It’s been a long time since a round of golf was played on the old Dodgertown Golf Course.
"This property, as you may or may not know, has had no activity for 13 years," Vero Beach Mayor Harry Howle told the audience Tuesday at City Hall.
Developer Mark Hulbert is proposing the Dodgertown Urban Center. It would be a mix of retail, office space, a hotel, and what’s being called an urban market.
“Where locals set up shop to sell their food, coffees," Hulbert told Council.
The initial plan included a residential component, but that’s been removed.
A bigger question for council members surrounds whether this is the best plan, at the best price, for the property.
Back in 2005, the city paid nearly 10 million dollars for the land. The developer is offering just over 2 million.
That’s after the city turned down another purchase offer of $2.7 million last year.
Councilwoman Laura Moss said her concern is losing much needed green space.
“I personally believe that open space would be one of, if not the defining feature of the city in the decades to come, said Councilwoman Moss.
Some residents asked the council to take some more time before making a final decision, taking into account the property’s history.
The decision Tuesday does not bind the Council to a purchase price or a final rendering of the development.