Port Charlotte waterfront is a sprawling area that offers access to Charlotte Harbor which leads to the Gulf of Mexico through Boca Grande Pass. There are plenty of locations that are sailboat accessible with no bridges. There are also many homes that have one bridge with relatively low clearance.
Port Charlotte waterfront homes are not located in a specific neighborhood. Basically, there are streets within certain areas that somewhat define themselves. But does not have defined boundaries with an entrance and exit like a conventional neighborhood.
First, the primary route to Port Charlotte waterfront is via Edgewater Drive. Edgewater is the dividing line between sailboat waterfront homes to the south and power boat homes to the north as Edgewater offers only low bridges to the homes to the north. The first “neighborhood” is on the south side with an old school name of “Doctors Row” named because, at one time many doctors resided there as this left only 10 minutes to get to the hospitals. This is a sailboat friendly area. No bridges and normal mitigating water depths around 5 feet. To my knowledge, the county does not have a regular dredging schedule and I cannot at this time confirm that there is not shoaling in some areas. Largely, homes built in the 60’s and 70’s with newer homes mixed in.
A little further down is a street called Harbor Blvd. When you reach the end of Harbor heading south you enter what is known as the “Beach Complex”. There is a public pool, beach, sports courts and other amenities including a boat ramp. The general area of homes is known as the “Beach Complex”. Sailboat accessible with 5 feet of water depth a “general” guideline when considering draft. A mix of older and newer homes.
Heading due west on Edgewater you reach Midway Blvd. Edgewater becomes the dividing line for sailboat accessible homes to the east and “power boat” to the west with relatively low bridge clearances. Perfect for many fisherman and cruisers and bridges will allow boats with a T-Top to get through with no problem. Upper helm stations might be a problem. Make a left heading south on Midway and follow to the last street on the right, Ohara Drive. Most of the homes to the south of Ohara Drive are sailboat homes with no bridges and exit through a small navigable channel of Lewes Creek into Alligator Bay into the Peace River landing you at the top of Charlotte Harbor. I will call this the “Ohara” neighborhood for lack of any other definition. A mix of older and newer homes, every street has a different appearance. The further you go west on Ohara the longer the boat ride and way up Ohara on side streets you will have over an hour boat ride out.
Along the way up Ohara Drive there is an area that has an actual name to the neighborhood known as Collingswood Point. It is largely newer homes built around a large saltwater lagoon with boat ride times out in the 45 minute range. Very pretty area and a bit remote with a good distance to town.
One thing about Port Charlotte that differs from Punta Gorda neighborhoods on the water is the lack of deed restrictions or neighborhood covenants. PGI and BSI in Punta Gorda have guidelines that create a level of uniformity. Port Charlotte does not have any regulations like this. As such, if you wish to keep your boat in the driveway or trailer in the yard, no problem. If you have an RV you can keep it on the side of your house or driveway. There are no guidelines on fence height or what type of roofs, all in contrast to PGI and BSI. Everyone has their preferences in lifestyle and Port Charlotte is less restrictive than other areas.
So essentially to sum up Port Charlotte to the sailor considering a home here, the dividing line for sailboat waterfront homes in Port Charlotte is Edgewater to the South, Midway to the East and Ohara to the South.
