Brevard neighbors don't get say over use of landmark Rockledge area site
"The only constant in life is change" - Greek philosopher Heraclitus
Dear FLORIDA TODAY Subscriber,
This week, one of the stories your subscription helped us provide was about what's next for the iconic Harvey's Groves buildings on U.S. 1. The plan is to tear them down to build a mini-storage unit business. You can read Tyler Vazquez's full report here.
Those buildings have stood as a landmark for me since I came to Brevard County in 1994. And, for many of you, much longer.
When I read the story, I was saddened.
I was hoping for something unique. Something the Space Coast didn't have. Something that would give me another landmark to appreciate on my commute home from work.
Don't get me wrong. The buildings have been shuttered for years, so it's kind of sad to see in its current state, but sadder still to think about the disappearance of a kitschy version of Florida's past.
I shared a link to the story on social media, and the comments were as one might expect.
"Great, just what we need. Maybe there can also be a dentist's office, too."
"I'm surprised they aren't building apartments."
"Their juice was always so delicious."
And then there was this...
"Don't the residents that live on the backside of the property in expensive riverfront homes get a say?"
For those who haven't read the story, the property in question sits on U.S. 1 just north of Barnes Boulevard in unincorporated Brevard County, near Rockledge. A quick look on Zillow showed that the houses nestled between the Harvey's Groves office and processing facility and the river are valued between just under to well over $1 million. There were a few exceptions, but for the most part, you're talking homes well above Brevard's average sales price that will now have a backyard view of mini-storage units.
Now that our team has somewhat returned to our Viera offices on a regular basis, I was able to check in with longtime growth and development editor Dave Berman about that lingering question from social media.
The short answer is: No, neighboring residents don't get a say.
"If the property owner wants to bring in a development, and it fits the matching zoning, there won't be much debate about it," Dave said. "It would likely just require an approved site plan from county planning department officials."
So because the Harvey's location was zoned BU-2 Retail, Warehousing & Wholesale Commercial, the new property owner, StorSafe of Rockledge LLC, wouldn't have to jump through hoops to build on the land, if its use fell into that category.
i think I'd lose this line: Still, I wish something more unique was settling into that space.
If you have questions about Tyler's story, which I've placed below with a few others your subscription helped us provide this week, you can email him at tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Or you can find him on Twitter at @tyler_vazquez
As always, you can reach me at rlanders@floridatoday.com. Or you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube (just click the name, the internet will do the rest).
That's it for this week. Thank you for subscribing and supporting local journalism and journalists like Tyler, Dave and me.
Sr. Multimedia Editor
FLORIDA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard neighbors don't get say over use of landmark Rockledge site
