Shell Museum to add parking for staff, volunteers
To help alleviate some of the parking obstacles, the City of Sanibel Planning Commission approved a variance that would allow the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum to add additional parking for staff and volunteers.
Planning Director Jim Jordan said the Shell Museum Foundation first obtained its conditional use permit in 1991, which started the museum. Subsequent to that, he said, the Shell Museum also asked for a permit to pave its shell parking lot to cut down the amount of dust and maintenance to the driveway facilities and parking area.
“The Shell Museum has done very well, I think, in regards to their outreach and programs and admissions,” he said. “One of the issues that the Shell Museum has had, probably from day one, is the numbered of required parking spaces. Under the code, the coding requirement parking spaces for a facility, such as the museum, are not as clear as they are for other uses.”
Jordan said there were some concerns initially on whether or not 51 parking spaces would be enough. He said over the years he believes the number of parking spaces have been a challenge for the museum to make sure they have adequate parking for staff, volunteers and visitors.
To help with parking, the Shell Museum sought a variance for the Development Standards for Wetlands Conservation Lands to implement additional parking spaces for staff last week, which passed unanimously.
Jordan said the parcel the Shell Museum is seeking is allowed to have only 10 percent of the gross area allowed for the 8.1 acres of land.
“The applicant proposed to add parking to the rear of the Shell Museum. Their application would actually increase the amount of developed area from the parcel of 37,926 square feet that exists today to 45,905, bringing it to 12.9 percent,” he said.
Jordan added that the area where the parking is proposed is an area that has been altered as a result to the existing septic system that was installed in 1991. Since then, the facility is now connected to a central sewer system and the septic system was abandoned.
The mound where the septic system was located still exists today, which is where the Shell Museum has proposed to put additional parking.
“In consideration of the fact that this area is already altered and has been disturbed and will not really bring very much additional fill to the site. Also recognizing the need for sufficient parking spaces on the site, staff is supporting the variance request,” Jordan said.
Dorrie Hipschman, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum executive director, said their intent is to complete the additional parking before season begins.
Twenty-three additional parking spaces will be provided for employees and volunteers. The spaces will be located east of the museum building with a driveway for authorized personnel only.