As far back as the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 AD when public rights to coastal tidelands were restored from earlier restrictive laws, dockage for commercial and recreational watercraft began to emerge.

In America, development of wharves occurred primarily at military outposts. Following passage of the historic Rivers and Harbor Act of 1899, authorization was given to the Army Corps of Engineers to approve structures over navigable waters. Recreational boating thus increased and marinas - Italian for small craft harbor - became a way of life in America. Even in Florida today, the Army Corps of Engineers still plays a significant role in the regulatory approval process.

America's marinas cab be found on virtually all types of coastal and inland sites. In a real estate context, the word marina applies to a broad expanse of definitions and facilities. Marinas may vary from a single residential community pier to large standalone, mixed-use commercial ventures with thousands of boat slips and a variety of commercial and residential components.

But why would a Florida homebuilder necessarily care about this business unless he was a boater?

First and foremost marinas can provide a competitive edge. Today's buyers are looking for extras in communities and an appropriate marina can be as exciting for buyers as scheduling a tee time and often for the builder, far less expensive to develop.

The Arvida-developed Longboat Key Moorings in Sarasota epitomizes what a marina can provide in terms of a well-balanced residential and commercial amenity within a large-scale development. Although few builders are of Arvida's size and scope, a marina concept can work equally well for a smaller builder developer.

Without crossing the 99-slip threshold of Florida' Development of Regional Impact (DRI) criteria, one can build a small community-related marina on a fraction of the land occupied by even nine holes of executive golf.

If you don't want to build a marina, don't discount the opportunity of finding a waterfront piece of property that may already have boat slips and residual land associated with it.

Case in point: The old Irwin Yacht facility as St. Petersburg Beach. Wet slips and a large dry storage barn have given way to a new upscale waterfront multifamily community.

 If you own or have the opportunity to build on waterfront land, or are adjacent to a boating-permissible lake, a marina and related services may provide the marketing edge you are seeking. The design of your proposed facility should be targeted to your specific market. For example, there are different expectations for retired boating homeowners, than those demanded by a younger age group.

Like golf and tennis, boating isn't for everyone. My experience has been that four of every 10 home buyers who choose to live where there is water access will have a need for a slip. And as in golf communities where home grace greens and fairways, many home buyers choose to live by the water simply for the views and ambiance.

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