What is the Zoning and Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Designation for the City Marina?

• The City Marina and Marina South Complex are zoned C-1M, Marina District. 
• The City’s Comprehensive Plan designates the City Marina and Marina South Complex as C, Commercial Future Land Use. Per Policy 1.18 and Table 2-2 of the Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Element, the C-1M zoning district is consistent with the C, Commercial future land use designation. 

What uses are allowed in the C-1M zoning district?

The following principal uses are permitted in the C-1M zoning district:

• Marinas
• Restaurants
• Restricted Sales and Service
• Recreation and Parks
• Public and Private Utilities
• Clubs
• Fire Stations

Is the C-1M zoning district a mixed-use zoning district? 

No. The C-1M, Marina zoning district is primarily for marina services with facilities oriented to users of the docks, moorings, and watercraft, limited commercial services, and servicing, repairing, and storage of watercraft. The zoning district has a focused commercial purpose to commercial and recreational marina services and does not have an intent or purpose for the development of mixed-use projects that combine commercial uses with residential or industrial uses. 

Does the City plan to build a hotel at the City Marina? 

No. The Marina Master Plan does not propose a hotel at the City Marina. Phase I, Dry Storage Building replacement at the South Complex is currently under site plan review and does not propose a hotel at the South Complex site.  

Could a 100+ room hotel be constructed at the City Marina?  

No. Although the hotels are allowed as accessory uses to the principal marina use in the C-1M zoning district, the City could not lease a portion of the marina to a commercial hotel operator for the following reasons:

• The City Marina is protected property pursuant Section 5.05 of the City Charter. Land at the City Marina may only be leased for a public or civic purpose which also serves a recreational, artistic, or cultural purpose, including incidental concessions without a citizen referendum. A commercial hotel is not a civic purpose that serves a recreational, artistic, or cultural purpose, and is not an incidental concession. 
• The Marina South Complex is currently under site plan review to construct a new dry storage facility. Although the site is not a protected property pursuant Section 5.05 of the City Charter, the site is too small to construct a 100+ room hotel. A 100+ room hotel structure would exceed the FAR of 1.0 for the site and could not provide the required on-site 125+ parking spaces.
• Bob Summers Park / Vero Beach Dog Park is protected property pursuant Section 5.05 of the City Charter and is designated P, Park Future Land Use designation in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Pursuant to Policy 1.13 of the Land Use Element, a commercial use, such as a hotel, is not a consistent or allowed use in property designated P, Park. The City Charter and the City’s Comprehensive Plan would not permit the leasing of park property for a hotel use.   

Does the Comprehensive Plan allow for mixed-use development at the Marina?

No. The Comprehensive Plan sets forth policies to encourage the recreational boating and sailing access to the Lagoon and provide marina services to support this access to the Lagoon. The City Marina and the Marina South Complex are designated C, Commercial Future Land Use on the City’s Comprehensive Plan, Future Land Use Map. While Policy 1.10 of the Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Element states the Commercial designation allows for a broad mixture of residential, mixed residential, marinas, institutional, and non-residential uses, this is a broad land use category covering many of the City’s commercial areas that have differing purposes.  The City Marina is zoned C-1M, which is designed to accommodate watercraft and limited commercial services and facilities oriented to users of the docks, moorings, and watercraft. The City’s Comprehensive Plan sets forth policies to provide public access to the lagoon and allow for watercraft services. The City policy is to provide the Lagoon access and watercraft services in area zoned as appropriate for marina uses with the C-1M zoning district. 

Does the Marina Master Plan propose to commercialize or industrialize the City Marina and the surrounding park lands? 

No. The Marina Master Plan prioritizes improvements to the recreational facilities of the City Marina, including reconstruction and expansion of the docks and the dry storage watercraft building that will improve public watercraft access to the Lagoon.  There are no plans to add commercial or industrial uses to the City Marina or Bob Summers Park. Such uses would be inconsistent with the C-1M, Marina and P-2 zoning and Future Land Use Map designations for these City properties. 

ATTACHMENTS:

Marina Master Plan

[#SP22-000005] Marina Dry Storage Building Site Plan Report

CITY CHARTER SECTION 5.05 FACTS

Q. What is Section 5.05, Limitation on alienation of city-owned real property, in the City Charter? 

A. Primary purpose of the Section 5.05 is to limit City Council’s authority to sell, trade, gift or lease City owned public lands without the authorization of the citizens of Vero Beach. There are 26 City-owned properties listed in the City Charter. Any sale, lease, trade, gift of these properties has to be approved by the citizens of the City of Vero Beach by referendum. 

Q. Are all the properties listed in Section 5.05 City Parks?

A. No. There are operating or decommissioned public facilities, such as the former power plant and current sewer plant sites, listed in Section 5.05 of the City Charter. The following 26 parks, recreation facilities, public open space land, and public facilities are listed (protected) in Section 5.05 of the City Charter:

• Community or neighborhood parks: Riverside Park, Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary, Pocahontas Park, Troy Moody Park, Young Park, Charles Park, Jacoby Park, Piece of Pie Park, & Van Busch Park
• Beach parks: Humiston Beach Park, Jaycee Beach Park, & South Beach Park
• Recreation parks or facilities: Alex MacWilliam Park, Municipal Marina, Bob Summers Park, Alex MacWilliam Boat Basin Park, Leisure Square, Michael Field, & Royal Palm Pointe Park
• Open space lands: Block Manor Park, Pine Terrace Park, & Lake Rose
• Operating or decommissioned public facilities: former City Power Plant; City Wastewater Treatment Plant; Crestlawn Cemetery, & Old City Nursery

Q. Why are non-profit facilities located on Charter protected properties? 

A. Subsection (b) of Section 5.05 permits City Council to lease the public properties listed in Section 5.05 for public or civic purpose that serve a recreation, artistic or cultural purpose or incidental concession. The City currently leases the following public properties or facilities:

• Riverside Park – Vero Beach Museum of Art (artistic or cultural purpose)
• Riverside Park – Riverside Theatre (artistic or cultural purpose)
• Pocohontas Park (Pickleball Courts) – Pickleball University (recreation purpose)
• Pocohontas Park  – The Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum (cultural purpose)
• Jaycee Beach Park – Seaside Grill (incidental concession)
• Alex MacWilliam Boat Basin Park – Vero Beach Rowing (recreation purpose)
• Bob Summers Park – Vero Beach Dog Park (recreation purpose)
• City wastewater treatment plant (shoreline area) – Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River County (recreation purpose)

Q. What currently controls the development on properties listed in Section 5.05 of the City Charter?

A. In addition to limitation on the City Council’s authority to sell, trade, gift or lease City owned public lands in Section 5.05 of the City Charter without the authorization of the citizens of Vero Beach and the limitation on leasing the lands for a public purpose that serves a recreational, artistic or cultural purpose or incidental concession, the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations control the development on these properties. The Comprehensive Plan limits the uses and the maximum development of structures on each property in the City to ensure development is consistent with the Vero Beach vision of maintaining its small-town character with low density and low rise development.  Any changes to the Comprehensive Plan policies and Land Development Regulations require sufficient planning and data analysis to justify the changes and, most importantly, community input at public hearings prior to adoption.

Q. Do improvements to City lands and changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan occur in public meetings? 

A. Yes. Any amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulation (LDR) occur at Planning and Zoning Board and City Council meetings. If the improvement requires a major site plan approval, this requires a public hearing at Planning and Zoning Board. All meetings are publicly noticed and the public is welcome to participate by providing public comments prior to any approval by City Council or the Planning and Zoning Board.  

Q.  Are lessee’s of City lands, such as the Dog Park, Vero Beach Museum of Art Museum, or Riverside Theatre, required to comply with the City’s Land Development Regulations?   

A. Yes. All of the City’s leases require the lessees to comply with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. The leases for City land do not provide exceptions to any applicable regulations to a lessee’s property. If a regulation or approval process is changed by City Charter, Comprehensive Plan or Land Development Regulation, the new approval process or regulation will apply the leased property.