I am in the Virgin/Brightline Station in Miami waiting for my train to return to West Palm Beach.

Sitting in the station and looking out onto the street, the once neglected neighborhood is being reborn with new rental, office and condo buildings. The station will be the hub for not only transportation but also for revitalization of this neighborhood. Thousands of new residents, businesses and tourists have begun to flock to the area.

No one believes in or wants such massive development in Martin County. However, it wouldn’t be bad thing (on a much-reduced scale) for Stuart. Instead of thousands of apartments, how about a couple of hundred? A hotel of a hundred rooms instead of one of thousands. New businesses would open to service new residents, and the visitors that would come for a day or two.

We went to Miami Beach for the weekend. We had done this in the past and had driven to get there, which was a nightmare. This time we took the train from West Palm and it was cheaper and less aggravating than driving and paying for parking which was $44 per day plus tax at our hotel. The last time we went, we didn’t drive our car once while we were there but rather used Uber or Lyft. We did again this time.

For years, I fought against the train. Now that Martin County has accepted Brightline/Virgin, so have I. It would be foolish to continue a fight that will not be won in the courts. I have taken my own advice and decided to let the market determine the fate of this business.

In the meantime, I believe it is in the interest of Martin County and Stuart to work in partnership with Virgin/Brightline to mitigate any problems. We need to use this as an opportunity to bring residents, businesses, and tourist dollars to the area. Virgin Trains are no more the enemy than the people who want to build Savannah Place or Seminole Bluffs. In those instances, we work with them to achieve the best possible project. The same should be done with this business.

We can have the best possible outcome by taking this more inclusive stance. There are several possible sites for a station to be located which would be to Stuart’s best advantage. For those worried about development of the possible City Hall site, I agree that would be the worst of the options. The peninsula only has one way in or out. That is not where the biggest bang for the buck would be.

Second best would be the fairgrounds. The cons are it is not near downtown nor does it offer the economic advantages that should and could be maximized. When that site becomes available, it should be used in conjunction with the airport to add more light industrial space. These are high-paying jobs, and the more we can cluster them together, the more synergy will be derived.

The ideal spot is the Erneston/East Coast Lumber Yard properties adjacent to MLK Blvd and Dixie Highway. There is the opportunity for finally constructing a parking garage on the Court House parking lot. It would be an economic stimulus for East Stuart and a tie-in to the Colorado Avenue corridor. It is eminently walkable to downtown. We could have the tram meet each train. There is room for new businesses, a hotel and residences without adding to the problems of overcrowding downtown.

As I finish writing this, I am still at the Miami station overlooking newly constructed buildings and a few empty lots. More and more of the area is being relieved of blight in this CRA neighborhood. If Brightline ends up going belly up tomorrow, these buildings will remain. The people that have moved here will stay. The businesses with their offices aren’t going anywhere.

The same would happen in Stuart and Martin County. The developed real estate stays. Most of the economic benefit of the new construction remains. That is why we need to work with this company. It is in our own best interest.