PUNTA GORDA — Kevin Doyle said he wants to build a multi-million dollar boutique hotel, pub and brewery to enhance Punta Gorda.
The pushback he getting from the city prior to construction has been a challenge for the Celtic Ray owner, he said.
“I’m not sure why common sense isn’t more common,” Doyle said, while pointing at the pool of water on his vacant parking lot across Nesbit Street from the Celtic Ray. “I don’t want the downtown to die.”
Doyle says his troubles began after plans for a 56-room hotel with the pub on the sixth floor became public.
Shortly after, he said, he received a violation from the city’s code compliance officer for not having sod on the vacant property.
The city code only allows for 1 square foot of sod to be exposed on soil before the violation must be corrected.
“Everyone would get a violation if the city truly enforced this code,” said Doyle, who pleaded no contest during the March code hearing.
After being fined $14.46, Doyle said he still didn’t want to sod the property — because he’s going to build on it within a year.
To begin the process, he tried to get a tree-removal permit after clearing the vacant land in preparation for construction. The city refused, saying he first needed a building permit.
Doyle wanted to tell the City Council about why adding sod on that property during hurricane season is pointless.
Last week at a City Council meeting, just before Doyle was to use his 3 minutes of public input time to explain his issue to the board, David Levin, attorney for the city, said he was handed paperwork regarding Doyle’s case.
Levin said Doyle’s case is a code compliance issue and the City Council doesn’t generally get involved in those matters.
Doyle said it’s unfair to be called out by Levin and encouraged not to speak at a meeting.
Doyle said he also disagrees that at the April 24 code board, Levin spoke up saying the “path of best resistance” is to “sod the property.”
“Why is this guy (Levin) getting involved in my due process?” Doyle told The Daily Sun. “The city code allows for alternative materials to be substituted for sod with City Council approval. I planned on getting my request on the agenda for the September meeting. I just wanted them to know about why sod wouldn’t work during rainy season.”
During public comment, Doyle said the downtown area floods, including his Nesbit property. He said during Hurricane Debby, a motorist in an oversized truck repeatedly drove in circles around that lot for thrills through the flood waters — creating ruts and sending waves into the Celtic Ray entrance.
Doyle said the best solution is to put a load of shell on the vacant property.
He promises to make the area “look pretty.”
“We would like to reuse the shell when we begin hotel construction,” said Graham Tyler, Doyle’s planner. “It’s a great way to follow the city’s code before construction begins and use the shell to create the foundation of the hotel. We can’t to do that with sod.”
Tyler said it’s not just sod that’s an issue. He said the whole property needs to be engineered with a drainage system for the sod.
“We are doing civil engineering for the hotel so we would have to rip it all up during construction,” he said. “We are just asking the city to work with us so it doesn’t cost $25,000 for the sod and another $250,000 for engineering. The code allows for the request.”
Doyle said he also doesn’t want the city to make him needlessly put fencing around the vacant lot as requested. He said the city needs an easier waiver process in place to review extraordinary or temporary issues like his.
“We let the public use the lot for parking while attending a city and other events at Laishley Park,” Doyle said. “What happens when you take away that parking? People won’t come here because it’s a hassle.
“The city talks about bringing tourism and other businesses to reduce taxes for the residents. Then why do they want to shut down areas allowed for free parking for everyone?” he asked. “We spent $450,000 to fix the drainage system for a parking lot near the restaurant. Our new project will bring ongoing additional revenue into the city for years to come.”
On Thursday, City Council Member Bill Dryburgh visited the site. He said the city code needs to be more realistic or changed.
“The Celtic Ray has been paying taxes to the city for decades,” Dryburgh said. “There’s got to be something we can do as council members to rectify this situation and stop picking at businesses over grass.”
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