Sanibel’s strictly regulated commercial landscape could soon welcome a family-friendly addition. City officials are formally reviewing a proposal to add “miniature golf” to the list of allowable conditional uses within the island’s General Commercial District.
The amendment was brought forward by veteran island merchants Brian and Elke Podlasek, the longtime owners of The Island Cow restaurant. For over two decades, the eatery stood as a beloved local fixture at 2163 Periwinkle Way until a devastating kitchen fire completely leveled the property in August 2022. Weeks later, Hurricane Ian’s storm surge further delayed early reconstruction efforts, leaving behind an empty parcel.
To optimize the stabilization of the site, the Podlaseks pivoted their site plan, proposing a dual-concept destination that pairs a brand-new restaurant building with the island’s first botanical putting greens. At the direction of City Council, the seven-member Sanibel Planning Commission gathered at City Hall on May 26, 2026, to weigh the landmark proposal.
At the LeAneSuarezGroup, we understand that development updates on Periwinkle Way are critical to preserving the real estate landscape and small-town charm of the island. This proposal represents a creative approach to balancing island history with fresh commercial vitality.
In a nutshell: The Sanibel Planning Commission has directed city staff to draft a conditional-use ordinance that would allow a low-key, botanical mini-golf course to wrap around the newly rebuilt Island Cow restaurant on Periwinkle Way.
Engineering a “Low-Key” Putting Scene with Sanibel Flavor
Recognizing that Sanibel’s strict community charter outlaws garish commercial architecture and amusement-park styling, the engineering teams explicitly rejected standard roadside attraction elements.
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No Gaudy Banned Elements: The proposal strictly bans flashing lights, windmills, faux waterfalls, foggers, and loud corporate themes often found at mainland courses.
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A “Shrunk Down” Golf Experience: Benjamin Hofland, a civil engineer with the regional firm Haley Ward, characterized the layout as a professional putting experience in a natural setting. “Think of it as ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Golf Course,’” Hofland explained. “It’s a traditional golf course but just shrunk down, not all the bells and whistles.”
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Environmental Compliance: The 1.5-acre course would weave rhythmically through lush, native tropical landscaping, complying with strict local building standards regarding parking, illumination limits, property noise buffers, and stormwater runoff management.
Zoning Concerns: Amenity vs. Attraction
While commissioners universally praised the architectural and environmental direction of the Island Cow’s site layout, the proposal triggered a deeper debate regarding land-use density.
THE MINI GOLF FOOTPRINT COMPARISON
[ Island Cow Request ] ───► 1.5 Acres (Botanical, low-key, nested around restaurant)
[ Proposed Cap Limit ] ───► Up to 5.0 Acres (Could legally apply to 67 of 69 properties)
City staff highlighted that the language of the proposed conditional use amendment would apply to parcels up to 5 acres, making miniature golf technically possible on 67 out of 69 properties within Sanibel’s General Commercial District. To prevent a cascade of uncharacteristic amusement tracks from popping up down the line, commissioners requested that city staff build strict footprint limitations and a hard numerical cap into the draft language.
Some commissioners also suggested loosening the strict “no-theme” ban exclusively to allow for tasteful, hyper-local historic motifs—such as putting holes featuring mini replicas of the iconic Sanibel Lighthouse or other recognizable island landmarks.
Next Steps for the Rebuild
The Planning Commission concluded the workshop by directing city staff to work hand-in-hand with the Island Cow’s legal and engineering team to formally craft the text of the ordinance.
Once the finalized language is presented, the commission will hold an official vote before sending the document to the Sanibel City Council for a definitive, final stamp of approval. Property owner Brian Podlasek expressed optimism about the fast-tracked momentum: “I feel like the Planning Commission seems to like the project… I think they’re willing to see if they can get this going a little bit quicker.”
