FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A major downtown Fort Pierce development has overcome its final hurdle to break ground.
King’s Landing is a $140 million development with a planned 140- room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, restaurants, shops, and 114 residences.
Monday night, Fort Pierce city commissioners voted to approve revised plans to the project that would elevate certain buildings by three stories.
Some residents worried the height increase would hurt the local feel of the downtown area.
But some business owners say they are looking forward to the new visitors the development will attract.
The project, headed by Audubon Development, needed more stories for the hotel to attract the Autograph Collection, according to Audubon Development President, Dale Matteson.
“It’s now 8 stories, the first time it was 5 stories,” Matteson said. He also said residential buildings will now be 11 stories instead of 8, which includes an 11th-floor rooftop bar.
Matteson said the development will be designed to complement the current aesthetic of downtown Fort Pierce.
“All our restaurants are local the bars are local, so the charm really comes from who fills the building,” Matteson said.
Tim Gunther owns Florida Hemp Collective, located in downtown Fort Pierce.
He’s feeling better than ever about choosing his location to grow his business.
“I love being in Fort Pierce…I think Fort Pierce has been this gem that nobody’s really discovered,” Gunther said.
The King’s Landing development will be located just a couple of blocks north of his store.
He’s confident that will put Fort Pierce and his business on the map.
“And I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of new customers that are going to come here and get their daily dose of CBD,” Gunther said.
The change in height for the project, he feels, won’t be an issue to the look and feel of downtown.
“The height thing didn’t bother me at all. I think it’s a necessary change for this area,” Gunther said.
Matteson said work will likely begin within the next 60 days, beginning with foundation work.
Overall construction is slated to take 36 months.