Fort Pierce's Wavegarden: Six things to know about the potential surf park
The Fort Pierce City Commission Tuesday unanimously approved the first phase of development for Willow Lakes Resort Village, which could be the world's largest surf-park resort.
The city has been in talks with developers about the project for years, but the highly anticipated surf park and resort, planned for 10050 W. Midway Road, finally seems within reach.
As the Treasure Coast closes in on its surfing park, here are answers to some of the biggest questions surrounding the project.
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What is a surf park?
A surf park is a resort containing a large, man-made pool that creates artificial waves for people to surf.
Wavegarden, the company developing Willow Lake's surf park, says its technology creates ground swells that mimic naturally occurring ocean waves. Artificial wave pools offer alternatives for beginning surfers and those who might not be quite ready to tackle ocean waves.
The pool at the Fort Pierce surf park would create about 1,000 waves an hour and accommodate about 100 surfers at a time. Different sections of the pool would create different-sized waves, some for beginners and others for more advanced surfers.
How safe are surf parks?
Wavegarden's surf-park pools have been approved by safety-certification boards in Europe and Australia, but its parks are still undergoing safety certification in the United States, according to the company's website.
The company is developing its first U.S. surf park in California, which still needs to be safety certified.
Safety netting separates the wave-making machinery from the water, and lifeguards constantly supervise the surfers at each park, according to the company's website.
Would Fort Pierce's surf park really be the biggest in the world?
Technically, the Wavegarden pool would be the same size as those at other surf parks, such as one in South Korea, said Chad Labonte, Willow Lakes manager.
But the Fort Pierce surf park would have 56 electric modules, or motors used to create waves — more than any other Wavegarden pool in the world. More motors means longer waves.
The park would be about 9½ acres, according to an analysis by the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County.
How much will it cost?
The entire project would cost about $595 million, but only the first phase has been approved. That first phase would cost about $60 million, Labonte said.
The first phase would include the Wavegarden surf park, 28 vacation rentals, a nearly 10,000-square-foot maintenance building and a parking lot with 160-190 spaces.
When would development start, and when would the resort open?
It's unclear when the resort would open, but first-phase development is expected to take about 18 months.
Before development can start, the City Commission must approve the first phase one more time in a vote next month. Assuming the City Commission approves the project again in February, construction will likely begin in the fourth quarter of 2022, said Lee Dobbins, the developer's attorney.
What are the next phases of the project?
After phase one is complete, Willow Lakes Resort Village is expected to construct 600 hotel rooms, 150 townhomes, 150 single-family homes, 700 multi-family homes and 650,000 square feet of commercial space.
The project is expected to include a number of restaurants, shops and entertainment centers along with its surf park.
Thomas Weber is a Digital Now Reporter at TCPalm. You can reach him at thomas.weber@tcpalm.com or 813-545-9113. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fort Pierce's potential Wavegarden surfing park: here's what to know
