The neighbors in Olde Marco had never received notice of the enormous changes taking place in both of these restaurants. Imagine the dismay of the residents of Marco Vista Condominium as they began to see their swale used as the parking lot for the newly expanded restaurants across Bald Eagle Drive. Realtors always site front door or curb appeal as the most important factor in selling a property. It is an integral part of their property's appearance and if it doesn't look good the whole property seems shabby and not well maintained. Having been in the landscape business on Marco for the last 30 years, I can attest to the fact that most people take great pride in maintaining the grass on their swales since this is the first impression people have of their property. While the swale areas are actually public property they are the front door, or curb appeal, of our homes, condos and businesses. These more lenient parking requirements are a big mistake for free standing restaurants with no place for their patrons to go except residential properties nearby. Marco Vista Condominium was allowed to install 'no parking' signs along their hedge which are still there today.īoth actions solved the problem and businesses and restaurants have lived in harmony until a year ago when both Marek's and Old Marco Pub were allowed to expand under the new, more lenient restaurant parking requirements recently established by the City of Marco Island.

The city responded to the resident's complaints by making the Snook Inn install diagonal parking along Bald Eagle Drive and gave nearby condos 'No Parking' signs in their swales. Patrons of the Snook Inn and Old Marco Pub began parking on the swales in front of residential condos and houses as well as in the condominium private parking lots. In the early '90s the Snook Inn expanded it's outdoor seating and the Old Marco Pub opened.

The problem of nuisance, swale parking by restaurant patrons in Olde Marco is not a new one.

Instaling Old Snook