Supporters say Boardwalk would be gamechanger, but some locals don't want the game changed

FORT PIERCE — Jim and Nancy Kreischer make the 25-minute drive from Jensen Beach to the Fort Pierce Inlet as often as they can, usually once a week.

The Long Island, N.Y., natives have been spending some of their years on the Treasure Coast for some time, but recently became full-time residents, and views like the inlet one are a big part of the draw.

"It's a beautiful view over here," Nancy Kreischer said as the two sat on a bench between Square Grouper Tiki Bar and Manatee Island Bar and Grill last month.

Pretty soon, though, the parking lot behind them and some of the lots across the street could become a construction site for one of the largest developments the area has ever seen — "Boardwalk on the Inlet" — with hundreds of hotel room and condos, more than a dozen restaurants and shops and an 18,800-square-foot event center complex, with the main ballroom alone covering more than 7,000 square feet.

It's the vision of local car dealer and real estate investor Sandy Woods, who has owned the property with his family for the last three years while letting the city use it for free for parking.

Project would bolster jobs, tax base

In an recent interview with TCPalm, Woods and a group of partners and supporters made the case that their plan would have a tremendous positive impact on the community.

One of those supporters is former state Rep. Larry Lee, a business partner of Woods who also spoke at a community event where the project was announced. Also backing Woods are Luke Lewis, a real estate agent who Woods described as a "hopefully future business partner" and Treasure Coast Black Chamber of Commerce President Chauncelor Howell.

Fort Pierce needs to expand its tax base, Lee said, and a project led by locals such as Woods is the best way to do so.

"We need to create a better tax base for Fort Pierce," Lee said. "When you look at our Police Department (for example), they're overburdened."

Many police officers train in Fort Pierce only to leave for other nearby communities, he said.

"We don't have the resources to pay them what they should be paid," Lee said.

Growth is coming to Fort Pierce, Lee predicted, and the Boardwalk could be at the forefront.

"Fort Pierce has been discovered. It has been discovered by people from South Florida, and people from the northern states are coming here," Lee said. "While Port St. Lucie is having a tremendous growth rate, they don't have any of the amenities that Fort Pierce has. Fort Pierce has that beautiful inlet; it has two beautiful beaches."

Nowhere in South Florida has water more beautiful than Fort Pierce, according to Lee, particularly at the inlet, where the Boardwalk is planned.

The massive development would bring an increase in jobs, both during and after construction. Woods — who said he has spent more than $250,000 on engineering, economic-impact and traffic studies — projects 400-500 jobs during construction to be followed by 300-400 permanent positions.

Woods has declined to reveal estimated cost of the project, but he confirmed it would be "in the hundreds of millions of dollars."

The project could also attract other development that could benefit residents, like a Brightline station.

Meetings with Brightline

Woods said he has met a number of times with Brightline representatives, and though the railroad is only now first seeking proposals from property owners in St. Lucie and Martin counties, Woods believes the Treasure Coast station will be built in Fort Pierce.

"It's coming to Fort Pierce," Woods told the public, to cheers, at the community meeting. "And remember, you heard it here first."

In order for Brightline to come here, though, it needs to see passengers will have a reason to get off the train in Fort Pierce, not just get on. Woods has promised free transportation between a future station and the Boardwalk, and pledged to do the same if nearby Treasure Coast International Airport gets a commitment from a passenger airline to fly here, as it is seeking to do.

Still, people like the Kreischers are concerned.

"I don't think that it's good for the area at all," Nancy Kreischer said of the proposed Boardwalk on the Inlet.

The development would not remove the concrete path where she and her husband walk along the water or the bench where they sit, but it undoubtedly would change some of the things that have made people like them move there.

'You can't go back to what it was'

"Long Island is not quite New York City, but there's buildings all over the place, and once it gets like that, you can't go back to what it was," Jim Kreischer said.

Woods promises to turn the existing parking lot into a multi-use development and build a parking deck with about 1,000 spaces, hundreds more than required. That could help the city, Woods argues, as it has often struggled to find enough parking for residents and visitors, especially downtown and near the beaches.

The Krieschers aren't sure it will make a difference, though, because the development will draw more people.

"Can you imagine in season, when people are at the hotel, it's going to be so crowded in season," Nancy Kreischer said.

"If parking's such a big concern, they should leave it this way," Jim Kreischer said.

While they said it might be a very nice facility, the couple just wants their weekly walk to stay the same.

Woods and his team plan to get the ball rolling on the approval process. They have yet to submit anything official to the city, he said, but once they do, they expect it to take about six months for the necessary approvals. Then he projects two years for construction.

One of the needed approvals will be changes to height restrictions. The present parking lot falls within the South Beach Overlay zoning district, which includes much of the northern section of South Hutchinson Island. The maximum building height there is 45 feet, according to city spokesperson Kaitlyn Ballard.

More: Huge development could reshape Fort Pierce Inlet on South Hutchinson Island, see details

More: Boardwalk on the Inlet to go through normal city approval process for height

The development would be higher than that, Woods said, while not giving the exact height. Renderings appear to show the parking garage and main hotel at eight stories, with the top story serving as a rooftop bar.

Woods does not plan on utilizing a new state law to get around those restrictions, despite initially mentioning it at the community meeting. Senate Bill 102 allows developers to build without local approval, but one of its requirements is that at least 40% of housing be affordable. The Boardwalk will not meet that threshold.

For now, Woods said, he has no plans to borrow money for the project or to seek tax incentives.

Meanwhile, down the road in downtown Fort Pierce, construction is beginning on another huge multi-use development, King's Landing, which also had to secure an increase in local height limits.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com and 504-331-0516.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: See what is being said about proposed Fort Pierce Inlet development