On heels on Vero Beach, Sebastian growth, Fellsmere population to double in five years?
My jaw about dropped when I heard Mark Mathes say earlier this year Fellsmere would double in population over the next five years.
Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have given the Fellsmere city manager's comments much thought.
Like in 2007, when Fellsmere’s aggressive annexation campaign led to discussions of changing Indian River County’s form of government to give county voters greater ability to control growth.
Amid those discussions, the Press Journal published such headlines as “Tale of two cities: ‘Port St. Fellsmere’ ” and “Broward County, here we come.”
Rampant growth was coming soon.
But it didn’t.
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By 2019, Fellsmere, which had annexed thousands of acres, had become the most expansive city in Indian River County. It stretched from nearly State Road 60 to the Brevard County line and across both sides of Interstate 95, a staggering 55 square miles.
That year, Jason Nunemaker, departing as longtime city manager to take a job closer to home in Broward County, told me how the late-2000s Great Recession had stalled growth.
Nunemaker predicted it could take 30 years or more for Fellsmere to reach projected build-out of about 75,000 people.
Growth wouldn’t get out of control because of how the city would preserve its history and traditions, from agriculture to rodeos, Nunemaker said. The city plans to preserve about half its land for conservation and recreation.
Jessica Salgado, then a 28-year-old council member, a position she continues to hold, was confident in that vision.
"I understand why people come over here," she said, noting the city's quiet, laid-back lifestyle. "There's a reason you want to be here."
Fellsmere: boom to bust to boom?
Fellsmere had come a long way from when I moved here in 1985. Then, the city had about 1,600 people and made the Associated Press newswire for a story that went like this:
“A dukes-up duel by a moonlit canal settled a feud between the vice mayor and a former volunteer policeman in this rural community, and both pugilists say they’re willing to let bygones be bygones.”
It was a far cry from the boom of the late 19th century, which led to a railroad connection from Sebastian, but slowed after 1915 floods from almost 30 inches of rain.
Sugar farms, a refinery and all sorts of agriculture couldn’t propel Fellsmere into the county's metropolis. Too much water often was an issue.
By 2000, the city had grown to 3,813 people, according to the U.S. Census. Following annexations, the population reached 5,197 by 2010. In 2020, though, it was back to 4,834.
That’s what happens in a rural Florida city national builders hadn’t found and where only 16 single-family building permits were issued in 2023. Those, Mathes said, largely were local property owners who built homes and sold them for more than $300,000 apiece.
Now, though, Mathes has a pipeline of projects, from near Dairy Queen on County Road 512 east of I-95 to about five miles west near Myrtle Street.
Three — at various stages of review — are as big as anything the city has seen. Mathes said:
Marian Estates could yield about 320 houses and townhomes for a national builder on about 70 acres east of 141st Avenue. The county could build a fire station there, retiring a smaller one on Broadway Street.
Legacy Landing could have about 325 single-family and townhomes on more than 30 acres south of 97th Street, west of Mesa Park.
Treasure Coast big enough for multiple auto, surf projects?
Later, on what’s called Fellsmere 392, hundreds of acres that surround the Dairy Queen and push north toward the county firing range, there could be at least 200 apartments, 100 houses and 100 townhomes.
Fellsmere 392 also could include a private surf park, hotels, fire station and amenities for dogs, bicyclists, walkers and anglers on 200 acres the city hopes to have donated for a park.
The more than 1,000 units combined could yield about 2,700 people ― not quite doubling the city population, but coming close. That doesn’t include other proposals, totaling about 1,338 more units Mathes said could start construction by 2027.
Taking advantage of Fellsmere fishing fancy
Meantime, work has begun on a 57-lot RV park just west of I-95. And Mathes is excited ― and I was, too — after seeing a proposal for a fishing camp of about 20 cottages that could be built on northern Broadway Street, essentially the city’s main street.
The cottages would be close to great fishing at nearby Headwaters Lake and the Stick Marsh.
“It’s exciting to no end,” Mathes said.
Near State Road 60 on land north of the CVS Distribution Center and annexed into the city by the Corrigan family, a motor track complex with about 500 homes surrounded by industrial uses has been proposed by a Miami-based venture, Mathes said.
A YouTube video describes Valhalla Kingdom of Speed. a futuristic community centered around two racetracks ― one for go-karts and a three-miler set up for cars that go over 200 mph. There’d be hundreds of acres of homes around a lake and centers of commerce for a hotel, shops, event venue and distribution centers and factories, according to the graphic in an email sent to Mathes in September 2023.
Building homes for vehicles
Bold visions in Fellsmere are nothing new. In the late 1990s, the $5 million Mesa Park, west of I-95, was destined to become a major regional concert and sports complex. It hosted top artists, from George Jones to Joan Jett, and swamp buggy races, but it didn’t last long.
I’ve seen big ideas for surfing parks and racetracks elsewhere.
In September 2020, TCPalm reported plans western Fort Pierce would be the site of the nation’s largest “WaveGarden,” as part of a $595 million project with 800 homes, 600 hotel rooms and retail and office space.
In 2023, St. Lucie County commissioners OK’d land-use changes so the P1 Motor Club could build tracks for auto and go-kart racing on 629 acres west of Fort Pierce. P1, which like Valhalla would have homes, “GarageMahals” and “Autominiums,” dropped plans for an airstrip.
P1 doesn’t sound as bold as Valhalla’s vision, but is there room for two such facilities on the Treasure Coast? And two surf parks?
State Road 60 to County Road 512 bypass?
Regardless, Mathes is preparing for growth.
He’s got exciting cultural plans, including a historical village at the western end of the Trans Florida Rail Trail just north of Broadway.
Roads also could be improved, with CR 512 widened to four lanes and a northern bypass built from 512, next to Treasure Coast Community Health, to 97th Street.
Mathes also has applied for a $4.7 million federal grant to design a new road to open land for development and give motorists another way to get from CR 512 to State Road 60 and some conservation areas in-between.
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Mathes said, noting the city’s focus has been to put all the conservation, recreation, historic and infrastructure pieces in place before growth comes.
So will Fellsmere’s population double in five years? We shall see.
This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Wave park, racetrack, thousands of homes to double Fellsmere populace?
