A big new waterfront project is on the table for downtown Stuart, and it's already got people talking. It's called Capri Harbor, and it would sit on a roughly 7-acre parcel along Northwest Dixie Highway near the old Roosevelt Bridge.
The plans are ambitious: a 158-slip marina, a two-story restaurant seating 275, and a ground-floor ship's store. The developer is also pitching public amenities meant to tie the site back into downtown — an elevated boardwalk for pedestrians, shaded seating and dining areas, and an art installation near the vehicle drop-off.
On paper it's a 156,876-square-foot site that keeps 54% as open space, with 141 parking spaces. The traffic studies project around 141 trips in the morning peak and 162 in the evening peak. The whole thing is expected to create about 20 jobs across the marina, boat club, restaurant and ship store.
Here's the wrinkle that surprised a lot of locals: this didn't need a Stuart City Commission vote. Under the city's updated land development code, the project meets the rules and can move administratively. It still needs state and federal permits before anyone breaks ground.
That hasn't stopped the pushback. At the May 26 commission meeting, Commissioner Eula Clark raised community concerns about how the modern design would fit into Stuart's traditional, historic downtown character. Because the blueprints comply with code, though, it's not actually something the commission gets to vote up or down.
It's the classic Stuart tension: a city that loves its waterfront and its small-town historic look, weighing a project that promises public access and boating but doesn't quite match the old-Florida aesthetic.
For the 772, this is one to watch. If Capri Harbor clears its permits, it could reshape a chunk of the downtown riverfront. We'll keep an eye on where it lands.