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Your Suncoast Team |
Punta Gorda's Waterfront Program is Changing for the BetterBy Gary Gunsher Punta Gorda waterfront program is changing for the better There is an old saying, “everything changes, and nothing stays the same.” For many years the waterfront along Punta Gorda could prove that wrong, but now at last we are changing. There are many exciting projects in the making and, yes, some are in a very early planning stage, but the plans are on the table. Recently the City Council passed a resolution to apply for the Florida Working Waterfront program. This is a two-year program created in 1997 by Florida Coastal Management. The purpose of this is to help municipalities, via extensive technical assistance, training and networking, with limited financial assistance. It is not about money. Three cities from throughout the state will be chosen to participate. A marine overlay district is part of the city’s waterfront strategic plan for 2008. Through the efforts of Betty Staugler, a Punta Gorda resident who is a Florida Sea Grant Marine agent, two ecology law students have been assigned to work with city staff in helping wade through the technical aspects of such a project. This frees up staff to be working on the everyday business of the city. A water depth study has been completed off Gilchrist Park and Laishley Park, the area for the proposed mooring fields. That is step one, as DEP requires one foot under keel per mooring ball. Once the planning committee knows the exact depth in that area, a mooring field can be designed. Team Punta Gorda has captured the headlines for its recent work with the county on the events center, but they are also very involved with the waterfront. The mooring field came out of their original master plan after Hurricane Charley. Another project they are undertaking is to open up a cut from the outer rim canal in Punta Gorda Isles to Alligator Creek. For residents living in the back half of PGI this could save as much as 30 minutes in travel time to the harbor. With today’s vessels getting bigger and bigger the Ponce channel is becoming smaller and smaller. This cut could eliminate as much as 50 percent of the traffic using Ponce inlet. In mid-April Laishley Park Marina will be open. So, soon you can skipper your boat to downtown Punta Gorda , secure a dock and take advantage of our international cuisine for lunch or dinner. Yes, international; how many cities can you visit by boat and walk to an Irish Pub, or a taste of Mexican food, or an Asian treat? For dessert, take a short walk to the Swiss Chocolate shop; believe me, this is not your Fanny Farmer’s chocolate. If you are not up to walking, throw your bikes aboard because soon the city will be placing 25 bike racks throughout the city. Try and find a bike rack in downtown Sarasota. We are going to be one up on them. So let’s get our boats off the lifts or away from the docks and get out on the water. You do not have to be a boater to enjoy the waterfront. Have you ever taken a couple of lawn chairs and enjoyed the harbor sunsets from Ponce De Leon Park? As long ago as the 1890s, a northern snowbird commented that they would pay a million dollars in New York City to have sunsets like we have on Charlotte Harbor. Punta Gorda is not the only area where the waterfront is changing. The next time you cross over the bridge to Port Charlotte, take a ride along Bayshore Drive where the county has begun improvements to that side of the harbor. Changes are coming, perhaps not as fast as we would like them, but one step at a time and soon we will be there. On a much more serious note, along with our city’s growth, we are seeing the addition of more boats in our two canal systems, PGI and Burnt Store Isles. The Punta Gorda Boater’s Alliance would like to remind all boaters to observe the city’s canal, channel and shoreline slow speed zones. By definition “slow speed” is that speed which allows a vessel to be completely settled in the water with very little or no wake. As I travel in and out of Ponce Inlet I have just one favor to ask of all you fishermen out there. “Please” do not anchor in the channel. Give the passing boats plenty of room so we can all enjoy a hassle-free day on the water. Gary Gunsher is president of the Punta Gorda Boater's Alliance. Homes For Sale In Port Charlotte, Florida Punta Gorda Isles: Homes For Sale In Punta Gorda Isles, Florida Condos For Sale In Punta Gorda Isles, Florida Lots and Land For Sale In Punta Gorda Isles, Florida Punta Gorda, East of I-75: Homes For Sale In Punta Gorda, East, Florida Condos For Sale In Punta Gorda, East, Florida Lots and Land For Sale In Punta Gorda, East, Florida Punta Gorda Center: Homes For Sale In Historic Punta Gorda, Florida Condos For Sale In Historic Punta Gorda, Florida Lots and Land For Sale In Historic Punta Gorda, Florida James B. Mulligan, Licensed Real Estate Broker 18245 Paulson Dr. Port Charlotte, FL 33954 Jim Mulligan (941) 456-3034 Andy Leonard (941) 662-0033 Questions sales@suncoasteam.com Search the Southwest, Florida MLS Featured Homes, Condos and Lots for Sale in Southwest, Florida Homes For Sale In Southwest, FL Sellers – Know what your Southwest Florida home is worth in today’s market. Click here for a FREE, NO OBLIGATION MARKET ANALYSIS of your Southwest Florida Home. Visit our Suncoasteam Blog for discussions about local real estate trends and reports on prices of land and homes in our area… and you can leave your own comments or ask questions. 
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Jim Mulligan: 941-456-3034 Donata Noone: 941-875-4744 |
General: info@suncoasteam.com Jim Mulligan: jim@suncoasteam.com Donata Noone: donata@suncoasteam.com |
James B. Mulligan, Licensed Real Estate Broker 849 Calvert Ave. Port Charlotte, Florida 33948 |
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