This is what the development is not going to look like. Photo: Koa Bay
What happens when a wave pool dies? Does it live on in a great development in the sky? Go to a farm upstate? Rest in an eternal void with other failed dreams and entrepreneurial aspirations?
Or are its bones ground up and turned into a data center? That’s exactly what will happen if one Florida developer has his way.
Koa Bay was supposed to be a $595-million planned community centered around a Wavegarden-powered surf pool in Fort Pierce, Florida. The 204-acre development was set to include around 1,000 residences, retail and office space, two hotels and surfside bungalows.
However, according to WFLA, Koa Bay project owner Chad LaBonte said developers were unable to raise enough capital to build the surf park, meaning construction never began. In addition to a lack of funding, another complication to the project was the fact that two sets of power lines cross the property through easements.
However, a new proposal aims to turn that weakness into a strength – using that electrical infrastructure to power a data center.
A rezoning application submitted June 17th proposes that 174 acres of the 200-acre site would be designated for light industrial use to accommodate said data center. That leaves 26 acres remaining, which would be zoned for a hotel, gas station, restaurants and other businesses.
If the commercial zoning is denied, developers could still construct the residential property, just without the pool. In no situation does it appear that the wave will come to fruition, though, meaning that membership payments and pre-paid wavepool sessions are being refunded.
