VERO BEACH, Fla. — Vero Beach's long-awaited Three Corners project is getting another 30 days as city officials and the developer continue negotiating a ground lease for the waterfront property.
City Manager Monte Falls requested the extension from the City Council, saying staff needs additional time to complete a document for the developer.
"As you all know, in our letter of intent to negotiate, we had 120 days and then the capability of making extensions on 30-day increments. This is the second request for a 30-day. Staff supports doing this because of some additional time we have taken putting together a document that will be sent out today," he said.
The extension marks the second 30-day extension for the project. The council approved the first in June.
Negotiations over the lease terms began in March following a 120-day negotiation period established in the letter of intent, with the option for additional 30-day extensions.
The repeated extensions have raised concerns among some council members about how long the negotiations could continue. Councilwoman Linda Moore said she would support the latest request but indicated she wants to see progress before agreeing to another extension.
"I'm okay with this extension, but I don't think I'd be okay with another one. It feels like we're stalling a little bit," she said.
Mayor John Cotugno said the short deadlines were intentional when the city established the process for selecting a developer.
"When the City Council and Purchasing Procurement Department put together the RFP, we purposely kept a really tight control on this because 30 days, those are short windows. We did it purposely for this kind of conversation to happen after a certain period of time."
Councilman Aaron Voss also supported giving the project another month, but said he hopes for more information if another extension is requested.
"Probably a little more rigor on the next round. Maybe have more of a briefing or an update that helps qualify another extension. Monte already gave us one this time, with the updated submittal," he said.
The Three Corners project has been in development for years, with the city approving a concept plan for the site in 2022.
The estimated $250 million redevelopment would transform the former "Big Blue" power plant property into a waterfront destination with hotels, restaurants, shops, event venues, housing and a marina.
The power plant closed in 2015. Under the city's master plan, the property is intended to include commercial development as well as public amenities such as parks, cultural and recreational features and public access to the waterfront.
City officials have previously said construction could still be another year away as the city works through the agreements needed to move the project forward.