Permit request reveals more details to new Cape Coral Yacht Club

Cape Coral now has a better idea of what the new yacht club will look like.

The City of Cape Coral filed a more than 20-page permit to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The plan includes new seawalls, docks and maintenance dredge.

The Army Corps of Engineers has to approve the city’s permit request before the city can move forward.

For some the plans are exciting but Jim Golec prefers the yacht club stay the same.

When he is in town from Michigan, Golec calls the yacht club his second home and he likes it the way it is.

“I ride about 30 miles a day,” Golec said. “That’s my thing. I ride down here for heart health. That’s the reason I’m riding.”

Golec said he hopes the permits get delayed forever.

Cape Coral City Manager Rob Hernandez does not agree.

Construction on yacht club improvements are now two months behind.

“There’s a lot riding on this permit. And the sooner we can get it approved the sooner we can begin improving the facility out there,” Hernandez said.

The new plans include over 2,700 feet of seawall built just 18 inches in front of the current seawall. New docking facilities will have 162 slips to replace the existing ones.

The existing boat ramp will also be replaced by a two-lane ramp installed in the marina basin.

“A lot of what we’re doing is replacing what’s already there. So it’s not necessarily new construction,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez fears the longer the wait, the more it will cost.

“I just don’t see a reason why we should spend all that money for these improvements,” Golec said.

Some of the factors the Army Corps considers when looking into these permits include impact on conservation, aesthetics and economics.

There are no timetables for approval for this permit or the one filed with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.