Well over a year after plans to redevelop the former Cocoa City Hall, currently being used as a gravel parking lot, into a hotel fell through, the city is looking forward with a new project that could bring a Marriott-branded hotel to the south end of Cocoa Village within two years.

As Cocoa Village continues to expand and thrive, business and city leaders say a hotel at 603 Brevard Avenue is a way to take the area’s future to the next level.

The project was approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency in May but will still need to clear several hurdles before it can be completed, including a brand deal with Marriott and final approval by Cocoa City Council. Cocoa Village’s Community Redevelopment Agency issued a request for proposals from developers hoping for new projects to emerge after financing fell through and developers failed to meet deadlines for the previously hotel project in 2022. That project would have brought a similar sized hotel with just more than 100 rooms to the site.

Just as other old buildings such as the vacant former Bank of America will be turned into new apartments with ground floor retail, the city has for years hoped for a complementary hotel project further south.

What is the future of a hotel in Cocoa Village?

The plan, submitted by a private developer 360 Hospitality Group LLC, entails constructing a hotel featuring approximately 100 guest rooms, complemented by ground-level retail shops, keeping in line with the city’s vision for the future of the site.

City leaders have hoped that adding a mixed-use project could breathe new life into the area while generating tax revenue for the city. Hotel developers estimated that the new hotel would cost between $19 -$20 million. Once the project is fully approved, it would take an estimated 18 months to become fully operational.

Approximately 70 parking spaces are included in the proposal to accommodate guests and patrons of the retail establishments.

Dilesh Patidar, CEO of 360 Hospitality Group, said the Brevard County-based hotel developer is capable of bringing the project to the finish line despite hiccups faced by the previous developer. He pointed to multiple other hotel projects the company has in progress around the county, including similar hotels in Melbourne and Melbourne Beach.

“This is a project we’ve been looking at for quite a while. We feel as though, for the city of Cocoa and the residents, that we are the right developers for this hotel and we have the financing to get this done,” Patidar said.

Hotel could drive growth in Cocoa Village

Cocoa city leaders have been eager for a long time to put a hotel at the site of the old City Hall. Although other development projects would have been considered, a hotel has been seen as the best way to generate both tourism tax revenue and cycle in fresh faces to shop at local businesses downtown. “It’s been a long road. People want to see heads in bed right now. There are a lot of business people who are happy to see you,“ City Councilman Alex Goins told the developers.

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Community Redevelopment Agency member Candace Rogers said that the project would provide the balance needed for the Village’s needs while providing maximum value to the community on the city-owned property.

“This is a prime example of a great public-private partnership. I just hope we can now move forward,” Rogers said.

Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County and North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cocoa Village hotel plans moving forward at site of old City Hall