Rick Neale

FLORIDA TODAY

MELBOURNE — A developer proposes to build LaCroix Lofts, a tower housing urban-style industrial lofts and a rooftop bar-tapas restaurant at the former Eau Gallie theater now occupied by Rick's Furniture and Consignment Sales.

Melbourne Beach developer Wayne Walton envisions the structure expanding vertically into a 75-foot local landmark. And he is still evaluating whether to construct the lofts using concrete block or shipping containers — a design seen in larger metropolitan areas that he hopes will attract aerospace and government-contract workers.

"We are in desperate, desperate need of good rental housing. Without sounding braggadocious, the LaCroix will be the only industrial loft residential project in Brevard County. You would have to go to Orlando or Tampa to find a similar project," Walton said.

Reed: Melbourne should approve bigger, better downtown project

"All of the units are two-story lofts. The bottom floor would be the bathroom, laundry room, a kitchen, living and dining room. And there'll be a steel staircase that'll go up to a mezzanine level, and that mezzanine level will house the sleeping quarters — bed, closet — with railings. We're looking at 20- to 22-foot finished ceilings," he said.

Today, this tan building with green trim displays the furniture store's eye-catching "Building Sold" and "Inventory Close-Out Sale" signs to passing traffic. Plywood boards cover the second-story windows facing Eau Gallie Boulevard and Guava Avenue, a stone's throw from Intracoastal Brewing Co.

LaCroix Lofts would feature ground-level parking and 30 rental units, all one-bedroom, one-bath. Floor plans would range from 925 to 1,200 square feet, and some lofts would have balconies.

"There wasn't a true industrial, clean, modern, rough-but-refined product available. And a lot of the people we spoke to were along the lines of, 'Hey, I'm in my early 30s, late 20s. I just got out of college and got a great-paying job. I love the amenities that are offered to me on the Space Coast, but I don't fit with a garden-style apartment. I don't fit in a townhouse. I don't want to be in a single-family home in a subdivision with a gate," Walton said.

Viera getting new apartment complex, church

LaCroix Lofts would be Eau Gallie's highest-profile residential project since the seven-story, 33-unit Pineapple House condominium tower was completed in 2007 near the base of the Eau Gallie Causeway.

As reference points, Walton cited the 81-unit Filling Station Lofts in Miami's Arts & Entertainment District and Tampa's 54-unit Warehouse Lofts in Seminole Heights.

In downtown Melbourne, South Patrick Shores developer Sam Zimmerman proposes to build a 171-unit, eight-story apartment complex featuring 8,599 square feet of restaurant/retail space at the old Melbourne High site on New Haven Avenue.

The LaCroix Lofts development team has had preliminary meetings at Melbourne City Hall. A site plan has not yet been submitted, said Cindy Dittmer, community development director.

"The possibility of a new residential project located in the heart of downtown Eau Gallie would be beneficial for the (area) and the city overall. To bring residents that would live, work and play in the Eau Gallie area, the project could really get some synergy started," Dittmer said.

​Rick Hester bought the building in 1997 for $200,000, and he hopes to close Rick's Furniture and Consignment Sales by mid-February. Afterwards, he said he will probably reopen on a smaller scale somewhere in Brevard County.

On the furniture store's east wall, a framed reproduction of a historic postcard depicts scenes inside the LaCroix Restaurant, which operated in the building during the 1930s. The restaurant fronted what was then U.S. 1.

Walton said hardwood flooring on the old theater's second floor will be refinished and reused on the mezzanine level of each loft. He said he is communicating with area restaurateurs on the rooftop bar-eatery, which he envisions as "shared plates on an elevated level" that fits the mold of the Eau Gallie Arts District.

"It's not going to be like a dive-bar kind of feel. It's going to be more elevated, where you would go to get an old-fashioned made with real bitters instead of some mix that's pre-made," he said.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter.