COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Cocoa Beach is turning something old and outdated into something new.
- International Palms will be the new home of a Westin Resort
- The cost to build the new Westin is more than $250 million
- City is allowing developer to build as high as 70 feet
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International Palms, built in the 1980s, will be the new home of a Westin Resort, which was approved by Cocoa Beach’s city commission earlier this month.
The city commission unanimously issued a variance that would allow the developer to go as high as 70 feet. Right now the height restriction is set to 45 feet.
According to documents submitted by Rochelle Lawandales and Nelson Parker, representatives for the project says his client acquired the property in 2016 for its oceanfront potential.
Resident Julie Guthrie says she moved here about 10 years ago and says International Palms used to be a go-to place for tourists — but that’s not so much the case anymore.
“It's fallen in disrepair a little bit, and I don't feel like it’s eye-catching in a good way like it was when I first moved here,” Guthrie said.
Bob Poiani has lived in the area for about 20 years and says he supports the new development for an unconventional reason. Before it was the International Palms hotel, it was a taller hotel, and during hurricane season, Poiani claimed it provided a surprised benefit to the neighborhood.
“It was about a six-story building, and we had a hurricane one year and anything that was the north and south side of the hotel had damage from the winds. Our street was fine because the building acted like a hurricane block,” Poiani said.
According to renderings from the developer Driftwood Acquisitions, there will be a couple of pools, a central roundabout, and shopping and dining accessible to locals too.
The hotel will keep the same number of rooms, 502, and allow an easement in the property to allow non-guests to walk through the hotel and onto the beach.
“Anything like that at the heart of Cocoa Beach where you can easily get to, I think that part of it is a plus for the community, and we are excited about having something new and nice at the end of the street,” Julie Guthrie said.
The 4-and-above-star hotel will bring in cash by attracting the space industry guests. The cost to build the new Westin is more than $250 million.
Project Planner Rochelle Lawandales said the new buildings would be energy efficient and have sewer improvements. She added replacing the existing structure along with the upgrades would benefit the city.
Lawanales also explained during the city commission meeting that in the past three years there have been 2,155 police service calls at the hotel, and the mayor noted a potential reason for so many calls are the low cost room costs that may attract “a type of element to the hotel.”