FORT PIERCE \u2014 The St. Lucie County Commission voted unanimously Oct. 7 to amend its Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District and grant a conditional use permit allowing Brock\u2019s Pizzeria on South Hutchinson Island to expand its beverage service to include liquor in addition to beer and wine.<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval Aug. 21, and the County Commission held a first reading Sept. 2. Senior Planner Thad Crowe reintroduced the petition, explaining that the amendment permits liquor sales at bona fide restaurants under 4,000 square feet, with service hours limited to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The measure also included a waiver from the 1,600-foot distance requirement between alcohol service and parks.<\/p>\n
Crowe said each future application would be reviewed individually for neighborhood compatibility. \u201cThis is not a rezoning,\u201d he said. \u201cIt merely changes the CN District to allow mixed drinks for legitimate restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n
District 1 Commissioner James Clasby clarified that the change applies countywide. \u201cThis is allowing businesses to have more flexibility, but it requires them to come ask us,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m always in favor of giving businesses more opportunities to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only nearby resident to speak, longtime Beach Club Colony owner Bob Doyle, raised traffic concerns and asked that commercial access remain limited to the main parking lot. \u201cDon\u2019t allow them to egress through Beach Club Colony,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, Surf Drive clearly states no commercial vehicles beyond this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
After brief discussion, the board unanimously approved the zoning amendment.<\/p>\n
The following agenda item \u2014 Brock\u2019s specific conditional use permit \u2014 drew deeper debate. Crowe noted that while the pizzeria, opened in 1996, has been a neighborhood fixture, its proximity to homes warranted screening and landscaping improvements. \u201cResidents to the west are exposed to parking and deliveries not conducive to the residential character,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re requiring landscaping to prevent cars from hopping wheel stops and encroaching on Las Olas Drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Land Use Attorney Nicolas Gieseler, representing Brock\u2019s, said the owners quickly addressed one of the chief complaints. \u201cHistorically there was a fence in a deteriorated state,\u201d he said. \u201cThe applicant swiftly met with neighbors and fixed it the next day. Now there is proper buffering between the site and the residential community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Land Planner Dennis Murphy added that more landscaping upgrades are planned. \u201cWe\u2019d like flexibility and a time period to carry that out,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a tight fit to add aesthetic improvements while maintaining safe access for vehicles and pedestrians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Cathy Townsend, whose district includes South Hutchinson Island, voiced her support. \u201cMr. Doyle is correct\u2014this did come to the board back in 2017,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been quiet since then. I hope the board supports this small business that serves the south side of the island. Stronger restrictions will be put on them, but they remain a staple in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clasby, however, expressed concern about extended hours and the possibility of takeout liquor. Gieseler assured commissioners his client sought only on-premise service but wanted flexible hours. \u201cCustomers showed a propensity to want distilled beverages with their pizza,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019d like the option for lunch or breakfast in the future. We\u2019re fine with limiting service to onsite consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chairwoman Jamie Fowler pushed back on the early start time. \u201cI don\u2019t want to extend it all the way to breakfast,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m fine with 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., but not later than they are now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioners Larry Leet and Erin Lowry favored the later cutoff. \u201cMy family\u2019s been in the restaurant business almost 50 years,\u201d Lowry said. \u201cRestaurants typically don\u2019t close until 10 o\u2019clock. Selling liquor until 9 and beer until 10 would just confuse things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clasby initially motioned for liquor sales from 3 to 9 p.m., but after extending it to 10 p.m., Leet seconded the motion.<\/p>\n
New co-owner Ignacio Bueno told commissioners the change comes directly from customer feedback. \u201cWe listened to our customers,\u201d he said. \u201cThey told us not to change a thing \u2014 except they\u2019d love to enjoy a cocktail with dinner. Extending to 10 p.m. just gives us a little cushion so we\u2019re not pushing people out the door while they\u2019re finishing their meal.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, the board voted unanimously to approve the conditional use permit with conditions: no package liquor sales and one year to complete new landscaping and parking improvements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE \u2014 The St. Lucie County Commission voted unanimously Oct. 7 to amend its Commercial Neighborhood Zoning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12488,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":{"0":"post-12487","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-port-st-lucie","9":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","10":"tag-port-st-lucie-news","11":"tag-st_lucie"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}