The Vero Beach Planning and Zoning Commission has approved the site plan for 4091 Ocean Dr., a six-unit condo building slated to break ground this summer.
Commissioners had few questions for developers/owners Yane Zana and Brian Curley of Coastmark Construction, who are experienced oceanfront developers.
Neighborhood condo association representatives who spoke during the public hearing were mostly supportive of the project.
Coastmark bought the .67-acre property across from the Conn Beach boardwalk for $1.9 million in October, according to Zana and county property records. The purchase included two vacant buildings, one facing Ocean Drive that housed the Boardwalk Café and Ice Cream Shop until last May, and a storm-damaged building facing Conn Way.
Those buildings were demolished earlier this month and the new luxury condos are scheduled to be complete by the fall of 2018
The first level of the new building, which will be partially below grade, will be used for parking and storage; above that will be two 3,000-square-foot condos side by side. Two similar single-level condos will occupy the third and fourth levels.
FEMA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection dictate the lower level walls will break away so water flow is not dammed during a flood event. Zana said the below-grade masonry wall will be cut every four feet.
Steel-reinforced concrete piers/columns will start 25 feet below grade and extend upward through the stories above to provide primary structural support for the residences, Zana said. Although code requires “inhabited space” start 17.5 feet above the floodplain, the first floor at 4091 Ocean will be about 22 feet above floodplain.
The building will be within the 35-foot height requirement, Vero Beach Planning and Development Director Tim McGarry said, although the peak of the roof will be 13 feet above that, because height is measured from the ground to the eaves, “the embellishment” on top not counting.
Zana said all the condos, which will start at about around $1.35 million, will have ocean views. “The views are great from all floors and obviously get better with each higher floor. They will mirror what was constructed at the Chelsea Condominium two doors to the north.”
Entry to the 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath units will be from the side street, while ocean views will be from balconies facing the boardwalk.
“The residences will feature Subzero and Wolf appliances, natural limestone flooring, exotic quartzite and marble counter tops, an extensive millwork package with solid core 8-foot doors throughout, inset designer cabinetry and much more,” said Zana, a French native from Nice, who graduated from St. Ed’s and has lived on the island for 30 years.
Other features at the development will include an elevator, a lap pool and a spa or hot tub.
The landscaping plan exceeds city requirements, with plantings that include an 8-foot hedge, which will give residents privacy in the lap pool and spa area.
The stretch of Ocean Drive where the new condos are planned is occupied exclusively by other condominium buildings, and Zana said his project will fit in well. “Most of the construction underway now in Vero Beach is of town homes,” he said. “We are building multi-family buildings and we believe they are typical for Vero Beach with living on one floor,” so people do not have to go up and down stairs or ride in an elevator to get from one part of their home to another.
Zana said most Coastmark clients looking for oceanfront condos fit into one of three niches: Seasonal residents looking for luxury oceanfront homes for winter use, area residents looking to upgrade to new luxury housing or downsize from larger houses they no longer need, and retirees moving to Vero full time from other parts of the country.
The starting price of $1,345,000 is on the high side for a condo in Vero, and prices for third- and fourth-floor units will likely be well over that figure, but nearby oceanfront townhomes of a similar size have been selling for between $2.5 million and $3 million, so the figures Zana is banking on may not be out of line.
Elsewhere in Vero, Coastmark is building multimillion-dollar homes on Reef Road adjacent to The Moorings and is the developer of North Shore Club, where homes are offered between $6 million and $7 million. The company also has projects underway in Cocoa Beach.
RE/MAX Associated Realty owner and broker Wendy Wilson is the listing agent for the new homes. She hosted a promotional event on the site on April 13.
