VERO BEACH, Fla. — The city of Vero Beach is more than a century old. So, city leaders are looking for new ways to revitalize its downtown.
At a health fair Wednesday, nurse practitioner Melissa Meadows was asked about the health of Vero Beach’s downtown.
“I love walking the streets," she said. "We have beautiful antiques and incredible restaurants."
At the Italian Kitchen, longtime restauranteur Ralph Cuccurese said downtown has come a long way since the mid 1990s when he first opened up.
“A lot more restaurants, which is more competition but that’s fine with me, because they’re bringing more people into the area," Cuccurese said.
However, city leaders know there’s much more they can do. This week, open forums are being held to discuss a developing downtown master plan designed to boost business, and the population.
“What we want is housing downtown. What we want is young people living here with relatively small units, which is relatively affordable," Andres Duany, of urban planning firm DPZ CoDesign, said.
Duany said the key is keeping the next generation around.
“I think the retail on its own is going to get quite cool, quite edgy, different from the beach,” he said.
Mayor John Cotugno said it's important to grow, but still keep some of the existing feel.
“We have individuals here," he said. "We don’t have big box stores.”
The mayor adds a new downtown will not happen overnight and could involve voter referendums regarding zoning density.
“It’s going to be gradual and it’s going to be a generational approach,” he said.
A group of high school students doing their homework at Coffee House 1420 said affordable housing and educational opportunities downtown would keep them around.
“So that we can learn more after high school, so we don’t have to go out of state for college," Hannah Dorval said.
The final public presentation will be Friday at the Vero Beach Community Center from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The planners hope to have a first draft back to the city shortly thereafter.