VERO BEACH, Fla. — A multimillion-dollar project on Vero Beach's lagoon is a step closer to reality.
A committee of city and business leaders has chosen a plan to develop its Three Corners area — considered to be the most valuable public waterfront property on Florida's east coast.
The committee chosen to recommend the project had a choice of four plans ranging from $144 million to a half-billion dollars to build. In the end, the committee chose the most expensive plan.
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"There's nothing like it in Vero Beach currently," committee member Jeb Bittner said. "It becomes iconic the day it's finished."
Bittner is a retired developer who said the land where a former power plant now sits is the best choice for a waterfront development that will set the tone for Vero Beach for the next century.
The committee made the Clearpath project of Bloomington, Indiana, the clear choice.
The plan calls for a luxury hotel and a waterfront village. It also plans to turn the power plant building into a place for restaurants, retailers, art galleries and a lobby for the hotel.
"It's like art," Bittner said. "I am sure it will have people that are wowed. It will have its detractors, but in the end, I think it will survive a long lease, and it's extremely special."
The final decision will be up to the Vero Beach City Council, and there is no guarantee it will choose the Clearpath plan.
The most expensive plan is one that critics on the committee call the riskiest.