It wasn’t easy, but on Wednesday, Fort Myers gave the go-ahead to build the city’s first food truck Parking lot.

The City Adjustment Board approved Bruno’s Brooklyn Bites Food Truck Park with 5 votes: 0. The park will be on McGregor Boulevard next to the Edison Ford estate.

Cal and Genevieve Bruno, who own Bruno’s of Brooklyn on Second Street downtown, have applied to open the park.

According to property records, restaurateurs purchased three properties on McGregor between First Street and Virginia Avenue in October 2021 for $1.175 million.

The plan calls for seven food trucks in the park, two of which belong to Bruno.

According to Cal Bruno, the park could be an opportunity for restaurant owners whose restaurants were devastated by Hurricane Ian to start over without opening a new building. The trucks will stay where they are and they won’t have to leave every day.

Under the plan filed with the city, there will be eight full-time employees and six part-time employees, with a new structure including a bar and seating for 30 to 40 people.

The design of the new structure is planned to blend with the aesthetics of the 1920s building that was already in place. “The goal is to blend them together,” said Cal Bruno.

While the majority of those who came to the meeting of the Adjustment Board were in favor of the project, some were against it.

Bruno said he knew there would be opposition, but was surprised by its strength.

The biggest concerns for those who opposed were drinking, landscaping, changing McGregor’s historical image, and a lack of Parking Spaces.

The plan provides for 22 parking spaces on the site.

Grant Phelan, owner of the nearby Pinchers Crab Hut, made it clear he didn’t mind the competition but was worried about parking.

He said that 16 of the 22 parking spaces are likely to be used by employees. He said between 500 and 1,000 people visit Naples’ new food truck fleet every day. What happens if the same numbers come up in McGregor Park?

“Where are all these people going to park?” he asked.

He said he bought additional lots for his restaurant so he could have parking.

Attorney Sawyer Smith argued that the park’s claim was incorrect and required an additional 10.5 parking spaces for conditional use. Lawyer Katherine English, representing Bruno, defended the numbers, saying Smith misinterpreted the code.

Cal Bruno and his planning team said parking shouldn’t be a problem because most customers will walk or bike to the park. The park will be surrounded by apartments and condominiums within walking distance. He also counted 47 public parking spaces within a quarter mile of the park.

Lawyer Beverly Grady, who lives near the site, said the plan fell short of several conditions, including having an on-site bar. “The bar is not a permitted use,” she told the board of directors.

When it came time to vote, board member Tony Gargano said the buffering of the landscape was not enough.

“I don’t want to see me driving down McGregor and seeing food trucks,” he said.

City officials have said it would not be safe to use the landscaping to block all view from the park.

The Brunos agreed, as a condition, to resubmit the plan with as much landscaping as possible, which would still be safe for pedestrians and drivers.

This was enough for the reign.

Work will begin immediately, Cal Bruno said. According to him, the park should open sometime in 2024.

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a non-profit public service and your support is more important than ever. Keep the public media strong and donate now. Thank you.

Content Source