Going Up! Next Stop: Gulfport Council

Mixed-Use Gets First Approval on Beach Boulevard

By Monroe Roark

A plan for a mixed-use two-story development on Beach Boulevard has received the go-ahead from the Gulfport Planning and Zoning Board; Gulfport City Council will likely consider it later this month.

Joe Guenther requested a conditional use for the lot adjacent to BoTiki on the south side, to allow a structure with non-residential uses on the first floor and residential uses on the second floor. The board voted 5-0 to recommend approval with a stipulation recommended by city staff that the applicant proceed with the permitting process for the building within one year of council approval. Otherwise the conditional use would expire.

This is essentially what happened the last time this process was begun, when a site plan was submitted in 2019 for a commercial structure on the lot. At that time a variance was granted regarding parking spaces, but the process halted after that and the variance expired.

Guenther explained that he tried to keep the elevation the same as BoTiki – which he also renovated

– to make both buildings uniform, but FEMA regulations governing construction in a flood zone made the project cost-prohibitive.

“We just couldn’t get it done,” he said. “That is part of why we redrew the entire project with a different architect and a different engineer.”

The new structure will be an arcade building, Guenther said, with plenty of “old Florida” style. Its northern wall will attach to BoTiki’s southern wall all the way across, and that wall will be fire-separated to prevent a blaze in one building from transferring to the other.

“We’re trying to keep it with the old-Florida look,” Guenther told The Gabber. “In the front, we’re trying to tie in the look to the Casino, to keep the old-Gulfport charm.”

Mike Taylor, principal planner for the City of Gulfport, told The Gabber Guenther presented the design based on meeting both the Florida building code and FEMA requirements. The design incorporates something called “building modulation;” an example of this includes the building front. The front porch of the new building will match the line of Bo-Tiki, but the second floor will be set back, given the building a “stepped” look. This design, Taylor explained, helps lessen the visual impact of buildings that must be taller due to those regulations.

When asked if any of the proposed residential units upstairs

Guenther continued on page 11