Jessica Saggio

FLORIDA TODAY

Times are changing in Titusville, the Brevard city once pegged as a “ghost town” on national news.

Home values are rising, the quality of life is improving as new shops and entertainment options pop up and maybe most telling — it’s becoming a more viable place to work.

More than 1,000 jobs are en route to north Brevard as industry takes interest in the recovering area. Companies like OneWeb, Embraer, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin are making business decisions that directly benefit Titusville and its surrounding communities.

“Everybody can feel there’s something different in the air in north Brevard, and everybody’s very excited for what’s coming in the next few years,” said William Chivers, president of RUSH Construction and a board member for CareerSource Brevard.

And the jobs are good ones, added CareerSource Brevard Chairman Robert Jordan.

OneWeb Satellites bringing 250 jobs to Space Coast

Embraer is building a $3.5 million Aero Seating Technologies facility in Space Commerce Park, just off Grissom Parkway. With it comes 150 new jobs with an average salary of $48,000. The company anticipates a ribbon-cutting sometime in November, said Daniel Bachmann, spokesman for Embraer North America.

OneWeb is expected to create 250 jobs at a new facility coming to Kennedy Space Center's Exploration Park. The company builds small communications satellites, and jobs pay an average wage of more than $65,000. Construction has not yet started.

Blue Origin, a rocket company started by Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, also is opening up shop in KSC’s Exploration Park. Its manufacturing building is currently under construction and will bring 330 jobs to Brevard. Average wages will be around $89,000. Blue Origin is expecting to complete its facility by the end of next year or early 2018.

Lockheed Martin is the most recent announcement benefiting Titusville. The company is expanding its role in spacecraft manufacturing, with plans to add 300 jobs to north Brevard paying an average of $89,000. Fifty of those jobs will be created by the end of 2017. Lockheed also purchased Astrotech and its facility, located just off of Grissom Parkway. The facility was used to prepare satellites for launch, Jordan said.

Lockheed Martin adding 300 jobs to North Brevard

Proximity to Kennedy Space Center, tax incentives, available property and a base of talented aerospace workers were all factors as to why these major players chose north Brevard.

Brevard County Commissioner Robin Fisher, whose commission district includes north Brevard, credited the North Brevard Economic Development Zone with helping spur the development.

That controversial special district, created in 2011, allows for property tax money generated by new commercial and industrial development in north Brevard to stay in north Brevard.

The zone was able to supplement money and incentives needed to seal some of these deals, Fisher said. Opponents of the zone argue that tax revenue should be spent throughout the county, not just in one area.

In addition to these major developments, there are projects such as Titus Landing that will create jobs, just maybe not as high-paying, Jordan said.

Embraer project may spark Titusville turnaround

Titus Landing is a $60 million shopping facility that will include a movie theater, stores and a Parrish Medical Center facility. Titus Landing is expected to contribute another 800 jobs. Smaller businesses, such as Playalinda Brewing Co., also are expanding. The popular brewery is building a new brewpub off U.S. 1 and will add about 40 jobs in the process.

Add in Paragon Plastics' relocation to Titusville and that’s another 40 jobs, Jordan said.

Chivers, a lifelong resident of Brevard, said he’s never seen a resurgence quite like this one, even though the county has taken many hits over the decades.

“In my view, the community should embrace what’s happening. Nobody is envisioning we become a Miami or Orlando, but it will bring opportunity, things for young professionals to do, things for older folks like myself to do,” he said. “To me, it’s just an absolute win-win all around.”

Marcia Gaedcke, president of the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce, said the developments will help address some of the problems that Titusville has struggled with for decades.

New developments are transforming Titusville

New business will add to the population, she said, which could, in turn, change household income levels, as many of these new jobs offer higher wages. Income levels often held the city back when it came to attracting desirable stores and facilities.

Still, Titusville follows a countywide trend of rising home prices and sales, coupled with low inventory. In June, sales were up 9 percent throughout the county from a year prior, according to figures released from the Space Coast Association of Realtors.

Donna Trantham, owner of Mr. Submarine & Salads, Inc, said she's thrilled for all of the changes as her business grows along with the city. The popular sandwich restaurant has been a Titusville staple since 1988.

"We’ve tripled our staff, we’ve doubled our business and then some," said Trantham. " ...I’ve been in this community for 30 years and this is the most action (in the city) I’ve ever seen."

Gaedcke said the next issue will be filling all these new jobs.

“We have great talent here, but we have to ensure that the work force needs are filled and that we’re continuing to recruit and attract new people,” she said. “We want to make sure we have the best pipeline, and that’s becoming the focus of the conversation.”

Contact Saggio at 321-242-3664, JSaggio@FloridaToday.com or follow @JessicaJSaggio on Twitter. Instagram: JessicaJSaggio Snapchat: JuhJuhJuh