money Longtime Cortez restaurant The Shack goes up for sale along with marina, 6 acres
The Shack, an iconic Cortez marina, restaurant and bar since 1971, is for sale.
Previously known as The Seafood Shack, the waterfront property at 4110 127th St. W. sits on six acres along 1,000 feet of shoreline north of the Cortez Bridge.
Included in the offering are a 120-slip marina and a 650-seat restaurant and banquet hall with indoor and outdoor seating.
The property is listed with Coldwell Banker Commercial.
“This is a request for proposals and a call for offers,” said Coldwell Bankers’ Elliott Rose, who is handling the listing with David Neff.
The real estate, including the submerged lease area, is available for purchase on an unpriced basis, according to the offering document.
The deadline is May 15, at which time the owner will review offers, Rose said.
Cortez restaurant The Shack for sale
“A number of marina and restaurant owners have expressed interest and have flown in to look at the property. It could be a redevelopment opportunity or could continue as a restaurant and marina operation,” Rose said.
“The response has been overwhelming. Really quality people from around the country are aware of our area. It’s an iconic waypoint for boaters. There are never enough boat slips,” Rose said.
Vandyk Properties, with offices in Canada and Sarasota, acquired The Seafood Shack property in 2014 for $4 million and renovated the restaurant and overhauled the menu.
“The expansive blue building with its 270-degree first- and second-story views of the water and bridge to Anna Maria Island is much as it was when built by previous owner Hamlin Jones. Inside, the nautical ambiance has been ratcheted up. In the dining room, about a half-dozen doors from old shanties have been assembled into dividers for private dining space, while the ceiling is festooned with nets, buoys and boating equipment,” the Bradenton Herald reported in 2015.
The Vandyke website also makes mention of the planned project to replace the nearby Cortez Bridge.
In 2019, the Florida Department of Transportation announced that it planned to replace the drawbridge with a 65-foot-high fixed bridge. FDOT cited a 204-page engineering report that concluded that the bridge needed to be replaced because of structural and functional deficiencies
The bridge FDOT project website lists a cost of $6.7 million, but actual costs are expected to be higher.
Design completion for the new bridge is forecast for spring 2025. A timetable for the start date or completion of the project has not been announced.
