FORT PIERCE – The St. Lucie County Commission voted unanimously June 2 to rezone two Kitterman Road parcels to planned unit development and approve the developer’s preliminary plan for a townhown project despite an April 16 Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation for denial.
Planner Don Arellano introduced the request, which had been continued from May 19.
“The applicant is petitioning for a rezoning to planned unit development and a preliminary site plan of a 117-townhome development,” he said. “The 19.58-acre property is located on the north side of Kitterman Road approximately one-fifth of a mile east of South U.S. Highway 1. The current zoning for the 19.65-acre site consists of two parcels zoned multiple family residential-five and multiple family residential-nine. The property to the north is zoned utilities, to the west and east multiple family five and the properties to the south are multiple family five and nine.”
“The 117 townhome units are spread among 18 buildings with four different building types, which have a configuration of three different unit lot types,” Arellano explained. “Of those four building types, six buildings contain eight units, one contains seven units, seven contain six and four contain five units. A 0.55-acre neighborhood park is proposed within the southeastern portion of the site. The maximum building height of the existing zoning districts is 35 feet, and the proposed PUD limits this further by imposing a maximum building height of 23 feet, 11 inches.”
Afterward briefly touching on the 1.71-acre conservation easement, 25-foot-wide wetland buffer and a proposed raised boardwalk within that buffer, Arellano detailed the projected traffic impacts and mitigation efforts. One of the primary concerns of the P&Z Board was increasing traffic on Kitterman Road, particularly near Savanna Ridge Elementary School.
“The applicant’s traffic impact analysis provides for a maximum of 727 daily trips, with a peak a.m. count of 54 trips and a p.m. count of 64,” he continued. “The analysis indicates that 95 percent of the projected daily trips will flow to and from South U.S. Highway 1 and 5 percent to and from Lennard Road. The westbound left-turn lane on Kitterman Road provides 225 feet in total, including 175 feet of storage and a 50-foot taper, followed by an additional 80 feet of existing striping. However, it is recommended that the existing westbound turn lane at U.S. 1 and Kitterman be re-striped to add approximately 50 feet of storage. Staff encourages the applicant to enhance the current pedestrian path by installing an additional sidewalk to the east and a crosswalk at the intersection of Kitterman Road and Lennard Road.”
The applicant’s contracted Land Planner Jarrod Purser subsequently came to the podium to provide a brief presentation, acknowledging the cooperation of county employees and Chairwoman Jamie Fowler in whose district the project lies.
“Thank you to Commissioner Fowler for your time discussing the site plan and working to address the needs of your district,” he said. “It’s a better project because of it. Our team would also like to thank staff for being extremely helpful and responsive on the application as well.”
Purser began by describing the currently permitted density on the two parcels, one permitting up to five units per acre and the other up to nine, enabling up to 136 multifamily rental apartments. Purser’s request was to combine the two into one parcel and drop the unit count to 117 townhomes for sale, along with ramping up the parking component.
“We’re proposing to combine those parcels into one planned unit development for 117 fee-simple townhomes for home ownership,” he explained. “The density is just under six units per acre. We’re providing significantly more parking than the minimum requirement. We’re providing 2.1 spaces per unit and if you include the garages, that’s 4.1 spaces per unit.”
Purser also highlighted his collaboration with Chairwoman Fowler.
“We worked with Commissioner Fowler on providing additional separation on the west side from the Las Palmas development,” he explained. “You can see the standard landscape buffer and then 50 feet of additional open space and dry detention area between the proposed homes and that neighborhood to the west. We’re providing 58 percent open space, where the PUD requires a minimum of 35 percent, so we’re well in excess. Again, we’re not maxing out density. The reason for a PUD is clustered housing to preserve environmental resources and create amenities like the neighborhood park you don’t see in typical standard developments.”
When no one from the public came forward to speak, Chairwoman Fowler pointed out that one of the parcels already held entitlement to 80 apartment units.
“They’re coming in under the density allowed under the current zoning, [and] they’re not looking to deviate from the height,” she said. “I will point out this is located close to schools, fire stations [and] shopping, it’s on a transit route and is an infill project. This project meets the code and they’re not asking for any extras except for the building spacing formula, which was already approved on that eastern piece.”
The chairwoman took the absence of the “very vocal White City residents” as a sign of their approval.
“You do not see them here this evening, and that should tell you guys everything that you need to know,” she said to her colleagues.
District 1 Commissioner James Clasby, who ran on a slower-growth platform, agreed.
“You won’t hear me say this very often, but I think these are pretty nice townhomes,” he said. “They’re 26 feet wide, wider than some single-family residences we’ve been proposed recently. I think in the specific area it makes sense, so I will also be in support of it.”
Commissioner Cathy Townsend, concurred, making a motion for approval.
“I appreciate the fact that you, from the very beginning, started with your commissioner that represents,” she told Purser. “That speaks volumes for your company. I think this is a wonderful project, and I appreciate the time and effort you put into it. I hope that developers can take a lesson from you and know that it’s really important to come in and sit down with the commissioner that represents that district.”
Commissioner Clasby seconded her motion, which then passed unanimously.