Longboat Key’s Mar Vista hits topping point

The roof is a major component of Mar Vista’s $2 million renovation project.

By Terry O’Connor
| 6:00 a.m. November 2, 2016

The new roof is a major componentÂ of Mar Vistaâ€™s $2 millionÂ renovation project in Longbeach Village. Terry O'Connor

Longboat Key
News

The roof is ready.

And it’s a major component of the $2 million renovation of the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub in the Longbeach Village.

MAR VISTA TIMELINE

November 2010: The Longboat Key Town Commission approved a request from Mar Vista owner Ed Chiles allowing for a second-story tree house-like dining area and 11 additional seats, for a total of 180 over the existing 169.

July 2012: Chiles sought modifications to his original plan significant enough that town staff required him to submit a new site plan and obtain Planning and Zoning Board and commission approval. The new plan included changing the placement of the restaurant’s dock by about 20 feet.

Spring-summer 2013: Longbeach Village residents rallies around a third application Chiles submitted that included renovating the historical Rufus P. Jordan House on the property to use it for events.

June 2013: Chiles withdrew his application and pursued a fourth application to build the second-floor dining area similar to his original plan and the additional 11 seats.

October 2014: Chiles submitted a fifth plan after a Village resident filed a challenge stating that the special exception the commission approved in 2010 allowing for 11 additional seats had expired in 2011.

Early 2016: Chiles stood on the roof of Mar Vista and decided the second-story view wasn’t as spectacular as he’d hoped due to the growth of surrounding trees. He decided to nix the second-floor dining plan and nix the request for additional seats.

August: Construction began on a $2 million upgrade that will add a second story office and storage area, a new interior and a 37% larger kitchen. The plan will reconfigure seating, but the total of seats will remain at 169.

— Robin Hartill

“It’s a big milestone considering we went through a tropical storm and a hurricane,” said project manager Mark Anderson, a seven-year veteran with Chiles Restaurant Group, which owns Mar Vista.

Anderson was referring to named storms Hermine and Matthew, which opened and closed September, respectively.

Anderson said the fact the project, which began Aug. 3, remains on track to complete its first permit in January is a tribute to general contractor Whitehead Construction of Cortez. Anywhere from six to 20 tradesmen have been employed at the job site, dependent on the work being done, Anderson said.

General Manager Anthony Cucci said his staff is working around the $2 million in renovations going on at the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub, 760 Broadway, Longbeach Village. Terry O'Connor

Mar Vista General Manager Anthony Cucci expressed excitement about the new state-of-the-art kitchen coming online soon. The restaurant has operated since August using a portable freezer and kitchen.

“It’s going to be phenomenal,” he said last week as outdoor tables started filling up.

The temporary kitchen and walk-in freezer will go away after the new kitchen is finished, he said. A new fireplace will add a warming touch, too.

The new roof is a major component of Mar Vista’s $2 million renovation project in Longbeach Village. Terry O'Connor

Blocking out Mother Nature with a new roof removes a variable that could have brought complications, he said.

“We’re dried in pretty much,” said Cucci, referring to the fact his business is no longer open to the elements. “We’re very operational now.”

Despite the renovations, Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub is still serving 300 to 400 meals per day, he said.

Once the kitchen is finished, the project’s focus will be on installing a new bar and dining room in the second phase.

The number of seats will stay at 169, but the new facilities will offer an overdue upgrade while retaining the Old Florida charm of Mar Vista, Cucci said.

“We’ll still have the cypress siding and the tin roof,” Cucci said.

Architect Barron Schimberg, whom owner Ed Chiles hired for previous multimillion-dollar renovations of his Beach House Restaurant in Bradenton Beach and Sandbar Restaurant in Anna Maria, has included a water tower at Mar Vista.

After the first permit of work is completed in January, it will halt, then resume after season. Completion is planned for December 2017.