Brevard County, Fla. is experiencing a construction surge set to continue through 2025. The county is seeing a rise in residential, commercial, and educational projects, including housing developments in Palm Bay and high-tech expansions in Palm Bay and Titusville. Other landmarks include the Margaritaville resort project in Melbourne and the development of multiple hotels across the county.
Shutterstock photo/hywards
Brevard County, Fla., on the state's East Coast, has experienced a building boom lately, a trend likely to continue in the coming year.
Florida Today reported Jan. 5 that development there is expected to be robust in 2025, particularly in the residential sector, where a number of single-family homes, apartment complexes and hotels are in the pipeline.
Commercial and industrial projects also are proceeding throughout the county, as are projects at the Space Coast's colleges.
Port Canaveral CEO John Murray said he saw record amounts of lumber and plywood coming through the port's cargo terminals in November and December — an indication that the housing industry is about to rebound in the second quarter of 2025.
"This is how things work in the global markets," he told Florida Today, based in Viera.
So, what is ahead for construction and development along the Space Coast in 2025? Following are examples from throughout the county.
More Housing Opportunities in Palm Bay
A number of residential projects are under way in Palm Bay as Brevard County's most populous city adds to its current population of just over 140,000.
Deputy City Manager Joan Junkala-Brown said that there are 9,264 housing units within Palm Bay that have been approved and are under construction. Another 21,133 units are currently going through the review process.
One of the big efforts that has been approved is Cypress Bay West, near Babcock Street and Mara Loma Boulevard in southeast Palm Bay, Junkala-Brown noted. It is a three-phase project that is targeted to include 1,219 single-family homes, to be developed by Texas-based D.R. Horton, in addition to 124 townhome units.
Another is the Palm Vista Everlands project, designed to be a mix of 854 single-family homes and 624 multifamily villas and townhomes, including some in age-restricted communities. The site is not far from St. Johns Heritage Parkway, north of Malabar Road, in northwest Palm Bay. There will be three subdivisions within Palm Vista Everlands in which Lennar Homes, located in Miami, is the developer.
Palm Bay's High-Tech Expansion
Junkala-Brown said two high-tech companies are also in the midst of large expansion projects in Palm Bay.
L3Harris Technologies has two major projects currently under construction at its Palm Bay campus.
The first, Project SAMT, which is an acronym for "secure advanced manufacturing technology," will be a 105,000-sq.-ft. facility upon its completion. The project is projected to create approximately 100 jobs over three years, with private capital investment of $110 million, and $80 million in manufacturing equipment, Florida Today noted.
In addition, L3Harris' Project LEO, or "low-earth orbit" facility, also is under way and will encompass 93,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space. A total of 101 new jobs are likely to be hired there over three years, with private capital investment of $70 million in building construction, as well as $13.1 million in manufacturing equipment.
Each of the two projects received approval from the Palm Bay City Council for city property tax breaks over a 10-year period. The combined tax breaks are worth an estimated $1.14 million annually during each of the first five years, with reduced tax breaks later on, Junkala-Brown said.
Another firm to receive city property tax breaks was Rogue Valley Microdevices, an Oregon-based semiconductor company that is developing a plant at 2301 Commerce Dr. in Palm Bay, with a grand opening tentatively scheduled for this summer.
Rogue Valley is renovating an existing 50,000-sq.-ft. facility and making an investment of about $25 million in private capital for equipment and facility improvements. Officials with the company project an addition of at least 75 jobs over a three-year period.
High-Tech Education Center Construction Moving Forward
Work also is proceeding at Eastern Florida State College's (EFSC's) Melbourne campus on a new Center for Innovative Technology Education for the training of high-tech workers.
The $20 million facility is scheduled to open in August, Florida Today reported, with programs that can lead to bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and college certificates.
EFSC President Jim Richey told the Viera-based news source that the complex would "set a high standard in Central Florida to meet the surging workforce demands for local business and industry. As such, it will be a critical component in creating jobs and helping ensure the continued economic growth of the Space Coast."
The 31,500-sq.-ft. building will feature labs that can be configured to provide students with access to software used by high-tech employers, as well as simulation labs, and collaboration areas where students can work together to solve problems in real time.
Students in various disciplines will be supported through the new center, including those studying engineering technology, robotics, mechatronics, 3D printing, computerized drafting, computer information systems and cybersecurity.
Striking a Balance in Titusville
Titusville City Council member Sarah Stoeckel said one of the largest new residential projects under way in her city is The Shores at Tranquility, located north of the NASA Causeway along the Indian River Lagoon shoreline and across from the Kennedy Space Center.
This project is being built in phases, with the first consisting of 99 single-family homes, another 104 single-family homes in the second phase and 75 homes in Phase 3. Additional phases are planned for the future, Florida Today reported, along with a marina and a town center on the site.
Stoeckel told the newspaper that residential developments like this one also help generate interest in national retail and restaurant companies deciding on whether or not to locate to Titusville. An example is the planned Panera Bread restaurant in a smaller "urban store" format along Florida Highway 50/Cheney Highway.
But she cautioned that the city must strike a balance between new residential development and commercial development, while also focusing on infrastructure improvements and preserving wetlands and green space areas.
"Everything has to align perfectly, and everything has to have balance," Stoeckel said.
The Titusville City Council and its Community Redevelopment Agency are working to devise plans to spur more development downtown, including shops, restaurants and service businesses, she explained.
A city council member since 2016, Stoeckel noted that Titusville municipal officials also must work to resolve the split among local residents, some of whom want more development, and others who want to keep the city's "small-town feel."
Separately, an unnamed developer is continuing efforts to transform the site of Titusville Mall (formerly known as Searstown Mall) along U.S. 1 into a multiuse complex. Reportedly, the plan is to include a hotel, an apartment complex, an assisted-living faculty, retail space, restaurants, a medical complex, and other offices on the site, according to Florida Today.
Melbourne Hopes to See Margaritaville Project's Restart
In Melbourne, Mayor Paul Alfrey said he expects construction of the Compass Landing by Margaritaville resort project to be moving forward this year after experiencing some economic roadblocks that ended up delaying its construction.
"This has been a long road, but, as the financial climate has improved for the developer, construction can begin again," he explained. "It has been a bumpy road for Margaritaville."
Plans call for Compass Landing by Margaritaville to be built on a 4.6-acre riverfront site just south of Cherry Street along U.S. 1.
The tropical-themed Melbourne Margaritaville is designed to feature a seven-story hotel facing the Indian River Lagoon, plus a two-story restaurant building with 400 seats, a 221-slip marina, a 14,000-sq.-ft. lawn with a stage for concerts and events, a four-level parking garage and a public boardwalk.
Certified General Contractors in Melbourne was selected as the general contractor of the project.
"We're super-excited about it," said Corey Runte, vice president of the building firm, in speaking with Florida Today. He added that, "Everything is moving forward," with construction expected to begin in March or April on the two-year project.
Its pre-construction work is already under way.
Apartment Community Going Up at Former Store Site
Runte's company also is working on a 240-unit apartment community in Melbourne at the former site of a Sears department store near the intersection of NASA Boulevard and Babcock Street.
He noted that construction is under way on the $58 million project, called Midtown Melbourne, with a completion target of early 2027.
The former retail store itself will be repurposed and renovated into a self-storage facility, while the remainder of the site is planned to be redeveloped into the luxury apartment community made up of eight buildings, each of which will be four stories tall.
Among Midtown Melbourne's amenities will be a clubhouse, resident garages, a pool, a dog park and green space.
Additionally, more than $7 million in site upgrades will be invested toward stormwater, infrastructure and other upgrades.
The developer is Inlet Property Co. in Vero Beach, and the management firm will be Charlotte, N.C.-based Madison Communities, with Certified General Contractors providing the civil engineering services.
West Viera Strong On Residential Development
Construction also is continuing at a strong pace in West Viera, one of the faster-growing areas of Brevard County.
Eva Rey, senior vice president of community management and communications for The Viera Co., shared details with Florida Today on some of the residential projects in West Viera.
She described the Aripeka development as a 260-unit, gated "eco-community," with "wooden gates, [a] natural landscape and lakes framed by majestic live oaks and mature sable palms."
"These features speak to a focused and deliberate effort made to work with the existing land, rather than clearing it and replanting." Rey explained. "Our development team drew lot lines that preserved natural areas, realigned roads, created landscape islands and preserved native habitats."
Aripeka's future amenities will include a clubhouse, a playground, an outdoor pavilion and trails, she noted.
Another nearby development is Crossmolina, which features enhanced designs for a total of 314 single-family homes — 154 of which are attached duplex villas. The amenities in this Viera Builders neighborhood include a central pool, shade canopies, a playground and benches.
Viera Builders' latest community, due to soon be released for sale, is Farallon Fields, will have new lot sizes in a gated section of the neighborhood. The area has a broad variety of home designs, with a total of 576 units. Its amenities include a community pool and pavilion, a playground with a tot lot and open recreation spaces.
Hotel Projects to Go Up Across Brevard County
In addition to the Margaritaville complex in Melbourne, there are a number of other hotel projects on the launchpad in Brevard County. They include eight hotels with a total of 948 rooms projected to open in 2025, according to Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis.
Here is a rundown, with their potential opening month, although construction timelines are often pushed back:
- The Fairfield Inn & Suites Melbourne, with 85 rooms, is set to open its doors in January.
- Melbourne's Springhill Suites Melbourne-Palm Bay, with 128 rooms, also in January.
- In Viera, the 131-room Homewood Suites Viera-Melbourne, February.
- The 150-room Hyatt Place Cape Canaveral, March.
- The Hilton Garden Inn Viera, with 208 rooms, June.
- The Hilton Garden Inn Cape Canaveral, 156 rooms, November.
- In Palm Bay, a 45-room Motel 6, December.
- Also in Palm Bay, a Studio 6, with 45 rooms, December.
New Student Housing at Florida Tech
The Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne is building a six-story, 557-bed student housing complex on the northeast corner of South Babcock Street and University Boulevard, west of Albemarle Street.
The 212,000-sq.-ft. complex will offer apartment-style living with three or four bedrooms and two baths, plus full kitchens and living rooms.
There also will be a classroom area, multiple study and lounge areas, a multipurpose room, e-bicycle parking and two outdoor courtyardd areas that incorporate outdoor dining and recreation.
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