City of Stuart LPA approves Eden Marsh/Stewart land‑use and CPUD amendments over neighborhood objections

The Local Planning Agency of the City of Stuart on a split vote approved two related items for the Eden Marsh/Stewart property: a small‑scale comprehensive plan future land use map amendment (Ordinance No. 2535‑2025) and a major amendment to the Marketplace Commercial Planned Unit Development (Ordinance No. 2536‑2025). The first measure passed 4‑1; the second passed 3‑2 with the board asking the applicant to meet again with the adjacent Willoughby Golf Club and to revise residential elevations to better fit the city’s coastal character.

Why it matters: The actions change the future land use for roughly 22.76 acres of an existing 35.07‑acre CPUD and clear the way for a mixed‑use proposal that includes new dealerships, neighborhood retail and 249 multifamily units. Neighbors and the Willoughby Golf Club said prior commitments limiting building height and requiring a long buffer should control future development. Supporters said the project reduces traffic compared with an earlier big‑box plan, adds pedestrian connections and will bring investment and jobs.

Jody Kugler, the City of Stuart development director, told the agency the petition seeks to amend the future land use for “an approximate 22.76 acre parcel from commercial to the neighborhood special district future land use designation.” She said the applicant submitted required notices and that city consultants, including the city’s traffic reviewer at Kimley‑Horn and Associates, found the proposed change met the small‑scale amendment standards and that the submitted traffic analysis estimated a net of about 2,382 daily trips (about 205 AM and 204 PM peak trips) tied to the proposed development. Kugler also noted the site is inside Martin County’s urban service boundary and that utility and FDOT approvals would be required before permits.

The applicant team led by developer Mario Mercado and designers from ACA Design Studio and Eden Multifamily presented renderings and site plans. Jay Jacobson of Eden Multifamily described a revised plan that reduced unit count from prior iterations and reoriented buildings so “there are no balconies and no apartment exterior space facing the neighbors,” noting the closest point to the nearest home is now about 368 feet. Michael Houston of ACA Design Studio said the team had worked for more than two years on urban design and buffering and that the neighborhood special district is a mixed‑use designation intended to allow a vertical or horizontal mix of uses.

Opposition and legal history: Jack Carmody, attorney for Willoughby Golf Club, and Michelle Riley, Willoughby’s general manager, urged the board to honor earlier ordinance commitments they say limited rear building facades to 26 feet and preserved a long continuous buffer between the golf course and the commercial parcel. Carmody said those height and setback limitations were included in ordinances adopted in 2009 and 2012 and argued the club has relied on them. Riley said the limitations were “a promise made 25 years in the making.”

Board concerns and direction: Board members questioned building height, architecture, reduced buffer width compared with earlier plans, and long‑term precedent from a land‑use change. Several members praised the applicant’s revisions on traffic and open space but asked the applicant to return with additional buffering or architectural changes. The board attached two explicit recommendations when it approved the CPUD amendment: that the applicant meet again with Willoughby representatives to review remaining concerns and that the applicant present residential elevations styled to better match the city’s coastal context.

Votes at a glance: Ordinance No. 2535‑2025 (Small‑scale future land use map amendment) — Approved 4‑1 (Chair Loreen: yes; Board Member Strom: yes; Board Member Vogel: yes; Board Member Bromfield: yes; Vice Chair Peterson: no). Ordinance No. 2536‑2025 (Major CPUD amendment) — Approved 3‑2 (Chair Loreen: yes; Board Member Strom: yes; Board Member Bromfield: yes; Board Member Vogel: no; Vice Chair Peterson: no). Staff reported compliance with relevant comprehensive‑plan policies and the City of Stuart Land Development Code but did not issue an explicit “approve” recommendation, instead asking the LPA for guidance to forward to the city commission.

What was proposed: The application as presented would (per applicant materials cited at the hearing) incorporate a 22.76‑acre parcel into the Mars/Marketplace Stewart CPUD for a total CPUD area of about 35.07 acres, include two additional car dealerships, roughly 20–21,000 square feet of neighborhood retail (restaurant and café space noted in concept), a clubhouse and 249 multifamily units. The applicant’s materials referenced a non‑CRA density cap and said the Neighborhood Special District allows up to 15 dwelling units per acre (versus up to 10 du/acre under the site’s current commercial future land use outside the city’s CRA).

Next steps: Because the package includes both a comprehensive‑plan amendment and a CPUD amendment, Florida law allows the matters to be considered together when the applicant requests it. The LPA forwarded the ordinances and the board’s recommendations to the city commission for a final decision; as with other comprehensive‑plan changes, the commission’s action and any required state notifications will determine the amendment’s effective date.

Ending: The LPA hearing closed after public comment from nearby residents and Willoughby representatives who asked the board to preserve prior commitments on height and buffer. Supporters, including nearby business owners and partners on the applicant team, urged the agency to approve the amendments as a path to mixed‑use infill, job creation and improved pedestrian connections.