FORT PIERCE \u2013 A single-family home development proposed for the western limits of the city that saw significant opposition from nearby residents during it\u2019s initial approval last year has now passed under the radar without protest due to the elimination of a Christensen Road section in the interim.<\/p>\n
Fort Pierce Planning Director Kevin Freeman began his latest presentation on the Symphony Lakes Planned Development\u2019s final site plan Oct. 6 with a brief description of those changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commission may recall the long journey this has taken, particularly in its going through a number of public hearings to resolve the input of the community, primarily based on neighboring disturbances on Christensen Road,\u201d he said. \u201cThat has been resolved, and this first phase demonstrates how that\u2019s being done. The biggest issue we heard was the multiple homes proposed on Christensen, [which] have been removed. This site plan incorporates the whole of Pod 1 west of Christensen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freeman proceeded to detail the first 88.5-acre phase plan of the 122-acre mixed use development wedged between Christensen, Devine and Selvitz roads that will contain 286 single-family homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe density of Pod 1 is just above three units per acre and has the required amount of open space,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe actual boundary is portioned out among a number of lots, including one entire parcel. The master site plan, approved June 23, 2024, shows the various phases and pods. Pod 2 originally ran down Christensen Road [and] that entire residential part now accesses from Selvitz. Its ultimate build-out will have two accesses, one to the north, and one to the south. Part one of the site incorporates a school bus turnaround and roadway improvements at both these locations onto Selvitz in accordance with St. Lucie County recommendations and requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freeman concluded by recommending approval with several conditions and acknowledging that the majority of the Planning Board had done likewise during its June 9 meeting. Commissioner Michael Broderick was the first to pose a clarification question afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre those two access roads both being installed at the beginning of this project or is one being installed later?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth are earmarked to be installed with this phase, although the northern access road is not accessed by residents,\u201d Freeman replied. \u201cAll the access to Pod 1 is by the southernmost access point.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the planning director deferred a second question about the northern access road to the applicant, Broderick switched gears.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also my understanding that the maximum number of units that could have been placed on this property in Pod 1 was significantly higher than the end result of the site plan,\u201d the latter said. \u201cIs that your conclusion?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, that\u2019s correct,\u201d Freeman answered. \u201cIt is significant, and we\u2019re at just above three units per acre. The mixed-use development probably gives you between 10 and 15 units per acre. If you look at the overall numbers [and] multiply that by 88 acres, that\u2019s a significant difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Broderick posed a final question to verify if Planning Department staff were now completely satisfied with the outcome of negotiations with the applicant and his representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre there any aspects of this plan they did not satisfy your request to resolve?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went through a substantial negotiation period,\u201d Freeman answered. \u201cThe applicant did respond very well to all the requests that came out of our negotiations with them, but [also] issues raised by the Planning Board and all the other agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Symphony Lakes\u2019 contracted Land Planner Leah Heinzelmann then provided her own presentation, focusing heavily on the different land uses surrounding the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cSymphony Lakes is located east of I-95 and the Turnpike, north of Midway Road and off Selvitz and Devine roads, where development will thrive,\u201d she said. Today, we\u2019ll be focusing on the low-density residential portion of the site. To the north are Precast Specialties [and] Maschmeyer Concrete, as well as other industrial uses, office buildings and specialized retailers. To the east, there are low-density residences, and a little further is the Fort Pierce Central High School. To the south, there are low-density residences and agricultural uses, such as the Plant Haven Wholesale Nursery. Other uses to the south include the WaveCREST Youth Shelter and Dogs & Cats Forever. To the west is the existing Florida Municipal Power Agency plant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heinzelmann also described amenities included in the project\u2019s first phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first portion includes the main entryway, the construction of five lakes, an amenity center and conservation area,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe entry is both for Phase 1 and the future multifamily development. This plan locates 286 single-family residences and provides walkability and multiple green spaces for the neighborhood. The PD allows for up to 300 units in this project, but the design provides less to ensure the buffering and layout of the lots align with the adjacent properties. The phase provides a large rec track [and] an amenity center that has pedestrian access to the school bus stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heinzelmann wrapped up by describing the project\u2019s planned offsite improvements to Selvitz Road, including turn lanes, medians and improved sidewalks. Commissioner Broderick immediately followed that up with another question on the northern access road.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the plan for that?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be more of a construction access for the residential, but be for the future phases [of] light industrial and office,\u201d Heinzelmann answered. \u201cAgain, the multifamily and single-family will be coming off that main southern entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n
When no one from the public came forward to speak, Commissioner Broderick lauded Freeman\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think your staff has done a great job with this plan,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has been a massive undertaking, and there was a significant amount of push-back from the community and the Commission initially. You heard what we had to say, and you went out and fixed it, so thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Curtis Johnson Jr. agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember that night the community showed up,\u201d he said. \u201cThey had great concerns and we had great concerns, knowing the grade of county road out there. I just want to say thank you to both our staff and the developer and his team for modifying it and giving us the public safety. I know that bus stop was integral in making sure those kids don\u2019t have to deal with Selvitz Road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor Linda Hudson bookended the discussion with her acknowledgment of the collaborative effort made to design a project for a very busy area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a school on one side, and the FPUA\u2019s facility and the concrete facility,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve looked at this a lot, and the developer\u2019s looked at it a lot. I think the developer has done the best that we can with this challenging area.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City Commission then voted 3-0 for approval, with Commissioner Arnold Gaines absent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE \u2013 A single-family home development proposed for the western limits of the city that saw significant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":{"0":"post-480","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\/480","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=480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}