Details released of competing developer plans for Three Corners project in Vero Beach

VERO BEACH — Plans for developing the long-contemplated Three Corners project here have finally come to light, after the city released details from four developers' bids Monday.

The move comes just over four years after urban planners first announced a vision for the area. An internal memo to city staff on Friday said it's "considered the most valuable city (publicly) owned waterfront property on Florida’s East Coast."

Multiple updates have been made since that first announcement, which drew a standing ovation from a crowd of about 300, was made in 2020 by Andres Duany and his company DPZ. In 2022, the city adopted a master plan for the project and voters gave their endorsement in a referendum, and last year the city formally put out the call for developers to submit proposals.

From the Youth Sailing Foundation building, lower left, to a wedding chapel, upper right, the east side of the old Vero Beach power plant site would be teeming with activity along a boardwalk. This slide was shown by Andres Duany of DPZ at his final presentation to a Vero Beach steering committee Jan. 31, 2020, at the First Presbyterian Church.

The city's guidelines to bidders called for "the redevelopment and operation, and ultimately the transformation of a vacant, City-owned waterfront property into a unique destination with a diverse and complementary mix of park, cultural, commercial, recreational marina, and hospitality facilities."

Specifically, the city said an ideal proposal would include "a hotel, a waterfront village with a mix of uses (retail, restaurants, plazas, music venues and recreation), public-access open spaces and a marina."

Four developers submitted plans for the project: Clearpath of Bloomington, Indiana; Edgewater Group of Fort Lauderdale; Suda, Cred Capital, Madison Marquette of Pompano Beach; and Vista Blue Vero Beach Resort & Spa of Vero Beach.

The Three Corners Selection Committee, made up of seven evaluators, now is charged with ranking those proposals, with an estimated selection of a master developer by the City Council set for May 28, according to Friday's memo.

Clearpath

An artistic rendering of a proposed $500 million Three Corners development in Vero Beach, submitted by Clearparth Services of Bloomington, Indiana. Details of four bids were released by the city Monday, March 4, 2024.

Clearpath is a real estate development firm that specializes in mixed-use, commercial, industrial, and port facilities/marinas, according to its proposal.

In a proposal it says was "inspired by the DPZ master plan," Clearpath presents three major components: a waterfront village, a hotel and a central park with public greenspace. The proposal is for the 16-acre north parcel of the city-owned Three Corners property, and specifically includes plans for the decommissioned power plant, long-known as Big Blue.

"While we have ideas for the south parcel and the old Post Office site, this proposal focuses on the area north of the 17th Street Bridge that included keeping Big Blue," the proposal reads.

Specifically, the proposal calls for Big Blue to be used as a nearly 141,000-square-foot food-and- art hall, hotel lobby and restaurant space. A 39,400-square-foot hotel conference center would be incorporated into the building.

The proposal also includes a 79,325-square-foot, 133-room hotel, 21,600 square feet for 12 hotel cottages, a 16,600-square-foot event center, a 2,600-square-foot market area, 4,600 square feet of retail space under the hotel, 28,800 square feet of restaurant and retail space at the marina and a food truck garden with room for six trucks. There would also be watersport sales and rental areas and a bait shop.

The total projected cost would be over $500 million.

Edgewater Group

Edgewater is a marina and mixed-use development and design firm specializing in waterfront properties.

In its proposal, Edgewater presents four primary sections of development: a great hall, a waterfront hotel, a marina village and a marina.

The Edgewater proposal also incorporates Big Blue into its design, using it as the great hall, utilizing more than 76,000 square feet of Big Blue's total 136,000 square feet as a flexible space. Proposed uses for the hall include art shows, auto shows, concerts, indoor or outdoor farmers markets, bowling, fitness, indoor soccer, pickleball and meeting spaces.

The proposal also includes a 154-room waterfront hotel, an 8,000-square-foot ballroom, a 23,500-square-foot lawn event space, a 23,500-square-foot business center, a 23,500-square- foot waterfront pavilion, six food-and-beverage locations totaling more than 23,000 square feet and 7,200 square feet of waterfront retail.

The total projected cost is $154 million.

Suda, Cred Capital, Madison Marquette

Suda, Cred Capital, Madison Marquette is a firm with the stated objective "to bridge the crossroads of sprouting generational trends that are sure to reshape and redefine future urbanism," according to its proposal.

Suda, Cred Capital, Madison Marquette presented a plan it says "embraces the concepts envisioned in the overall plan conceived by DPZ."

The proposal does not provide a detailed use for Big Blue.

"Our intention is to use best efforts to integrate the Big Blue into our plans as it is a historic landmark for Vero Beach. We will finalize a plan upon being awarded the project," according to the proposal.

The proposal includes an "Urban Chic Hotel," with 175-225 rooms, that would include a "food bazaar." Overall, the proposal includes more than 19,000 square feet of retail, more than 18,000 square feet of two-story restaurant space, 54,000 square feet of hospitality space, nearly 23,000 square feet of civic space, nearly 7,000 square feet of recreation space and a 100-slip marina.

The total projected cost is $144.3 million.

More: Is this future of downtown Vero Beach? Duany finale draws applause to big, bold master plan

More: Urban planner knocks three corners plan 'out of park;' too bad we can't use it soon

Vista Blue Vero Beach Resort & Spa

Vista Blue, the only local applicant, is a partnership between Donald J Urgo and Associates, of Bethesda, Maryland; Collins Development Company of Jupiter; and Lessing's Hospitality Group, of Great River, New York.

In its proposal, the Vista Blue partnership describes its proposal as having "an architectural overtone of Old Florida and Caribbean West Indies."

The proposal pledges to "bring Big Blue back to life" by transforming it into the "Battery," a space that would include a 120-room hotel and public green space with a sports complex that could include pickleball, paddle ball, squash, golf simulators, a turf field and bocce ball courts.

The proposal includes a separate four-star resort hotel with 225 rooms, "affiliated with a prestige international hotel and resort brand."

The proposal includes a Waterfront Village, with three restaurant venues and a 50-slip marina. There would also be watercraft rental kiosk for kayaks and paddleboards, and about 20,000 for a "retail village."

Plans also include a great hall entertainment venue, connected to the proposed main hotel. The footprint of all combined floors, rooftops and the Great Hall totals approximately 210,000 square feet, according to the proposal.

The plan also includes more than 45,000 square feet of green space.

The total projected cost is $86 million, plus furniture, fixtures and equipment.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com and 504-331-0516.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Three Corners proposals could reshape Indian River County waterfront