Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier officials have been given an early vote — of great import — to broaden by developing a $60 million hotel-timeshare vacation resort and parking garage.
Orlando-primarily based Westgate Resorts — the world’s premier privately held timeshare corporation — hopes to establish the 126-home resort and parking deck atop today’s pier parking whole lot.
The proposed challenge also incorporates the easternmost half-acre of Meade Avenue public appropriate of way. Thursday night time, the Cocoa Beach front City Commission unanimously authorized initially reading through of an ordinance vacating this land.
“I see this as a good factor for our group. And I’m in total assistance of this undertaking, and of vacating Meade Avenue,” Commissioner Karalyn Woulas said.
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The next, last studying of the ordinance is scheduled for March 17. The undertaking also would demand additional foreseeable future votes, mainly for a negotiated growth settlement and a zoning variance allowing for the vacation resort to exceed the 45-foot constructing top limit.
That development agreement would involve drawings detailing the project’s Us citizens with Disabilities Act-compliant beach-obtain walkway off Meade Avenue, Director of Development Expert services Randy Stevenson told commissioners. This walkway is slated to wind alongside the resort’s northern wall.
The agreement also would detail car parking, community restroom obtain, development entry, sand placement and Brevard County Shore Security Program functions.
Thursday’s City Commission vote was contingent on:
- No internet reduction of town-metered parking spaces. Shed spaces shall be changed in the parking facility, on Pulsipher Avenue or somewhere else on web-site.
- Meade Avenue acreage received by Westgate — and any subsequent operator — shall not be used for growth density calculations.
Since Meade Avenue is a platted appropriate of way, city officers are not permitted to offer it, City Lawyer Becky Vose stated. She reported the holiday would not consider impact till the Town Commission approves all aspects of the resort project, which will integrate a targeted traffic examine.
“This will arrive back again just before our board, in advance of the setting up section, just before our town legal professional. Just about every one particular of us — and the citizens — everybody receives a chunk of the apple,” Mayor Ben Malik explained.
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The current pier parking whole lot contains 262 areas, and the proposed garage would contain 590 areas, agenda records demonstrate.
Area Coastline Business office of Tourism Government Director Peter Cranis instructed commissioners his firm supports the project — so very long as the Brevard County Attorney’s Business office, Brevard County Natural Assets Management Section and Brevard County Commission are contented with composed agreements assuring obtain in perpetuity for seaside-renourishment motor vehicles and gear.
Savanna Lanza, main government officer of the Countrywide Kidney Basis of Florida, and Phil Salick, co-founder of the NKF Loaded Salick Pro-Am Surf Festival, voiced guidance for the job. The 36th-once-a-year celebration took location at the pier in September.
Jack Kirschenbaum, a GrayRobinson legal professional representing Westgate, said company officers have spent a yr arranging the job and conference with many Metropolis Hall departments.
The westernmost 195 toes of Meade Avenue linking with Ocean Beach Boulevard would remain public residence, while the useless-conclude roadway’s easternmost 459 ft would be vacated by the metropolis.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA Nowadays (for extra of his stories, click here.) Call Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter: @RickNeale1