Yacht club for Burger King

Local attorney Paul Bordeau and Bill Contardo, a resident of South Down Shores who serves on the Planning Board, doing business as P & B Realty Ventures, LLC, yesterday submitted plans to develop a private yacht club on a portion of the property on Union Avenue that for the past three decades housed Burger King. The property consists of three lots, the 1.1-acre parcel where the restaurant stands and two smaller parcels to its south— one of 0.56-acres on the water and another of 0.05-acres on Union Avenue — that provided space for the drive-through and parking. Taken together the two waterfront lots have about 636 feet of shoreline on Paugus Bay. The plan calls for merging the two smaller parcels into one lot, with parking for 57 vehicles. The development, called "Crown Shore Yacht Club," would include a 900-square foot clubhouse overlooking the lake at the southern end of the lot, a sandy beach and a 202-square foot gazebo at the foot of the dock, which would provide 52 boat slips. The existing, seasonal floating dock would be relocated and reconfigured to provide deeper draft and accommodate larger vessels. Bordeau said that as a yacht club rather than a marina, the development would not include a launching ramp, fueling station or washing facility. "With Lakefront Landing and Irwin Marine so nearby, there is no need," he said. Ever since the property was developed it has drained directly into the lake, carrying lubricants, salt and other pollutants with it. Bordeau said that much of the project will involve grading the site to form what he called "a giant bowl" with a rain garden at its center where stormwater will be captured, retained and treated before emptying into Black Brook. "The property will be developed to provide a park-like setting," he said. Bordeau said that although P&B Realty plans to purchase the third lot, they have no immediate plans to redevelop it. "We need the land," he explained, "because the dock and slips are predicated on the total frontage of both the properties." Meanwhile, Bordeau said that he and Contardo would seek to attract an investor to develop a restaurant on the adjoining lot. "It is the paramount location for a restaurant in the region," he said, conceding that it may prove challenging to find a development partner in the current economic climate. According to city tax records the largest lot is owned by five siblings doing business as Legacy Realty Trust. The land has an assessed value of $429,600 while the restaurant building is appraised at $786,600. The other two lots, with an aggregate assessed value of $302,800, are owned by Larry Kohler, the trustee of Waltham II Realty Trust who owned and operated the Burger king on the adjoining lot, which he leased from Legacy Realty Trust. In April Kohler closed the restaurant after failing to either renew his long-term lease or acquire the property. Earlier this decade, Bordeau represented Ward 1 on City Council.