Fury over plans to revive crumbling ‘ghost town'

News.com.au

8 hours ago

Residents of a US town are going to war with a big-name developer over its plans to revive an abandoned community and turn it into a lucrative tourist hot spot.
The 5.5-acre plot inside the tiny enclave of Jensen Beach, Florida is currently home to a few small, boarded-up buildings, including an abandoned apartment complex and a former store — all of which have been ravaged by storms, salt air, and graffiti, Realtor reports.
The so-called 'ghost town,' which locals proudly describe as a 'small drinking town with a big fishing problem,' is worth fighting for, according to its residents.
The locals are waging a battle against Fort Meyers-based developer, Riverlight Development LLC, and its plans to construct a commercial mecca on the plot.
It is a battle that has been brewing for years now — ever since Riverlight acquired the abandoned properties for $US14.5 million in 2023.
Plans were announced to demolish the existing structures to make way for a mixed-use development that will include up to 80 residential units, a nine-room hotel, shops, a dog park, and a restaurant.
However, for the past two years, the lonely, ghosted buildings have been left to further decompose, as the development has hit a number of snags, including vehement opposition from locals, according to local outlet TC Palm.
Since Riverlight's acquisition, the tiny town has remained closed off to residents.
Yet that hasn't stopped them from putting up a fierce fight against the urbanisation of the area.
You might think a shiny new project would be preferable to the deserted, run-down buildings.
But some residents say otherwise, insisting that they like Jensen Beach just the way it is.
While raising concerns, the small community doesn't have the infrastructure required to support such a big development.
The pros and cons
Many Florida communities would welcome revitalisation efforts like Riverlight's, revelling in the potential boost it would give to the local population, jobs market, and tourism revenue.
The parcel on which Riverlight plans to build makes up just a small portion of Jensen Beach, which is home to a number of local businesses and does attract a decent number of tourists each year — albeit not as many as might flock to a shiny new community that sits right on the water.
There's no doubt Riverlight would attract new life and business to the area, with Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce's president and CEO insisting to CBS12 that the project would be nothing but positive for the community.
'I think any way that you take a blighted area and you make it better and make an improvement and you don't overbuild,' he said of the Riverlight development.
'It would definitely help the businesses. You know, Jensen Beach is a restaurant destination.
'Those people that are going to be living in that new community can walk here and visit the downtown.'
Yet several very vocal locals are adamant that the town remain just the way it is — and made no attempt to hide their horror over the plans at two town hall meetings about the project, where more than 100 people voiced their objections, according to TC Palm.
Chief among their concerns is the possibility that a highly publicised new development could cause local housing prices to skyrocket, which would make the entire area untenable for longtime locals.
Others believe that it would lead to a loss of the community's unique character.
'Can this police officer afford to live here?' questioned local Carol Balducci, as she pointed to a sheriff's deputy during one of the Jensen Beach Neighborhood Advisory Committee town hall meetings.
Locals speak out
A number of residents have readily aired their grievances with local news outlets, expressing their fears over what the Riverlight project will do to their much-loved community.
'I enjoy the quaintness of this whole town and area. I just, I don't think we have the infrastructure for all of this,' Gary Frain told CBS12.
'Yes, we like it quiet. At nine o'clock, everybody's off the roads. I mean, it's wonderful,' Karen Petrovich chimed in.
In addition to local town meetings, residents have also begun airing their protestations on the 'Quit Messen with Jensen' Facebook page, where — between ads for the special at Barbecue Beer Co. and musical acts at Chris' Martini Bar & Cafe — locals freely discuss their misgivings, while also posing potential solutions to what they see as a problem.
'How much to buy them out??? We're gonna do everything we can to make them miserable anyway … it's gonna cost for delays and lawsuits. Let's US the locals BUY IT ALL. If we all toss in and LOCAL millionaire business owners MATCH what we raise …' one person suggested.
'I'd love to get the apartments and open them up for low income folks,' another commented.
One resident, named Jeremy C. Neff, hinted that he is already working on a plan to bring those ideas to life, writing in one comment on the Facebook group that he has been 'quietly working' with other locals on a plan that he claims could provide Jensen Beach residents with an opportunity to reclaim the land.
'I've been quietly working on with some local folks who care about what's happening to our open space and character here in Martin County,' he wrote.
'It's called the Martin County Land Bank, and it would give our community the ability to buy and protect land before it gets developed … I'll be launching a simple website shortly to explain it better.'
Still, not all residents are deadset against plans to improve the area.
'I'm all for saving a small town, however there are quite a few uninhabitable houses and vacant commercial buildings rotting away here in Rio. Be nice if someone fixed them up,' wrote Stephen Mikulec.
To his point, the vandalism is quite the challenge for the developer.
Riverlight spokesperson Marcela Camblor told the TC Palm, 'It is so hard to keep up.
'The owner has been there multiple times to board up and clean up … the minute they get boarded up, they are vandalised and broken into.'
Who's winning?
Local resistance seems to be working. The property has been sitting almost untouched since Riverlight purchased it.
Riverlight's hands are currently tied, since their master plan has not yet received approval from the Martin County Local Planning Agency, whose spokesperson, Martha Ann Kneiss, told the OC Palm that the 'master plan is currently under review and has been through five rounds of reviews to date. The county is waiting on a resubmittal.'
When the Riverlight master plan finally completes that review process, it then has to be approved by the Local Planning Agency for a vote and then go before the County Commission.
It appears that there's a daunting amount of red tape to untangle before the Riverlight mixed-use project finally becomes a reality, if ever.
Joyce Ann Fletcher Menard commented that she's just fine with that.
'Keeps the traffic down and the tourists away – YES!!!!!' she wrote on Facebook.