Whole Foods, Aquarium, Melbourne Margaritaville: high-profile projects to reshape Space Coast
From one end of Brevard County to the other, and from the Atlantic coast to the mainland, a range of high-visibility development projects will give Space Coast residents a sweeping choice of new housing, shopping and entertainment options.
The projects are poised to add thousands of new single-family homes and apartment units. A much-requested Whole Foods store in Viera. A new 120-bed hospital on Merritt Island. A $100 million aquarium at Port Canaveral. A tropical-themed Margaritaville complete with restaurant, marina and public boardwalk. A 502-room hotel in Cocoa Beach that developers say will be fancier than any other hotel in the county. And restaurant brands that are new to the area.
Here is a rundown of where things stands on these key developments:
Whole Foods project in Viera
Work is underway on The Crossings at Viera, a retail development off Viera Boulevard that will include a much-anticipated Whole Foods Market.
"It's the best-received project in our history," said Jeff Garrison, development partner of SJC Ventures, whose Atlanta-based company has worked on more than 60 mixed-use, grocery-anchored and multifamily projects throughout the Eastern United States. "It's a much-needed service at the right time in a market that is exploding. The Space Coast is on fire. It's a perfect fit."
Whole Foods confirms it's coming: The rumors are true: Whole Foods is coming to Viera sometime in 2024
Garrison said nine other tenants are lined up to be in the complex — most of which have not been previously announced. They include The Home Depot and five eateries ― Another Broken Egg Cafe, Chicken Salad Chick, Jeremiah's Italian Ice, Miller's Ale House and Panda Express. Other tenants at The Crossings at Viera will be Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, TD Bank and Venetian Nail Spa, with a few additional spots still to be filled.
The 20-acre tract is just west of Texas Roadhouse, Goodwill and Star Rush Drive, and just east of Interstate 95's Exit 193.
Garrison said the target for tenants to open is at the end of 2024 or early in 2025.
Construction boom at Viera's Borrows West
Not far from The Crossings at Viera, just west of the I-95 Exit 193 and south of Viera Boulevard, is Viera's 115-acre Borrows West retail, residential and office development.
Scott Miller, executive vice president of sales, marketing and community development for The Viera Co., said the extensive construction work going on there is the culmination of long-term plans.
“The earliest conceptual plans for Viera from over 30 years ago featured a corporate park and walkable commercial uses, surrounding a large lake at Viera Boulevard and I-95, and Borrows West is the realization of that vision," Miller said. That vision includes a waterfront restaurant, retail and office space, a linear trail and park.
Already open at Borrows West is the 350-unit Linz of Viera Apartments, an Ace Hardware store, a Chick-fil-A restaurant, a Wawa convenience store and a Sundance Family Dentistry office.
Two hotels are under construction in Borrows West — a 208-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 131-room Homewood Suites. So are three food and beverage establishments — Ford's Garage, Olive Tree Greek Grill and Venezia Wine Veranda — with construction to start soon on a Polynesian-themed Tiki Docks restaurant and bar. Also being built within Borrows West is a CVS drugstore and an Island Animal Hospital veterinary office.
Just outside the Borrows West boundary is The Blake at Viera, an assisted-living and memory-care facility that now is open.
Borrows West also has a "passive linear park" that was built around a man-made lake, as well as an area set aside as a future corporate park that The Viera Co. is marketing to potential tenants.
Borrows West's name is derived from its previous use ― a pit that supplied “borrowed” dirt that was used in building nearby I-95 improvement projects.
Health First hospital on Merritt Island
Health First officials say they are proceeding with development of a new 120-bed hospital on Merritt Island, which will replace the current 150-bed Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach.
Changes in hospital plan: Health First board OKs scaling back Merritt Island hospital project, saving $100 million
In December, the Health First board of trustees voted unanimously to proceed with construction of the hospital project on a 14-acre site at 255 Borman Drive, across State Road 520 from Merritt Square Mall. The project includes the new 286,000-square-foot hospital; a four-deck parking garage plus surface parking; and central utility plant designed to ensure continuous power functions, even during tropical storms and hurricanes.
"This vote was very important, because it now allows teams to begin working on the foundation and ordering the required equipment," said Lance Skelly, Health First's system director for public and media relations "We expect heavy construction to begin in the first quarter of 2024."
More discussions will soon take place with the Health First board on plans for a medical office building at that site.
As Health First previously announced, the project is scaled back from the original vision of a "wellness village" to a more traditional hospital campus, with a lower cost. Health First's original plan for a wellness village included retailers, restaurants, a coffee shop, a juice bar, a day care center, a fitness center, a spa and other amenities. By removing those elements from the plan, Health First recently estimated that the price tag was reduced by $100 million, and now stands at about $410 million.
Heath First estimates completion of the Merritt Island hospital in late-2026, with the current Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach remaining open until the new hospital is ready to open its doors.
Aquarium at Port Canaveral
Groundbreaking is scheduled for the fall of 2024 for the aquarium that the Brevard Zoo will be building on a 14-acre site along the shoreline of the Banana River at Port Canaveral. The aquarium is scheduled to open in 2027.
The future aquarium will span 14 acres of shoreline along the Banana River at Port Canaveral.
Brevard Zoo Chief Executive Officer Keith Winsten said fundraising for the project has topped $71 million, on the way to a $100 million campaign goal. The Our Legacy Campaign fundraising effort for the aquarium was launched in December 2021.
Aquarium gets Ron Jon's support: Ron Jon, founder's foundation donate $2 million to Brevard Zoo's aquarium project at port
That includes $25 million from a currently anonymous donor, whose identity might be announced at the groundbreaking, along with the official name of the aquarium. Other major donors include a $5 million gift from the Pittsburgh-based DSF Charitable Foundation ― which is run by the Mellon family — to help pay for the aquarium's Sea Turtle Care Complex. Ron Jon Surf Shop and Surfing's Evolution & Preservation Foundation each donated $1 million for the aquarium's beach-themed entrance complex.
In addition, $15 million has been designated for the project by the Brevard County Tourist Development Council and the County Commission, using money collected from the county's 5% tourist development tax on hotel rooms, vacation rentals and other short-term rentals. The project has received nearly $1.5 million in state grants, and is seeking an additional $5 million state grant in the 2024-25 state budget.
Winsten said nine of the planned 12 buildings or other exhibit spaces will be in operation when the aquarium debuts to the public, with the others to be phased in later. In addition to the beach-themed entrance complex, planned exhibits include a Manatee Critical Care Center and Habitat, Sea Turtle Care Complex, Shark Flats, Ray Encounter, Alligator Alley, Otter Run and a tarpon feeding experience.
The zoo currently is working on addressing issues related to water use and wastewater systems at the aquarium site.
"Building an aquarium is sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience for almost all of us," Winsten said, in a recent presentation to the Canaveral Port Authority. "So there's a lot of learning on the go."
Upscale resort Westin in Cocoa Beach
A 502-room hotel that will become Brevard County's largest when it opens in early 2027 is planned for Cocoa Beach, off State Road A1A.
The former International Palms Resort in Cocoa Breach, a two-story hotel owned by Coral Gables-based Driftwood Capital, had been the county's largest, at 502 rooms. But it is now closed, and is being torn down to make way for the 502-room Westin Cocoa Beach Resort & Spa on that site.
David Steiner, a managing director at Driftwood Capital, said the International Palms demolition project is about 75% complete. Groundbreaking for the new Driftwood is scheduled for the second half of this year, and the hotel complex will take about 2½ years to complete. The current cost estimate for the project is $402 million.
The six-story Westin will have 502 rooms, conference facilities and other amenities, and would be considered Brevard County's first "4½-star" upscale resort.
"This will be a game-changer for Cocoa Beach and visitors to the area," Steiner said.
In addition to the future 502-room Westin, Driftwood owns the 295-room Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront and the 290-room Crown Plaza Melbourne-Oceanfront, which currently are Brevard's two largest operating hotels, based on room counts. The company also is developing a 130-room Element by Westin next to its Crowne Plaza. The Element is scheduled to open during the first half this year.
Steiner said, after the Element and the Westin in Cocoa Beach open, Driftwood will operate 62% of the beachside hotel rooms in Brevard County.
Ashton Park town center, development in Palm Bay
One of the biggest projects under development in Palm Bay — Brevard County's most-populous city — is Ashton Park.
City officials say Ashton Park will be a large-scale, mixed-use, master-planned project in the southeast quadrant of Palm Bay, off Micco Road. The project ― spearhead by Orlando-based Dix Developments ― encompasses about 1,512 acres.
It will include a 39-acre town center that will provide residents with a variety of options for groceries and other retail shopping.
The property is mostly cleared. It will include 4,107 single-family residential units, 1,625 multifamily rental units, 1,031 town homes and more than 5.4 million square feet of commercial/flex space.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the third quarter of 2024.
Mayfair East subdivision in Melbourne
In a project that has been discussed for nearly 20 years, a Miami developer is moving forward with plans to build Mayfair East, a 536-lot single-family housing subdivision across 128 wooded acres northeast of Palm Bay Magnet High.
A week ago, the Melbourne Planning and Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval of the subdivision's rezoning request and preliminary development plan. The Melbourne City Council later this month is scheduled to cast decisive votes on the proposal.
Miami-based SH Communities owns the sprawling, forested 271-acre tract bounded by Babcock Street to the west, Florida Avenue to the north, Lipscomb Street to the east and Pirate Lane to the south.
Mayfair East is slated to encompass most of the eastern half of this property. The preliminary development plan depicts a primary boulevard entrance linking with Pirate Lane, with a secondary entrance along Florida Avenue.
Melbourne's Margaritaville project
One of the most-talked-about projects in Melbourne is the planned Compass Landing by Margaritaville resort off U.S. 1 in Melbourne.
Construction work had been temporarily suspended because of high interest rates and unfavorable economic conditions, but it later resumed. The target opening date was pushed back from fall 2024 to late 2025.
Plans for the tropical-themed Melbourne Margaritaville include a seven-story hotel facing the Indian River Lagoon, a two-story restaurant building with 400 seats, a 221-slip marina, a 14,000-square-foot lawn with stage for concerts and events, a four-level parking garage and a public boardwalk.
The marina and promenade are planned to be part of the initial phase of the project.
Redevelopment of Titusville Mall
Developers are currently transforming the Titusville Mall into a mixed-use urban village composed of shopping, apartments, a hotel and senior living.
Already, the Bealls Outlet inside the mall has been turned into a large indoor flea market, while one wing of the structure has been closed for demolition.
That half of the mall will give way to a 155,000-square-foot complex with a 240-unit, seven-story apartment building and a six-story independent senior living facility. There also will be 20,000 square feet allotted for ground-floor retail.
Plans for beginning the second phase of the structure — which includes a six-story hotel with more than 150 rooms and an observation deck to view launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — have not been announced.
“For usable open space, the applicant is proposing a series of walkways/exercise trails installed with exercise stations, multiple parks with benches, lakes with fountains and docks with gazebos, along with a small, fenced dog park area at the southeast corner of the development,” a Titusville Planning and Zoning Board memo said.
The Titusville Mall formerly was known as Searstown Mall, which was built in 1996.
Rick Neale and Tyler Vazquez contributed to this story.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Margaritaville, Whole Foods, Aquarium: Where key Brevard projects stand
