Urban planner: The future of downtown Vero Beach lies in attracting young adults

VERO BEACH — The city needs to begin looking towards the future and towards attracting young adults, and that effort may have begun Thursday.

Urban planner Andrés Duany — whose vision became the Three Corners project — presented his vision for downtown to a joint workshop of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Board. It was the first step in the monthslong process of adopting a downtown master plan.

That plan would provide the framework for the future of downtown.

"My job is to bring ideas to life," said Duany. "We are creating a collection of goals to accelerate what is probably already happening."

Workshopping ideas

The process will be a collaboration among the city, Duany and the public.

"These past few days have really been for Andrés and the design team to see the area and present their initial thoughts," city Planning and Development Director Jason Jeffries explained. "When he comes back for the week-long forum, he will have an idea of the issues and proposals so they are prepared."

The council last month approved a $175,000 contract for Duany to lay the groundwork for the master plan and see it to fruition. Duany and his team are to return to Vero Beach Feb. 5-9 to hear from residents and plan solutions to address the needs of downtown before rolling out a finalized master plan later this year.

"The key is getting people to live downtown," said Councilwoman Linda Moore. "We need affordability, walkability, but there is never a funding source. I do not want this to go the way of everything else."

Councilwoman Tracey Zudans called the planning process "a fantastic opportunity for downtown to define what it is, separate from other areas. It needs to perfect what (downtown) does for the city and the residents here."

Initial thoughts

"I went to every open business the first night I was here," said Duany. "Downtown is on the way up. The bones are already in place."

But he emphasized the importance of young adults in the process.

"What you are lacking here is young people without access to housing," said Duany. "I want people to be aware that this (city) is very future oriented."

The first steps, he stressed, are collaboration between public and private sectors, then building momentum through quicker, initial projects and the involvement of the public.

More: Vero Beach voters approve Three Corners plan; city set to begin looking for developers

Opinion: Here's early glimpse at world-renowned planner's take on Vero Beach's Three Corners

"We have a tremendous opportunity," said Mayor John Cotugno. "The downtown could be the centerpiece of the mainland. We need to create an environment that is conducive to a younger demographic, and create a vibrant downtown."

And the public gets it, judging from at least one resident who attended the workshop Thursday.

"This is the first time I have seen something like this happen," said resident Dave Thomas, fighting back tears. "We want places for people to shop, offices above that and residences above that."

"If you build it," he said, "young people will come."

Nick Slater is TCPalm's Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at Nick.Slater@tcpalm.com and 224-830-2875.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero downtown master plan meeting with Andres Duany stresses need for younger generation