SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – Satellite Beach residents have mixed feelings about a new development moving forward called the Vue.
- Satellite Beach city council votes to move forward with development plans
- Development would include new hotel and condos
- Residents have mixed feelings about plans moving forward
The city council on Wednesday approved the second reading in a 4-1 vote at last week's meeting, this paving the way to replace an empty lot with not only a hotel called The Vue but with condos and single-family housing.
Longtime Satellite Beach resident Paul Ferraro said after the old property was demolished, it's remained undeveloped.
"It's been a no man's land there for a while," Ferraro said. "It was old base housing and it was pretty affordable."
Thomas Felton moved to the area about 40 years ago and says the once affordable housing property was demolished and since then sits empty. Felton said he's not enthusiastic about the future hotel or the development because he wants his town to stay the same.
He is worried Satellite Beach will turn into a congested Miami.
“Well because I'm a selfish surfer and this is already too big, if you were here 20 years ago you would know how quaint and quiet this used to be,” Felton said.
As Satellite Beach City Manager Courtney Barker explains, the building height of 85 feet was approved years ago and that height limit is not going to increase. But the limited commercial definition was updated to allow the developer of the Vue to move forward.
The city also amended several pieces of code like allowing to raise the max length of the building to 224 from 200 and allowing single family homes. The city also approved a walkway from Hightower Beach Park to the hotel but still needs to get FDOT and DEP engineering approval.
"[There's] option for the developer to do single-family and a hotel," Barker said. "Currently the ordinance only allows multi-family condos."
Ferraro is seeing the silver-lining in the Vue and said replacing the old with the new can positively affect residents who own homes nearby.
“I don't think it will be a bad thing for the community, my property value will go up and it will be good to have a restaurant and bar walking distance from my house,” he said.
Barker added that for residents worrying about the waterfront being developed, the city took off the table about 300 unit spaces which is about 40 acres from development by land acquisition as part of a preservation initiative.
“Around 2004, the city acquired the beach that we are here at and we acquired property on both sides for preservation,” Barker said.