STUART – The city took another step forward Monday in its effort to restore passenger rail service.
City commissioners unanimously approved — in the absence of Commissioner Christopher Collins — a lease with Brightline for the previously announced Southeast Flagler Avenue station. The lease is subject to approval by the Martin County Commission, which could consider it on August 27.
“Today’s unanimous vote on the Stuart Station lease by the Stuart City Commission is one of the final steps necessary to deliver a train station to Martin County,” Brightline officials said in a statement. “We are grateful for the support and partnership of the commission and city staff and look forward to officially breaking ground.”
Construction of the station is scheduled to begin in spring, and according to the latest estimates, it could open in early 2027.
Rent and costs
Stuart would lease the land to Brightline for $1 per year for 40 years, with an option for an additional 40 years.
The city could have to raise more than $15 million for its share of the station construction. The city and county will pay up to $45 million for construction. But the cost could be millions of dollars less, City Manager Michael Mortell told commissioners, because a parking garage may be unnecessary.
design
The original station was to be a 8,000- to 10,000-square-foot building on 10,000 square feet with 200 parking spaces. That is still the plan, but the parking requirements can be met without a garage. Also, the station will be a single story to match the character of Stuart.
“It’s still a question of design,” Mortell said.
Parking garage
There is “probably a 50-50 chance that there will be a parking garage,” Brian Kronberg, senior vice president of development and construction at Brightline, told commissioners.
Using the site as a parking lot instead of building a four-story parking garage would save the city and county a significant amount of money and protect the 30- to 40-year-old oak trees on the property, at least for a while, Mortell said.
If a parking garage is built, it will likely have two stories, Kronberg said. The ground floor would be covered and the upper floor would be exposed to the elements, he said.
Next step
The next step is station design.
“We can’t wait to take the next step,” Kronberg said. Brightline would also like the opportunity to build a parking garage in the future, he said. A parking garage could be built if demand for travel and parking exceeds current estimates.
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The city may apply for a federal grant at a later date to fund part or all of the garage, city officials said. The majority of the station’s construction costs, including the garage, will be paid for by Stuart and Martin County, according to their agreement with Brightline.
Brightline will be responsible for the station’s maintenance, operations, taxes and insurance, Mortell said.
“We’ll have the perfect station to get to either Orlando or Miami, and we’ll still keep the small town of Stuart that we all want to keep coming back,” local resident and former Stuart Commissioner Tom Campenni told commissioners during the public hearing period.
Keith Burbank is TCPalm’s watchdog reporter for Martin County. He can be reached at [email protected] and at 720-288-6882.
