The twists and turns leading to Vero Beach's selection of a developer to execute and build a voter-approved concept plan for the three corners the city owns at 17th Street and Indian River Boulevard were dramatic enough to make a good book.
Here are a few takeaways from the past two-plus months alone:
Living the four-way test
While I do not always agree with Councilman John Carroll, he showed his ethical mettle at a council selection meeting last week by ranking the most popular (at least based on speaker and council feedback) developer last on his scorecard.
While not mentioning the developer’s name, Carroll cited what he considered departures from the city’s request-for-proposal rules that allowed SuDa, Cred Capital, Madison Marquette to submit an incomplete plan, then turn in an updated one after submissions from three other developers were made public.
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Carroll suggested fellow council members rank SuDa based on its original submission, not an amendment showing beautiful drawings of a renovated power plant and its dynamic inside that came after a selection committee asked questions. One of the end results, Carroll said: Though city financial consultants assessed SuDa’s initial plan, it didn’t get additional detail in its amendment.
Carroll’s ability to professionally express his concerns shows he lives his Rotary Club’s Four-Way Test:
“Is it the TRUTH?
“Is it FAIR to all concerned?
“Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
“Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
Mayor John Cotugno also cited what he saw as irregularities with SuDa’s adherence to the city's request for proposal: a potential conflict of interest and sending emails it hoped to have distributed to the council.
“I want this to be fully in the light of day,” Cotugno said, agreeing with Carroll that following the city’s process carefully was important.
In the end, Carroll and Cotugno were unable to persuade fellow council members Linda Moore, Tracey Zudans and Taylor Dingle, who each selected SuDa first.
Only Carroll and Cotugno voted for Clearpath, selected twice overwhelmingly by the city’s selection committee as the best proposal, as their first choice. SuDa was chosen by the slimmest of margins.
Keeping Vero, Vero?
There's a Facebook page online called “Speak Up Vero? A Millennial and GenX Revolt against Boring and Mundane.” It was created to help get younger people engaged in the Three Corners planning process.
It was great at pulling people together who wanted something exciting for the Three Corners.
The images SuDa submitted on its second effort — after not initially having a plan for a renovated power plant — were cool. If built as shown, they’d be a massive improvement over the old power plant and a great asset to the community.
But they might not dramatically alter the neighborhood in the long run. In 25 years, the design could look as standard as every restored power plant around the country.
Clearpath's plan ― though incredibly expensive and risky for developers to pull off ― included a restored power plant with old machinery, Florida’s first 21C Hotel Museum, a Sydney Opera House-type performing arts center and a crow’s nest atop an original smokestack. The plan was designed by HOK, one of the nation’s top architecture companies.
The design alone would have attracted residents and tourists. The view of the Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean, accessible via lift to the crow’s nest, would have been a must-visit revenue producer like similar attractions around the nation.
It is bold and aspirational — something that, if it could be done, could remain distinct 100 years from now.
Instead, Moore, Zudans and Dingle played it safe. I thought at least Moore and Zudans would want more aspirational than safe.
Marriott strikes out again
The first Vero Beach City Council meeting I went to was Oct. 8, 1985. Councilman Gary Parris stood alone in voting to rezone 16 acres of residential land between Conn Beach and the Village Spires so Marriott could build a $40 million hotel.
“We’ve been called ‘Zero Vero’ ever since I was a kid,” Parris said at the time. “I thought the Marriott was something that would really give this community a boost.”
It’s probably best the Marriott was not built. Instead, modern mansions line that stretch of Ocean Drive. Back then, City Manager John Little dissed a separate plan for a park, pitched by the Civic Association, calling it “the most ridiculous idea I’ve heard in my life.”
Almost 40 years later, Vista Blue Resort and Spa’s proposal for a Marriott at the Three Corners was rejected — despite a passionate plea from longtime local resident and hotel developer Don Urgo. He proposed spending $172 million on the site, about $56 million more than what the 1985 Marriott could be built for in today’s dollars.
As a comparison, Clearpath said its Three Corners plan would have cost $564.4 million. World-class hotelier Richard Kessler spent $375 million to renovate a power plant in Savannah, Georgia, into a hotel and entertainment district that opened in 2020.
Key votes
SuDa (three first-place votes) beat Clearpath (two first-place votes) by 1 point out of a possible 50 as council members selected their preferences, first to fourth.
Among the strangest votes:
Dingle voted Clearpath third, behind Vista Blue, though Clearpath was an overwhelming first among the city’s selection committee. One of his arguments: Voters might not have OK’d the referendum if they’d seen Clearpath's modern design. But, as we have been told as the city designed this plan and considers downtown improvements, these plans are not meant to please residents today, but those who live here 25 or 50 years from now.
Moore also tapped Clearpath third, behind SuDa and the consensus worst plan. The Edgewater Group had a marina-centric vision, including a automated dry stack building south of the bridge and future “condominium development site.”
And, despite his reservations, Cotugno picked SuDa second.
Had Clearpath been one place higher in two of those votes, it would have been tapped instead of SuDa to negotiate with the city.
First time I've ever seen this ...
I’ve been attending government meetings for 46 years. Last week was the first time I've seen the following on a dais during a meeting:
Two board members high-five each other, behind and above the mayor's back, after the announcement SuDa had been selected. I saw the link-up between Zudans and Moore while looking for video files on my phone to delete. I asked the council members to explain:
"Obviously I was pleased about the verdict," Moore said, noting she had no idea how the other council members would vote and was happy Zudans agreed with her. "This is kind of the biggest thing we have ever done and it's what we all ran for. It was a very difficult decision."
Zudans concurred:
"The entire reason that we all ran for this Vero Beach City Council was to make progress on the Three Corners project," she said in an email. "It was a spontaneous happiness that we passed another milestone on one of the most important journeys for the future of Vero Beach."
This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Three Corners: Will we look back in 25 years, say council kept Vero Vero?
