Renovations at Meridian Marina in Palm City move forward after Martin commission approval
MARTIN COUNTY — A multi-million-dollar facelift to the Meridian Marina and Yacht Club in Palm City is moving forward after multiple neighbors voiced support of renovating the previously neglected property.
The County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the addition of dry boat storage for 215 boats and a 6,000 square-foot restaurant while reducing existing sales and operations offices to 2,400 square feet. The marina will have 540 indoor and outdoor racks for boats up to 55 feet.
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Moreover, the proposed restaurant is required to come back before the commission for another vote before construction starts.
“A marina is a living, breathing community of boaters, neighbors, marina team members and guests (that) interact with each other on the first part of their day and the last part of their day of fun,” Austin Cameron said. “Our goal is to make our neighbors happy.”
The approval comes about 1 ½ years after Jenny and Austin Cameron of Texas-based VIP Marinas purchased the marina and yacht club on Southwest Chapman Way for $9 million. The 11-acre property on the St. Lucie River was about to go into foreclosure and had needed various repairs.
Since taking ownership, the Camerons installed a new roof and siding to the existing storage barn to repair 2017 hurricane damage and reopened the marina’s service shop, which is leased through a service company, they said.
They plan to do boat sales in about three years and add a 2,400-square-foot ship store to the slated restaurant area.
Existing members of the marina and yacht club and nearby residents gave praise to the Camerons for fixing what they said was an eyesore to the neighborhood. Former Cleveland Clinic Martin Health President Rob Lord was one of many who spoke at the Tuesday meeting.
“I’m very impressed with their committment to be a good neighbor. They sought us out and sought our feedback,” Lord said.
Although Commissioner Sarah Heard voted in favor of the renovations, she drew concerns about the project’s compatibility with the surrounding residential area and the flexibility of parking, height and roof requirements in the development code. County staff maintained it was up to par with county standards.
“Commercial uses next to residential uses never are (compatible),” she said. “They cause conflict every place that we see them.”
Lina Ruiz is TCPalm's watchdog reporter for Martin County. You can reach her at lina.ruiz@tcpalm.com, on Twitter @Lina_Ruiz48 or at 321-501-3845
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Meridian Marina: Multi-million renovation in Palm City moves forward
