Builders aim high on Merritt Island

Brought to you by

 

December 14, 2005

Builders aim high on Merritt Island

BY ERIKA PESANTES
FLORIDA TODAY

As the Hubert Humphrey Bridge dips away from Cocoa, Island Pointe's nine-story tower and three of its eight-story luxury condo buildings gradually emerge from the Indian River's edge.

For some, these are stately pillars of progress. For others, these multistoried buildings are menacing misfits that make Merritt Island's skyline strangely unfamiliar.

As developable land disappears on the island, as elsewhere in Brevard County, some developers are looking to maximize desirable properties by building taller.

Three separate Merritt Island projects -- all nine to 11 stories -- await approval from the county. All are centrally located on the island, not far from the State Road 520 commercial corridor.

But some longtime residents fear that as developers build up, they'll whittle away at Merritt Island's character.

"It's pitiful going over the bridge. I think 'Boy, I'm glad to be home,' but with all the high-rises, it don't look like home," said Norma Bennett, a resident of the island's Bel-Aire subdivision for the past 25 years. "I'm for progress, but it seems we
have a little more than we need."

Although north Merritt Island is home to the tallest building in Brevard, the 525-foot, 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, structures beyond a few stories aren't the norm. Much of the riverfront property still is the domain of single-family homes -- some palatial estates and some much less.

David Hobbs, president of the East Merritt Island Homeowners Association and a resident since 1977, said he's paying close attention to the proposed developments.

"I think it's getting exponentially worse as Merritt Island builds out and gets build up," he said. "There just isn't that much property where people can keep expanding. They're being forced to go up."

A small group -- branching out from his association -- is being created to watch the path of growth.

"We're trying to preserve our single-family neighborhood," Hobbs said.

New projects

The three proposed "tall" projects are in various stages of approval, but all will need the final OK from the Brevard County Commission. They are:

An 11-story commercial and residential building as part of Island Pointe.

A nine-story condominium project at the site of the Banana River Marine.

The nine-story, 112-unit River Fly-In Condos next to Merritt Island Airport.

Commissioner Ron Pritchard, who lives on and represents Merritt Island, said he didn't consider the recent proposals part of a trend. He added that the multistoried building have some plusses.

"One advantage to condo lifestyle is it tends to inhibit the creation of additional subdivisions," Pritchard said. "It focuses construction in specific areas. As for density, I'm not particularly fond of the density created."

He said his constituents want to preserve the pristine areas of the island, but they also want to improve blighted neighborhoods.

"Most folks don't have a problem with growth or change, they're concerned with nine-story buildings," Pritchard said. "When it comes to your neighborhood people are always concerned as to what will happen; there's a certain lifestyle they've adapted to."

Favorable outlook

Some residents and business owners think the developers will help build back areas of Merritt Island that need revitalization.

"I absolutely am in favor of Merritt Island building up. It adds value to our property, it removes blight in many situations," said Fran Quattrochi, who lives on Merritt Island and works in real estate. "I believe just coming over the causeway and seeing those condos on both sides of the road makes an impressive entrance into Merritt Island."

"I know people feel that we're losing the smaller town feel, but I really feel it's advantageous to the economy."

Antonio Rovira, an East Merritt Island Homeowners Association member who moved from Orlando, said he thought he'd left the big-city madness behind and found paradise.

"Development's not needed in the area, especially nine-, 10-story buildings, which don't add to the beauty of the island," he said. "We don't oppose progress, but at the same time we know that we're going to have big problems."

Contact Pesantes at 242-3618 or epesantes@flatoday.net