpetbaggers care about the people? They’re creating a new normal for FMB, and it’s not pretty.
You funny!