ISLAND REVIVAL
Delta: Before closing in 2008, Tiki-themed resort attracted thousands of boaters Property owner: Plans to keep party site open year-round, starting in April
LOST ISLE >> Some believe him, some don’t, but David Wheeler insists that come next spring, the long-dormant and debauched Delta party spot Lost Isle will once again serve its famous Mai Tais, host wet T-shirt contests and sponsor raucous concerts — just like days gone by.
The adult paradise has been shuttered since 2008, a year after a man was fatally stabbed there in one of a string of controversies. Wheeler says he has all the permits needed to get started and plans to build a new restaurant, bar and stage in a major upgrade to the facilities that date back to the 1940s. The businessman and accountant says he expects the rum to flow again in April 2018 at the island resort about 20 miles east of Discovery Bay.
“We have all we need to get it open again,” Wheeler said in a recent phone interview. “I have a lot of money invested. It will take years to get the money back.”
Wheeler hopes to begin construction later this summer once the island dries out. Lost Isle resort is located on Acker Island, which for the first time since 1998 is flooded because of heavy snowmelt, with about 6 inches to a foot of water creating a swamp, Wheeler said. He owns 10 acres of the western tip of the island, which makes up the palm treelined, Tiki-themed Lost Isle resort.
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"Half don’t believe we’ll ever open again, the other half can’t wait ... It’s really just a Chuck E. Cheese for adults." — David Wheeler, Lost Isle property owner
umn announced the reopening plans last month, and Wheeler said he has been inundated with Lost Isle alumni inquiries since.
“Half don’t believe we’ll ever open again, the other half can’t wait,” Wheeler said.
The resort and its $7 16-ounce and $9 24-ounce Mai Tais used to attract 50,000 boaters over a summer, including as many as 8,000 people over a hot three-day weekend, Wheeler said. He plans to keep the resort open yearround — and its sinful reputation.
“We still intend to have a calendar of events and abide by all the laws. I’m sure the sheriff will be watching us closely,” he said, adding that the resort will have to deal with the proliferation of smartphones and social media. “We’ll need to be on top of it.”
Lost Isle closed in 2008 after profits plunged following the loss of a valid entertainment permit allowing dancing, a DJ and live music, and a sagging economy. That same year, a man was fatally stabbed at the resort.
John Funderburg, the principal project planner for the San Joaquin County Community Development Department, said Wheeler now has all the various agency approvals needed to start working on the resort.
“They wanted to do some improvements to the island. Permits have already been issued,” Funderburg said. “It’s on them now to get building permits and inspections and reopen.”
In addition to the bar, stage and restaurant, Wheeler will replace the dock, allowing 100 boats to tie up. He also wants to dredge to provide better marine access. He says he’s talking to contractors to start the work soon.
The island will look much different from the one Wheeler bought in 1996.
“I’d been out there for bachelor parties in my younger days,” the Walnut Creek native said. “At the time, I thought, ‘What moron would buy that place?’ But it does have: location, location, location,” he said.
Wheeler, at the time, was a Chuck E Cheese franchisee and wanted to expand his restaurant portfolio.
“It’s really just a Chuck E. Cheese for adults,” he said.
Bill Wells, executive director of the California Delta Chambers and Visitors Bureau, said Lost Isle is a boon for the Delta.
From boat rentals, gas sales, restaurant revenue to docking fees, the region gets a boost when the resort is operational, he said.
“If it opens next April, that would be fantastic. It’s a Delta icon,” Wells said. “We get inquiries from all across the country about it. Some just hear the legends of Lost Isle and have questions.”
On a Lost Isle Facebook page, the rumored re-opening has prompted excitement, and even more skepticism.
“I will believe it when I am belly up to the bar, with Mai Tais in both hands,” wrote one person.
“By the time it opens, the only people that remember it exists and still waiting to party will be older than dirt,” another wrote, “so better have some split pea soup at the bar and some slower DJs.”