COCOA BEACH, Fla. – The Cocoa Beach City Commission unanimously approved an ordinance to allow for a stretch of Meade Avenue next to the Cocoa Beach Pier to become a part of pier property, currently owned by Westgate.
Renderings show the proposed 126-room resort with public beach access. Plans also include the construction of a parking garage that can fit nearly 600 vehicles.
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City officials said multiple studies need to be completed before Westgate can take ownership of the property.
“It’s going to take some time, but we just aren’t there yet to answer how are we going to handle stormwater, how are we going to take care of traffic,” building department director Randy Stevenson said.
During the meeting, several residents expressed concern regarding traffic congestion and environmental conservation.
Cocoa Beach officials said there were several impact studies that needed to be completed as a contingency to allow Westgate to take control of Meade Avenue.
Despite concerns regarding public beach access, Mayor Ben Malik said the redevelopment is necessary.
“This isn’t something we are hiding from anybody. We can’t continue to operate when expenses rise faster than our revenues rise. Some redevelopment needs to occur for us to be able to continue to provide services,” Malik said.
Westgate took over ownership of the historic pier and has spent millions of dollars in updates.
It is still unknown when construction could begin.