South Beach, which developer Rory O’Dare calls “the most undervalued neighborhood” on the island, is in the midst of a building boom.
There are four substantial projects underway along a quarter mile stretch of A1A, between East Causeway Boulevard and Castaway Cove.
Anthony DeChellis is building a big, three-story, restaurant and retail mixed-use development next to the 7-Eleven, across from Johnny D’s Market & Bistro; Palm Coast Development is building two new homes at the southeast corner of East Causeway and A1A; and right across the street, Dale Sorensen Real Estate is renovating the old PNC bank building into a new office.
The fourth project is Riomar Beach, a boutique subdivision with a beachy vibe where construction is about to begin on three $2-million-plus spec homes.
“We are at the starting line,” said O’Dare. “There will be three houses here by Mother’s Day.”
The 0.7-acre site fills the entire block between Sandpiper and Jasmine Lanes, fronting on A1A.
“There was just one house on the lot, which belonged to Dr. Emerson, a well-known dentist here in Vero,” said O’Dare. “You couldn’t notice the house because it was like a jungle in there, very dense, with a lot of Florida holly trees and seagrapes.”
O’Dare laid out the small subdivision on the single-family lot via a plat overlay at the city’s suggestion.
“I could have put five, zero lot line townhomes on the site, but that seemed like too much concrete for me,” he said. “I wanted more space and greenery on the site, so I went with three, single-story, single-family homes.
“I have a background in the nursery and landscaping business and there will be lots of beautiful landscaping, including a heavy landscape buffer along A1A, that blocks out the road. We preserved the old oaks on the site to make it nicer.”
All three homes have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garages, large, central great rooms open to their kitchens, covered lanais and optional small swimming pools.
They also have individual names – Sandpiper, Camellia and Jasimine.
Sandpiper, with a side yard along its namesake lane, will have 3,074 square feet of air-conditioned living space, with another 700 square feet under roof, including garage, lanai and covered entry.
Camellia, the center house, is named after O’Dare’s first granddaughter, who was born last year to island real estate agent Lily O’Dare. It will have 2,641 square feet of air-conditioned space, with another 700 square feet under roof.
Jasmine, which borders Jasmine Lane, will have 2,875 square feet of air-conditioned space and nearly 1,000 square feet of additional space under roof.
O’Dare said the three homes will have list prices between $2.1 million and $2.45 million.
“I know that sounds high to people who have been in Vero for a long time, but in today’s market it is reasonable for new construction east of A1A,” O’Dare told Vero Beach 32963. “A few blocks north of here in Riomar, just the lot would be $5 million.”
O’Dare has a point. The two-story, three-bedroom, three-bath, 3,150-square-foot Palm Coast homes adjacent to The Enclave will be offered at around $3 million, according to Douglas Elliman listing agent Sally Daley, and new homes not on the water in Central Beach are being listed and sold for $4 million and more.
“Our real estate market is in flux right now, with uncertainty tied to political upheaval and foreign wars. It is a little bit dysfunctional, but I think there are three buyers for brand new, well-built, hurricane resistant homes in this location,” O’Dare said. “It is a beautiful, beachy neighborhood with restaurants and parks, where you can get a lot more for your money than in Central Beach.”
O’Dare spotted the property in the summer of 2023, but interest was high, and it went under contract to another buyer who intended to split the lot and build two houses.
Those buyers ran into problems with their plan and the deal fell out of escrow.
“Karl Dietrich at Alex MacWilliam was the listing agent,” O’Dare said. “He called and asked if I was still interested, and we made a deal. I only had seven days for due diligence. I took five rough site plans to Jason Jeffries and his team at the city and got their input on what would work for them. They suggested the plat overlay.
“Getting work done with the city and county is not as bad as many people might say. Working with these guys is kind of a pleasure. Everyone wants to get stuff done.”
O’Dare closed on the property in September 2023, paying $725,000. Engineering, design and site work took 18 months.
“That was a little longer than I expected,” O’Dare said. “It was hard to find a good engineer in 2023. They were all still busy with the Covid building boom. And it took some time to line up the private financing.”
Sitework included bringing in more than 100 truckloads of fill to raise the subdivision site several feet, elevating the houses to protect them from flooding.
“The fill has been rolled and compacted, and we are ready to go,” said O’Dare.
The houses will be built simultaneously and taken to what O’Dare called a “white box” phase by May.
White box means that the concrete block shells will be complete, with finished roofs, interior rooms framed out and drywalled, and windows and doors installed.
“By the time we get to that point, I hope to have buyers under contract who can then come in and pick their own bath and kitchen fixtures and finishes, paint colors, flooring and other details to customize the house to their taste,” O’Dare said.
There will be two entrances to the subdivision, one off Sandpiper that serves two houses and one off Jasmine for the third house, so residents won’t have to turn off or merge onto A1A near the busy intersection with East Causeway, which leads to the 17th Street Bridge to the mainland.
More information about the new subdivision, including home renderings and floorplans can be found at riomarbeach.com.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
