ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PORT REVISION
Master plan outlines new details for marine
Harbour Pointe Park is expected to become a destination park with a restaurant, event lawn, pavilion, boat launch and more in the next four to six years.
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hub and waterfront recreation park
BY SUSAN BURGESS
The Port of Fort Pierce is springing to life, growing
from a little-used cargo port to a thriving marine
industry hub that includes a fully loaded waterfront
recreation park rivaling any on the Treasure
Coast. The transformation is expected to begin soon, ending
decades of waiting for the port to turn around.
Derecktor Shipyards of Fort Pierce is moving ahead
with plans to open its maintenance, refit and overhaul
operation for the sleek yachts of the super-rich. And
now, Harbour Pointe Park, which fronts the Fort Pierce
Inlet and Taylor Creek, is about to experience a complete
makeover.
Jutting out into the Indian River Lagoon, the park has
been a quiet place for fishermen and those who enjoy
mostly untamed nature. Consultants suggest the park
be transformed into a recreational destination that could
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
include a large restaurant with outdoor seating, sundries
shop, possibly boat charter offices, dock master, an event
lawn with a big pavilion, attractive landscaping with
shade trees, a sandy beachfront and walking paths, and a
small-boat launch and public marina at the north end.
Plans call for connecting the park to the greenway bike
trail and out into the community. The idea of creating such a
park was a crowd favorite in meetings with the consultants.
County Commissioner Cathy Townsend said the transformation
of 20-acre Harbour Pointe Park is expected to
kick the century-old port’s new status as a marine and
recreational hub into high gear.
“What you’ve envisioned for a long time, you will now
actually see within the next four to six years,” Townsend
told community members in November during a review
of the plan’s final draft. >>