Oct. 21–Martin County officials Tuesday paved the way for the owner of a Hobe Sound marina and boat club to add a four-story, all-suite hotel.
Jupiter Pointe Marina owner Rob Miller of Palm Beach secured a zoning change that allows for his planned resort on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway, although the project itself also will have to be approved by the County Commission.
The marina now offers dry boat storage, a club that gives members access to boats for a membership fee and the Blue Lobster outdoor seafood eatery.
To accommodate a hotel, Miller plans to expand his complex onto a 2.7-acre lot he owns just north of the marina. The property, slightly north of County Line Road, had a mobile home park that was demolished 10 years ago.
The property had been zoned for waterfront resort commercial, which limited buildings to three stories and excluded some waterfront industries. The new waterfront general commercial zoning allows four-story buildings, while prohibiting housing developments allowed under waterfront resort zoning.
Miller’s corporate manager Julie Hurst said he envisions a hotel with 54 to 84 suites, an indoor restaurant and bar, fitness center and possibly a pool. Miller has not decided yet whether to affiliate with a hotel chain, according to Hurst.
“We’ll have your two-bedroom suite with a nice fridge, couch, no hustle and bustle,” she said.
The resort will target young, affluent families, she said, including Jupiter Pointe Marina clients who live inland and want to spend weekends closer to their boats.
“We’ll have a kids’ camp every day so kids can go kayaking or go to splash camp,” Hurst said. “You can stay and know your kids are going to be safe.”
Hurst said Miller expects soon to submit the hotel site plans to the county for review and welcome his first guests within two years.
