Identification may be necessary but insurance won’t be needed to visit Dr. Feel Good at the Doctor’s Office in Holmes Beach, a new craft cocktail bar that received the city’s stamp of approval.
Holmes Beach commissioners met July 12 to discuss and vote on the site plan for local restaurateur Sean Murphy’s latest enterprise, a cocktail bar dubbed the Doctor’s Office.
Murphy is proprietor of Beach Bistro and Eat Here restaurants, both in the city. The bistro celebrated 30 years in business earlier this year.
The site plan for the 30-seat bar at 5312 Holmes Blvd. was unanimously approved, with Chair Judy Titsworth recusing herself. Her husband designed the project.
“Thank you, everyone, for the time you’ve invested in this,” Murphy said.
Approval of the site plan came after Murphy responded to concerns from building official Jim McGuinness regarding the availability of on-site parking.
Murphy said when he leased the space, he believed there were 17 on-site parking spaces. Unfortunately, some of the parking spaces were not correctly sized and extended into the right of way, requiring parking to be reconfigured and reducing the number of spaces to 10.
The Anna Maria Island Art League in the same building is required to have 10 on-site parking spaces while open, the same number the bar needs to operate.
Murphy solved the problem by retaining an agreement from the art league to not be open past 5 p.m., the opening of the Doctor’s Office. If needed, he also obtained an agreement from nearby Island Lumber to use its parking for valet parking after 5 p.m.
To open evenings during bar operation, the art league must obtain a temporary use permit from the city.
“This site-plan review application is one of the simplest you may ever review and it’s that way because the applicant made it so,” McGuinness told commissioners.
“I look forward to going there after a commission meeting,” Titsworth joked after the vote.
Commissioners will next meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.