Boat Slips You Can Rent for a Day Coming to Clearwater BeachBy Vicki Jackson and Anne McKay GarrisThis week the Clearwater Community Development Board approved a Flexible Development request which will allow a marina to replace the wasteland atmosphere of waterfront land on the south end of East Shore Drive on Clearwater Beach. The marina will offer 31 boat slips for rent by the day, week, or month at 411 East Shore Drive, located approximately 250' north of the Clearwater Causeway. The project complies with the requirements of the Marina District of Clearwater Beach set forth in the Beach by Design plan. Proposed is a 256-foot dock master building to service a 4,000 square foot, dock reaching 318 feet into Clearwater Harbor. The length of the docks exceeds the 133.5 feet allowed by code, partly because of the requirement that the docks not begin until 42 feet beyond the seawall in order to preserve the grass beds there. The allowed length is within the 25% of the waterway allowed by code, is built on land owned by the developer and does not intrude on the channel leading to the West bridge of Memorial Causeway. Nevertheless, this development along 178' of waterfront frontage on Clearwater Harbor will require deviations of almost 2-1/2 times the maximum width of the lot, and reduction of the southern setback by nearly one-third. Upland parking will include 16 spaces for the 31 slips and landscaping to enhance the appearance of the upland property. Further development on the upland property awaits better financial conditions, according to a spokesman for the developer. Conditions placed on the project by the Community Development Board included no commercial business from any of the slips, no fueling facilities and no live aboards, and the required landscaping that accompanies the docks will upgrade the looks of this premier area of Clearwater Beach.
|