VERO BEACH, Fla. — The population migration to Florida and the lack of affordable housing have been a hot topic for the last few years.
Vero Beach is one of the many Treasure Coast cities experiencing growing pains that include a growing wealth gap and lack of housing at the forefront.
A joint meeting held Thursday between the City Council and Planning and Zoning Board discussed a plan to revitalize the downtown area.
WPTV previously reported on the City Council moving forward with a revitalization plan in November, focusing on increasing walkability, incentivizing businesses and adding more housing downtown.
Those who live and work in Vero Beach came to share their ideas on how to achieve that goal.
Among the ideas discussed included adding hotels, rooftop bars, restaurants and leaving room for a future Brightline station.
"All those would be great as a long-term investment," Mayor John Cotugno said.
The mayor said he noticed a shift in tone inside the meeting as residents voiced support for the project, agreeing on the need for change.
Historically, proposed changes to the city and its infrastructure have been met with resounding opposition — from the Twin Pairs lane reduction project to the Three Corners Project, which still aims to develop a hotel and a mixed-use waterfront village on what used to be an old power plant.
"It's super exciting, and it's cool because the building we're in now is actually the oldest building in Vero, so to see this get a face-lift, it's super exciting," Lukas Bagby, manager of the Rio Coco Cafe, said.
Bagby said he's seen firsthand the influx of young people moving into the city and said he'd like to see its infrastructure adjust to that.
"Definitely a lot more young people now are in the business place and in the restaurants," Bagby said. "Our town itself is growing, so to have the older part of town grow with it is essential."
Andres Duany, a town planner asked to help lead the project, echoed Bagby's sentiments.
During Thursday's meeting, Duany said a large part of the project will focus on keeping the younger generation in Vero Beach and adding attractions to draw others in.
"All of these young people are moving north, the way they moved to Brooklyn and now Cleveland and Buffalo, they're coming here and we can capture that," Duany said.
Several people during public comment agreed, noting the need for more of a downtown tourism presence.
Lifetime resident Katherine Lones was one of them who wanted to see change, for the most part.
"It would be exciting to see revitalization and growth here," Lones said, "but at the same time, I like my roots and don't want to see them change here.
"I love the old-school feeling of downtown, but I wish it was a little busier," agreed Diane Leslie.
Both Lones and Leslie represented a large part of city residents that, while not necessarily resistant to change, hoped the revitalization would not change Vero Beach's old-school, small-town feel, such as its iconic, vintage-looking Theater Plaza.
"I think the horse is out of the barn with this being a small town," countered Duany, "just look out the window, it's urban sprawl."
However, no plan is in place yet as to how to achieve this revitalization.
Thursday's meeting was the first of several to occur to allow residents to weigh in and the city to discuss how to move forward.
The next public hearing will be on Feb. 5