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After Nearly Five Years, Palmer's Astor Marine In New Location

    After nearly five years of planning, regulatory hoop jumping, and construction, Palmer’s Astor Marine has moved into its new SR 40 home.  The longtime Astor business, which is among the largest pontoon boat retailers in the state, is settling into its new, expanded location at 23853 SR 40, at the intersection with River Road, in Astor.
    “It’s been crazy,” said shop owner Georgia Palmer this week while leading a tour of the new building.  With just two weeks in the new space, there is still plenty of organizing and settling in to do, but Palmer voiced great pleasure with finally getting moved in.
    The business had been in temporary quarters in Astor Park in recent years, a location that was expected to be a much more temporary move from its former home in Astor.  But ongoing delays in the planning and construction process strung out the process, and saw the cost of the move skyrocket.  
    “It’s been three times the cost of the original plan,” Palmer said of struggling with the many regulatory hurdles faced along the way.
    Look no further than the height of the building, sitting four feet above grade.  That's because Palmer was told the building, in fact, the whole site needed to be elevated due to stormwater issues.  So why isn't the whole lot elevated?  Because after the building's concrete slab had been poured, another inspector came through asking why it was so high, and that the rest of the site didn't need to be raised, after all.  In fact, the building didn't need to be either, but since the slab was already poured, Palmer left it in place.
    “So now the building is higher than the highway,” she notes.
    And if you visit the site and wonder why there is a tree planted in the middle of what appears to be an asphalt entry to the business, that's because after the driveway was installed, inspectors said it wasn't allowed.
    “The process is very disheartening,” Palmer said of the ongoing issues involved with getting the building finished.  She blames turnover in Lake County’s development office for much of the communication problems.  “It’s so bad.  Just look. I’ve got a driveway that I paid for but I can’t use.”
    But even with the headaches, Palmer said the effort has been worth it, as the business is already enjoying increased traffic at the new location.
    “We sold four boats in the first two days.  It’s a great location for us.”
    Palmer invites the public to come check out the new space, with a showroom that features a wide range of boating supplies, clothing, and more.
    Palmer’s Astor Marine can be reached at 352-759-3110.