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Marina-To-Condo Trend Takes Hold in Tampa Bay
As lines grow increasingly long at boat ramps and concerns about storing boats on trailers mount, moving boats to marinas with concentrated warehouse storage could be an easy alternative.
Not.
ãWe talked to just about every marina in the county, and only one has an available rack ö and most have a six month waiting list,ä said Charlie Ryburn, project manager with the Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.
Itâs a little easier to find a high-dry spot in Hillsborough, but donât count on it for long. In March, for instance, Tampa Bayside Marina, located near the Gandy Bridge, had 28 spots available for smaller boats. However, just around the corner, Imperial Yacht Basin is being closed and redeveloped as an upscale condominium complex. Once Imperial closes, Bayside will fill up quickly, predicts Mike Emmanuel, one of the marinaâs owners.
Hundreds ö maybe thousands if unannounced plans are confirmed ö of boat slips are being lost as marinas are redeveloped as condominiums. ãDevelopers say theyâre replacing those slips, but if theyâre attached to half-million dollar condominiums, not many people can afford to buy one,ä added Doug Speeler, a marine consultant in Pinellas County who recently sold his dock-building company.
Marinas ö including the High-and-Dry on Island Estates and Huber Yacht Basin ö are the perfect location for waterfront condominiums because theyâre located in easily accessible areas and are easier to develop than vacant land where natural resources may still exist.
ãRunning a marina is hard work, so when someone offers you a fistful of dollars, you take a long, hard look at it,ä says Steven Webster, executive director of the Florida Marine Contractors Association. ãBut when the marinas go, the workshops and boatyards go too, and you lose jobs that can never be replaced.ä
Waterfront land suitable for development is selling at a premium, adds Henry Brosnaham, a long-time land broker in east Hillsborough County. A property on McKay Bay ended up selling last year for $500,000 over its asking price because developers bid for it so aggressively. A 4.7-acre parcel on the Alafia River and US 301 with two small boat ramps sold for $999,999 earlier this year.
In fact, the next big trend to hit Tampa Bay may be ãdockominiumsä or even ãrackominiumsä that allow marina owners to partially cash out while still running a business that gives boat owners easy access to the water, Emmanuel said. ãTheyâre big in southwest Florida and I think weâll see it happening here soon.ä
But little is being done to address the biggest problem: permitting for new marinas or ramps, adds Speeler.
ãThe state hasnât approved a new marina or boat ramp in four years ö Iâve been in business for over 34 years and Iâve never seen permitting levels worse than they are right now.ä
Newly approved manatee protection zones should loosen restrictions on private docks that have been held up for several years, although a significant backlog of permits will cause additional delays while the Army Corps of Engineers processes individual applications. ãWe wonât be issuing positive biological opinions until the (manatee zone) signs are up and restrictions can be enforced,ä notes Chuck Underwood, spokesman for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Jacksonville.
ãPlease warn people that when the floodgates do open, the Corps will need sufficient time to provide the necessary documentation,ä adds Chuck Schnepel, chief of the west coast permits section. ãWe have a very large number of applicants in Manatee and Hillsborough, and some in Pinellas, all waiting for reviews.ä
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