Outdoor music, parking exceptions approved for Beach Theatre redevelopment

Neighbors who live adjacent to the old Beach Theatreworry that plans to turn the 10,000-square–foot movie theater into an entertainment complex will make the property a noisy nuisance and potential traffic hazard. 

At its regular meeting Aug. 4, Fort Myers Beach Town Council granted the property developers four special exceptions to create their planned space but also imposed conditions aimed at alleviating the concerns of nearby residents on the south end of the barrier island.  

One exception allows for alcohol consumption outdoors and within 500 feet of residences. The three others allow for outdoor entertainment, live entertainment and outdoor seating open after sunset in a Commercial Boulevard zoning district.  

In a separate vote, Council approved a parking variation to the Land Development Code. The business will be allowed to have fewer parking spaces than would normally be required to use the open ground floor as a casual restaurant and bar instead of a parking lot.   

The developers said they also will use their Dolphin Inn across the street, and potentially other nearby properties, to help with parking. That would boost their number of spaces to 78 while existing rules call for 115 spaces. 

The theater at 6425 Estero Blvd. was constructed in 1999. Steve Boge bought it in May 2022 in a $19 million deal that also included Gulfview Manor across the street. 

Mayor Dan Allers was the only member of Council to vote no on the parking variation because he wasn’t convinced that those measures would solve potential traffic backups and safety problems.  

The special exceptions and parking variation also came with conditions. For example, food and beverage may be served between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. but outdoor music will be allowed only from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Too, no full bands or percussion will be allowed unless the owner obtains a permit for a special occasion.  

The developers also agreed that valet parking will be required between Nov. 1 and Easter each year during the busy season, but only from 5 p.m. until closing time Thursday through Sunday. 

The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency in June recommended approval of all special exceptions, but city staff recommended denying both the parking variation and the exception for outdoor entertainment due to its potential nuisance to adjacent properties.  

Development plans for the old theater call for an open-air, casual restaurant on the first floor. A wall along the rear of the building would be designed to block sounds and light from the bar area, along with landscaping and a fence along the property line. 

The second floor would feature a high-end indoor steakhouse with some outdoor seating and an office and storage space on the third floor. The developers also may try to retain the ability to screen a movie on–site. Boge said he isn’t sure if that will work out. 

Two Fort Myers Beach residents who said they live across from the old theater told the Council during a public comment session that outdoor music and sound would disturb what has long been a quiet residential neighborhood. They also agreed with Allers’ concerns that the potential new entertainment center could cause traffic problems.  

The developers have tentatively decided on the name The Boardwalk Grill for the downstairs eatery and bar. But they’re still working on a name for the second-floor steakhouse and may try something that incorporates the building’s history as a movie house. 

“The Reel Steakhouse has a pretty good ring to it,” Allers suggested.