Manatees eye downtown Melbourne stadium

MELBOURNE – Brevard County Manatees officials are exploring a potential move from Viera into a future downtown baseball stadium at the old SunTrust Bank site on New Haven Avenue.

The Manatees are a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball team affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers that plays home games at Space Coast Stadium.

Two weeks ago, Gov. Rick Scott announced that the Viera stadium's primary tenant, the Washington Nationals, will move spring training operations south to West Palm Beach.

Brevard County officials believe that could occur as early as 2017, and the future use of Space Coast Stadium remains unknown.

Meanwhile, former Melbourne councilman and mayoral candidate Mark LaRusso, a business consultant, has discussed the downtown stadium concept one-on-one with current City Council members, City Manager Mike McNees said.

"Mark has met with the council members. I have met with him previously, and he has this idea of developing a stadium downtown. It's certainly an interesting idea," McNees said.

Interactive map: Location of proposed downtown Melbourne stadium

"A lot of cities have leveraged redevelopment activities around sports facilities. But of course, it all comes down to the details of flow of funds for construction and maintenance and operations, and so on. We are listening," McNees said.

The Manatees generate $2.82 million in annual economic impact, according to a May 2013 Johnson Consulting study commissioned by Brevard County officials.

That study found the team averaged 63 Florida State League home games the past five years, drawing 81,599 fans and generating 2,890 hotel room-nights from visiting players and coaches during a typical season.

LaRusso deferred questions to Manatees General Manager Kyle Smith. Asked for comment, Smith provided a copy of a statement he shared with FLORIDA TODAY earlier this month:

"The Manatees want to stay in Central Florida and intend to stay in Central Florida. We've obviously received several inquiries over the past couple of years from nearby communities that value the economic impact delivered by Minor League Baseball. We will continue to listen and evaluate," Smith stated.

"But we've also proactively reached out to the leadership in Brevard County. We believe there are a couple of viable options within Brevard County but our timeline is short and the window is closing. The exit of Nationals heightens our sense of urgency and expedites our timeline," Smith stated.

McNees said the sole downtown property "even remotely big enough" to house a baseball stadium is the former SunTrust Bank site, which stretches from the Promenade Park manatee-viewing boardwalk up the Crane Creek river bluff to New Haven Avenue.

City Hall officials view this 3.4-acre parcel as a potential economic catalyst. Stretching between Nomad Café and Blossom House Florist, these asphalt and grassy parking areas accommodate vehicles during special events like Friday Fests, art festivals and 5K races.

LaRusso is expected to deliver a presentation to City Council on March 10 or March 24 "regarding a proposed use for the old SunTrust Bank property," according to a summary of minutes posted on the city website.

A Coral Gables developer eyed this site in 2006 to build a 159-foot condominium tower; a hotel standing nearly 80 feet tall; a 90-seat restaurant; three-story townhouses; a landscaped boardwalk leading to a Crane Creek observation deck; and an arcade of sidewalk shops along New Haven Avenue.

But the ambitious project fizzled after the real estate market collapsed.

New Haven Melbourne LLC, a Miami corporation, bought the land for $1.23 million in April 2013, property appraiser's records show. The lawyer listed as the company's registered agent could not be reached for comment.

Shortly before Tuesday's three-hour-plus Melbourne City Council meeting wrapped up, Councilman Mike Nowlin announced that he had met with the Manatees and LaRusso — "which I'm sure most of you all did," he said to his fellow council members.

"Conceptually, I think that's a different idea. I hadn't considered that for a downtown thing. But if there's no objections, I'd like for staff to look into that, and at least talk to them and see what exactly they're proposing and what their costs are, just as a concept to see where we could potentially go," Nowlin said.

"Who's going to finance it? They are?" Mayor Kathy Meehan asked. No one replied with an answer during the brief discussion.

LaRusso served on City Council from 2004-12. He lost to Meehan in the 2012 mayoral race.

Last July, Rollins College trustees rejected a plan to build a 2,500-seat on-campus baseball stadium in Winter Park for the Manatees and the school team.

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