If you go down to the Flats East Bank, you're sure to find on a nice day people playing Frisbee or walking their dogs on a stretch of grass along the water between Alley Cat and FWD Day & Nightclub, but that prime piece of waterfront real estate could soon be developed.
Plans were presented this week to the Downtown/Flats Design Review Committee for schematic review that call for the construction of two three-story buildings on the site that would house a number of restaurants and clubs.
The buildings would be architecturally in keeping with Alley Cat and Margaritaville in featuring a rustic fish shack kind of feel, while also sporting patios and plenty of rooftop outdoor space to make the most of the summer season while preserving the flow of pedestrian traffic along the riverfront boardwalk.
The presented plans are only a rough idea of what the developers are looking to do with more detailed plans to come later before the City Planning Commission for any kind of final design approval.
The Flats East Bank project was one of the nation's largest privately developed projects to move forward following the 2008 economic collapse. The first phase involved the Ernst & Young office tower and Aloft Hotel, which opened in 2013. The apartments and restaurants along the water made up the second phase, which opened in 2015.
