FORT PIERCE\u2013State Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce) says Fort Pierce needs the tax base generated by new development, but not at the size of a massive, mixed-use project proposed for Causeway Cove on Seaway Drive.<\/p>\n
Trabulsy told the Fort Pierce City Commission this week that the hotel, condominium, retail and dining development spread over five proposed high-rise buildings is fraught with map errors, environmental and traffic questions and may conflict with the city\u2019s comprehensive land use plan.<\/p>\n
According to Trabulsy, 62 percent of local residents disapprove of the Causeway Cove plan in its current form.<\/p>\n
Causeway Cove includes a complex of five buildings, ranging from 14-17 stories tall. The largest proposes 180 condos, a 204-room hotel, a convention center, bar\/restaurant, retail and club space. A second building proposes 365 residential condos, ranging from studios, 1- and 2-bedrooms, while a third building shows 40 condos ranging from 1- to 3-bedrooms and a 203-room hotel.<\/p>\n
Two other buildings each feature 164 condominium units, and nearly 14,000 square feet of retail space.<\/p>\n
Causeway Cove is set on an $8 million land parcel at 601 Seaway Dr., currently occupied by a 50-year-old, 1,500-square-foot building with adjacent deck and dock. It\u2019s already appropriately zoned and a city staff report concluded the project \u201chas demonstrated environmental compliance\u201d and is \u201cconsistent with the city\u2019s comprehensive plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Records show that project is headed by Ashton DePeyster, a Palm Beach philanthropist and real estate developer, under the name G. FLASH General Partners Inc., West Palm Beach.<\/p>\n
Both Trabulsy and city commissioners also questioned so-called \u201caffordable housing\u201d factors \u2013 part of Florida\u2019s Live Local Act \u2013 that limit local officials\u2019 say over how the plan is developed if it guarantees that 40 percent of the housing units will qualify as \u201caffordable\u201d for the next 30 years.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Michael Broderick, who along with Mayor Linda Hudson, have homes on South Hutchinson Island, said he believes Causeway Cove rental rates for designated \u201caffordable housing\u201d will have to average $3,000 a month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the City of Fort Pierce, that\u2019s not considered affordable,\u201d Broderick said. \u201c…This is an existential threat to the lives and the lifestyle and the safety of the people who live on South Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hudson agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will turn Fort Pierce into something none of us want,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n
Broderick also questioned the timing of two major development projects being proposed for South Hutchinson Island at a time when the city could be without a permanent city attorney.<\/p>\n
The commission recently voted against extending the contract of current City Attorney Sara Hedges and the search to hire her successor is expected to take several months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find the timing of this to be very unique,\u201d said Broderick.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that the state\u2019s Live Local Act removes some of the guardrails that city planners generally can invoke in approving land developments, Trabulsy said she believes issues surrounding state waterways and traffic could tap the brakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not against economic development; we do need that tax base,\u201d Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky advocated for the city hiring outside counsel specializing in land development issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you said tonight gives a lot of folks hope,\u201d Dzadovsky told Trabulsy.<\/p>\n
A second South Beach project, called Boardwalk on the Inlet, is moving on the coattails of Causeway Cove. It\u2019s under development by Woods Family Limited Partnership II, led by Sanford L. Woods Sr., of Tampa, owner of car dealerships in Florida and Michigan, including Treasure Coast Lexus, Fort Pierce.<\/p>\n
That partnership already owns six land parcels on Seaway Drive it says are currently leased to the city for overflow parking, serving public beach access at the inlet and businesses.<\/p>\n
Boardwalk on the Inlet proposes construction of two towers. The East Building would include 127 hotel rooms, a cigar lounge, restaurants, rooftop terrace, conference center and ground-level retail space.<\/p>\n
The West Building is designed for 54 residential condos, 48 hotel rooms, hotel amenities, a fast-casual restaurant, a private club and retail spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE\u2013State Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce) says Fort Pierce needs the tax base generated by new development,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":["post-364965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news","tag-st_lucie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364965","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=364965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}