Port St. Lucie clears way for Tradition development | St. Lucie County

PORT ST. LUCIE — After months of debate and neighborhood concerns, the Port St. Lucie City Council has permanently prohibited a gas station from being built on a 9.4-acre commercial parcel at the southwest corner of Crosstown Parkway and Fairgreen Drive.

The council unanimously approved the second and final reading of the 16th amendment to the Tradition Master Planned Unit Development on July 13, codifying a restriction that bars any current or future owner from developing a service station on the site.

The amendment changes the parcel’s designation from residential to commercial, paving the way for retail and office development while addressing residents’ concerns about traffic and congestion.

The issue has been under discussion for nearly three months after Winding River Crosstown LLC requested permission to convert what had been planned as Phase 3 of the Heritage Oaks at Tradition residential development into commercial property.

While council members generally supported adding commercial uses to the rapidly growing area, several voiced concerns during the initial May 26 quasi-judicial hearing that a convenience store with gas pumps would worsen traffic along Crosstown Parkway west of Interstate 95.

Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo and other council members noted the increasing congestion along the commercial corridor and asked staff to determine whether gas stations could be eliminated as a permitted use on the parcel. The council tabled the request to allow time for that review.

At the time, Councilwoman Stephanie Morgan questioned whether prohibiting a specific type of business amounted to government interference in the marketplace.

“What concerns me is that on May 11 we approved two parcels changing from RGC to commercial general,” Morgan said during the May hearing. “We didn’t put any conditions on them. How can you put a condition on an applicant saying no gas stations? That would be like saying no Chick-fil-A because we’ve got enough chicken restaurants.”

When the hearing resumed June 22, several Heritage Oaks residents urged the council to reject the land-use change, citing concerns about increased traffic, noise and neighborhood impacts.

Instead, the council voted 4-0, with Morgan absent, to approve the commercial designation on first reading after the developer agreed to permanently relinquish the right to build a gas station.

During the July 13 meeting, city planner Bridget Kean outlined the changes that formally incorporated the restriction into the Tradition MPUD documents.

The updated development plan specifies that while service stations remain a permitted use elsewhere within the mixed-use area, they are prohibited on Parcel 11A. The concept plan also now includes a notation prohibiting a service station on the property, and the ordinance itself was revised to reference the city’s definition of a service station.

Staff also added additional protections requested by nearby residents.

Before any mass grading begins, the developer must install a fence along the southern property line to prevent construction access through Southwest Glenbrook Drive, which connects to Heritage Oaks.

In addition, an architectural wall and landscape buffering must be completed along the southeastern and southern boundaries before the first building permit is issued for vertical construction.

Several residents again voiced concerns about the proposal and questioned whether the process had been sufficiently transparent.

Councilman Anthony Bonna defended both the public process and the final compromise.

“Ultimately, we have to make decisions, and those decisions are not going to satisfy everybody,” Bonna said. “We listen and consider every resident that comes forward, but ultimately we have to make one decision.”

Bonna said he believes expanding commercial development will benefit residents by broadening the city’s tax base.

“Port St. Lucie has long lacked commercial, which is a burden on homeowners,” he said. “We have had several hearings here at the city, so that is what transparency is: open meetings where people can come and share their opinions and be a part of the process.”

Councilman David Pickett agreed, saying the city has consistently heard residents oppose additional housing.

“When this was first introduced, I was very excited that they wanted to go from residential to commercial,” Pickett said. “It doesn’t matter which way we rule, there’s always going to be somebody in opposition. For me, going to commercial is the best possible thing for that corner.”

Morgan, who had questioned the gas station restriction during the first hearing, ultimately supported the ordinance.

“We have heard from so many community residents — no more housetops,” she said. “It has been transparent, there’s no denying that.”

Before the vote, Mayor Shannon Martin asked staff to confirm that the prohibition would remain with the property regardless of ownership.

Kean confirmed the restriction is now written directly into the Tradition MPUD documents, ensuring no future owner can develop a gas station on the parcel.

The council then voted unanimously to approve the ordinance, ending months of discussion and clearing the way for commercial development while permanently removing a gas station as a future possibility.