Dry Dock owner to pursue second-floor expansion

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill owner Eric Hammersand will move forward with a plan he hopes will allow him to enhance his restaurant’s second-floor dining area but not in the way he originally planned.

Hammersand will file an application for a zoning text amendment reducing the required waterfront setback from 50 feet to 20 feet for the town’s three properties with M-1 zoning: the Dry Dock/Boathouse property at 410 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Cannons Marina, 6040 Gulf of Mexico Drive, and Land’s End, as recommended by town staff. Hammersand had initially sought to create an overlay district that would reduce the required setback for restaurants with waterfront dining.

A March 28 town staff report stated that a “one size fits all 20-foot setback may not be desirable” for waterfront dining. According to the memo, the town has 12 waterfront restaurants with eight different types of zoning, along with 22 additional waterfront properties that could allow for a restaurant by zoning or special exception.

“ … residents may not want such an intense use at 20 feet, which interferes with waterfront views and ambience,” the report states. “There are also safety reasons for larger setbacks on open bays and the Gulf. This large number of properties would create difficulty in establishing and managing a waterfront dining overlay district.”

The memo states, however, that the purpose of the marine district in which Dry Dock is located is for the boating public and services must be provided that are close to the water.

“Both Cannons Marina and Lands End have existing non-conforming structures located very close to the water and less than the required 50-foot waterfront setback. Staff believes it could be reasonable and desirable to reduce the waterfront setback in the M-1 Zoning District and would recommend this approach to address Mr. Hammersand’s request,” it states.

Hammersand appeared before the Longboat Key Town Commission at an April 11 workshop to gauge the general consensus on his idea. He explained he couldn’t seek a variance because he would have to show evidence of hardship. He was pleased that the commission encouraged him to file an application, which he told the Longboat Observer he hopes to do next week, and possibly go before the Planning & Zoning Board in May.

“I think outdoor dining is of value to the community and this would be a wonderful enhancement,” he said.

Hammersand is seeking a reduction essentially allowing him to enclose the roof that he received permission to build in 2009. If approved, his restaurant would gain 1,107 square feet, allowing him to reconfigure the existing first and second floor dining areas. The request would not change Dry Dock’s seating capacity or parking requirements.

According to a Planning Zoning & Building Department memo, the town currently has 12 waterfront restaurants:
• Bayou Tavern 6850 Gulf of Mexico Drive
• Chart House Restaurant 201 Gulf of Mexico Drive
• The Colony Restaurant (closed) 1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive
• Dry Dock Waterfront Grill 410 Gulf of Mexico Drive
• Inn on the Beach Restaurant 220 Sands Point Road
• Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub 760 Broadway
• Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant 800 Broadway
• PG Restaurant 4120 Gulf of Mexico Drive
• Portofino Ristorante 2630 Harbourside Drive
• Vacant Whitney Beach Plaza restaurant 6850 Gulf of Mexico Drive
• Vacant Whitney Beach Plaza restaurant 6850 Gulf of Mexico Drive