PORT ST. LUCIE \u2014 The Planning & Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval Oct. 7 of the fourth amendment to the Pine Trace Planned Unit Development, also backing a special exception to adjust the commercial portion of the project. The change would allow construction of an 11,000-square-foot Dollar General on the 2.2-acre site.<\/p>\n
Environmental Planner Marissa Da Breo opened the hearing with a brief history of the development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original PUD was approved in 2004 and has had three amendments,\u201d she said. \u201cTonight\u2019s fourth amendment removes previous uses on Parcel A, adds retail\/personal service as a permitted use, requires a special exception for retail over 5,000 square feet, and caps development at 11,000 square feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Da Breo noted the need for a \u201cunified control\u201d document, missing from the application, which became a key discussion point.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvidence of unified control for the entire PUD is required, but we were not able to obtain it from the applicant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Acting Chairman Jim Norton asked for clarification.<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain unified control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Deputy City Attorney Elizabeth Hertz explained it ensures a development operates as intended and is usually handled through a homeowners\u2019 or commercial association. \u201cThis parcel was accepted from an HOA, so it\u2019s not under unified control with the rest of the PUD. The applicant can explain further,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Norton asked if the city was at risk without it. Hertz responded, \u201cOur code specifies when unified control is required to amend a PUD; it\u2019s one factor for consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Engineer Jeremy Anderson spoke on behalf of the applicant.<\/p>\n
\u201cParcel A was originally a professional tract,\u201d he said. \u201cIn 2009, it became mixed-use, allowing 35,000 square feet. We\u2019re requesting 100 percent retail in an 11,000-square-foot building, reducing the previously entitled space. All prior commercial uses have been removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attorney Scott Baker explained the missing unified control documentation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe property was carved out of the residential HOA, making it a stand-alone piece,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t vote in the HOA or pay assessments, yet their consent is technically required. We\u2019ve tried since May to get cooperation but received no response. We ask that you recommend approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hertz noted, \u201cWhether there\u2019s unified control is a legal issue to resolve before City Council. Residents\u2019 concerns will be considered in that process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several Pine Trace residents spoke against the special exception, mainly citing traffic and safety issues.<\/p>\n
Barbara Meinhardt said, \u201cTraffic for our 130 homes is already a concern, especially turning north onto St. James Boulevard. The proposal doesn\u2019t include a median cut, so all northbound traffic would exit through Pine Trace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare Davis worried about delivery trucks. \u201cAll traffic for a retail store would affect the neighborhood. Trucks would have to navigate around islands or through the subdivision to exit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After hearing from additional residents, the Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the amendment.<\/p>\n
Planner Sofia Trail presented the special exception request, which prompted further debate about the lack of a median cut on St. James Boulevard. Board Member Eric Reikenis noted, \u201cDevelopment will happen regardless of the SEU. There must be ingress and egress. Southbound traffic will have to make a right and U-turn. When is that addressed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Public Works Inspections Manager Clyde Cuffe said, \u201cThese issues will be addressed during the site plan review. We\u2019ll consider median improvements and delivery truck access to mitigate neighborhood impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following discussion, the Board voted 5-2 to recommend approval of the special exception, with Reikenis and Rose Mocerino dissenting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE \u2014 The Planning & Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval Oct. 7 of the fourth amendment…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12559,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":{"0":"post-12558","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\/12558","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=12558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}