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PROPOSED MARINA ANALYSIS LANTANA LANDING Town of LantanaPalm Beach County, Florida August 2002 Prepared by: Tom Price Lantana Landing Project   I. Boating Environment in the Project Area II. Overview of Marinas in the Project Area III. Fuel Sales IV. Amenities V. Conclusions Boating Environment In the Project Area The proposed site of Lantana Landing is located approximately 3 nautical miles north of the Boynton Beach (South Lake Worth) Inlet and approximately 11 nautical miles south of the Palm Beach (Lake Worth) Inlet.  Boca Raton Inlet is approximately 15 nautical miles south of the site.   The vast majority of boaters in the Lantana area use the Boynton Beach Inlet to access the ocean.  In order to reach the ocean via the Boynton Beach Inlet one must pass through a fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of 18 feet.  The inlet is somewhat narrow with strong currents on both incoming and outgoing tides.  The NOAA nautical chart contains the following note regarding this inlet: “BOYNTON INLET CAUTION: Passage through the inlet is not recommended without local knowledge of all hazardous conditions affecting this area.”   Typical boat types observed at each marina in the area as well as boats observed entering and exiting the Boynton Beach Inlet include the following:  Day cruisers ranging in size from thirty to fifty feet, Trawlers up to 45 feet, Sport fishing boats from thirty- two to fifty- five feet, Commercial fishing and dive boats up to sixty feet, Sailboats from twenty to forty feet, and center console boats and runabouts from twenty to thirty-six feet. These observations highlight that the vertical clearance of the fixed bridge is an important factor shaping the types of boats found in the area. Based on experience and personal interviews, boaters in the Lantana area generally do not choose to navigate the roughly one-hour north to the Palm Beach Inlet or even longer southward to the Boca Raton Inlet. to the Boca Raton Inlet. Overview of Marinas in the Project Area The four major marinas in the Lantana/Hypoluxo area are Gundlach’s Marina, Murrelle Marine, Palm Beach Yacht Center, and Gateway Marina. These marinas are located within two and a half miles of each other on North Dixie Highway and U.S. Highway One. Each marina differs in the services offered to customers. For comparison purposes, included in this overview is one marina outside the immediate Lantana/Hypoluxo area. Palm Harbor Marina is located in downtown West Palm Beach,  The following is a detailed description of each marina. Gundlach’s Marina, located approximately one tenth of a mile north of the proposed site,  is mainly a dry storage facility with approximately thirty wet slips. There is a waiting list for the wet slips at the marina. This marina has recently been purchased by the Seven Kings Corporation, which owns and operates other marinas in the county. They have plans to remodel the facility and expand their dry storage area. Adding more wet slips may be difficult, as it could interfere with the in/out service for the boats in dry storage. This is a clean, well-maintained marina with ample parking for the customers. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to fifty feet. The boats in the wet slips range in size from approximately twenty-five to thirty-eight feet. The types of boats vary from open fishing boats to small trawlers. Gas is sold at this marina, but no diesel fuel. Murrelle Marine is located adjacent to the north side of the proposed site. It is primarily a boat yard with approximately thirty-five wet slips. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to fifty feet. The slips are full and contain mostly fishing boats. There are approximately five commercial fishing boats and a few small sail boats, and the remaining boats are day cruisers and fishing boats of thirty- two to thirty- eight feet. No fuel is sold. This marina is cluttered due to the nature of a boatyard. There appears to be little parking for the customers. To get to the boat slips from the parking area one must pass through boats on jack stands, travel lifts, and mechanics’ vehicles. Palm Beach Yacht Center is located approximately two miles south of the proposed site. This marina has ninety wet slips, dry storage, a boat yard and a boat sales showroom. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to fifty feet. The marina was nearly full on the day of observation. There is an assortment of boats such as day cruisers, larger sport fishing boats, center consoles, trawlers and runabouts. The boats range in size from approximately thirty to fifty- five feet. Gas and diesel fuel are sold at this marina. This is the largest marina in the area and offers the widest range of services to its customers including what appears to be ample parking. When posing the question to local boaters, “What is the nicest marina in the area?” the answer was always, “Palm Beach Yacht Center.” It is approximately 1 mile from the Boynton Beach Inlet. Gateway Marina is located approximately 2.5 miles south of the proposed site. This marina is strictly an in/out service with no wet slips. Gas is sold at this marina, but no diesel fuel. Palm Harbor Marina was chosen for this study due to its proximity to downtown West Palm Beach. It is close to two major shopping areas (Clematis Street and City Place), the business district, waterfront condominiums, and the nightlife of downtown. This marina is strictly a wet slip marina with approximately 160 wet slips. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to eighty feet. It can also accommodate mega yachts up to one hundred and seventy-five feet on its four T docks. There is an assortment of vessels such as mega yachts, motor yachts, catamarans, day cruisers, trawlers, sport fishing boats, larger sailboats, center consoles, and runabouts. The boats range in size from approximately thirty feet to one hundred and sixty feet. Gas and diesel fuel are sold at