Ambitious plans to redevelop a former Wells Fargo at 5325 Gulf Drive and 5327 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach are set for public discussion.
Chad Minor, the city’s director of development services, told The Islander Sept. 12 that a major site plan with a request for outdoor dining at the property would be discussed at a Sept. 24 workshop.
The two-lot commercial property features a 10,328-square-foot defunct Wells Fargo bank building that was sold in 2021 to North Carolina-based ABC Family LLC for $3,010,000.
The property then was sold for $4,750,000 June 10, 2023, to former Bradenton Beach Commissioner Jake Spooner, who owns other commercial ventures on the island.
The property is in the Commercial 3 district, Holmes Beach’s most intensive commercial zone, which allows for office, retail and service businesses, as well as automotive- and marine-related uses.
Spooner’s plans to redevelop the former bank could make the building into a hot spot for activity in the City Center.
Plans for the first floor include an outdoor miniature golf course, Island Bazaar retail shop, ice cream shop and arcade.
The second floor would feature a restaurant with covered and open roof deck seating, a kitchen and a candy store.
Despite the extensive redevelopment, the bones of the former bank building — other than its drive-throughs — will remain, according to Minor.
He said a permit for exploratory demolition had been issued, allowing a contractor to look behind walls and more, but the shell of the building will not be taken down.
“They’re going to be basically rehabilitating the existing building and upgrading it,” Minor said. “It’s pretty impressive.”
“We don’t really have anything like this, so it’ll be new,” he added.
Minor said city staff encouraged Spooner to explore the addition of a mural on the building exterior along Marina Drive.
The public workshop will be held during a city commission meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
A livestream of the meeting can be viewed on the city’s website, holmesbeachfl.org.