Melbourne downtown to get residential boost
MELBOURNE — For years now, proponents of making downtown Melbourne one of Brevard County’s hot spots talked about new residential housing fitting into the mix.
If their vision became a reality, the area would not only be an area for social gatherings, street festivals and restaurants. They wanted couples and young professionals to call that area home.
A new townhome development at Melbourne Avenue and Crane Creek — within walking distance to the active New Haven Avenue that makes up downtown Melbourne — is expected to break ground next month.
The $7 million project, being developed by the Delorenzo Group and MAI Design Build, both of Melbourne, is to consist of 20, 2,100-square-foot townhomes. Each unit will have three bedrooms and 2½ baths.
The name will be Crane Creek Landings and it’s just north of Crane Creek, which is well known for its frequent sightings of Florida birds, dolphins, manatees and other wildlife associated with the Sunshine State. The townhomes likely will sell for between $329,000 to $399,000.
“The concept is like Celebration in Kissimmee,” said Dave Manzel, president of MAI Design Build, the Melbourne firm that’s designing the project for Hynes.
Casey Gilbert, the executive director of Melbourne Main Street, said residential housing was “badly” needed to complete the success of what’s happening in downtown. It would further popularize the area, boosting the foot traffic at its restaurants, bars and shops and put residents within a two- to three-minute walk to where the action is.
“We have so many businesses downtown that bank on the fact that people will shop and spend the day in Melbourne,” Gilbert said.
“It’d be great to have more people who live here who would shop here on a regular basis and provide local shops with loyal customers.”
And, Gilbert added, “since you have those residents, you’ll have a whole new wave of economic development. Development will beget development.”
John Lucas, a principal and Realtor with Reliance Trust Realty and Investments LLC, has high hopes the project will start the ball rolling on residential housing.
“We’re really short on housing,” Lucas said, noting an obvious sign being high rents and properties that sell quickly.
“Rents are constantly on the rise,” Lucas said. “You can put something on the market to rent nowadays, and it won’t stay there longer than two weeks. Properties which go on the market slide off it real fast.”
Crane Creek Landings will have a Mediterranean motif, both exterior and interior, and all but eight of the units will have side covered porches and yards for pets.
Target customers will include baby boomers who want a smaller property that’s easier to maintain and close to activities within walking distance and younger professionals who want to be near downtown Melbourne’s nightlife.