Council tables major Tradition DRI amendment after extended debate; staff and applicant to meet with council members

The Port St. Lucie City Council on April 28 tabled a proposed Seventh Amendment to the Tradition Development of Regional Impact (DRI) after extended presentations by staff and the applicant and multiple council members requested more one-on-one briefings.

Bridget Keane of the Planning and Zoning Department described changes the amendment would make to the existing Tradition development order, including updated entitlements, a revised conversion matrix, updated phasing, and date-certain requirements for certain roadway and utility obligations. She said the amendment would increase multifamily entitlements by 397 units and assisted-living entitlements by 120 units while reducing commercial and office square footage under the DRI's conversion rules; staff recommended approval after finding the proposal consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and the DRI equivalency matrix.

Steve Garrett of Lucido and Associates, representing Mattamy Palm Beach LLC, told the council the amendment used the DRI's established conversion matrix and added date-certain commitments for key road connections including Fern Lake Drive to Westcliff Lane and Westcliff Lane to North South A, with construction and dedication dates attached. "We have committed dates certain that either planning of right-of-ways and dedication over to the city and/or construction of those road segments will be done," Garrett said.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant for details on traffic impacts, signalization and the proximity of multiple traffic signals along Becker and Village Parkway. Several council members, including Vice Mayor Caraballo and others, said they had not received 1-on-1 briefings and requested them before acting. Residents also raised traffic and safety concerns during public comment, with one speaker noting congestion near Crosstown Parkway and Village Parkway and asking that speed limits and roadside safety near the new K–8 school be reviewed.

After discussion, the council voted to table the resolution to a date-certain, May 27, to allow staff, council members and the applicant to meet for additional briefings and to re-advertise the item for that meeting. Staff said re-advertising would occur for the May 27 hearing. The tabled amendment had been recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Board earlier in April but drew sustained scrutiny from the council about whether increases in residential entitlements and related traffic mitigation were fully justified.

Next steps: staff and the applicant will meet with council members for additional review; the item will be re-advertised and returned to council on May 27 for further consideration.