Port St. Lucie council approves land‑use fix for Ravella PUD after months of debate

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Port St. Lucie City Council voted Jan. 27 to amend the Ravella planned unit development and the city’s future land‑use map for a 7‑acre parcel at the Morningside/Westmoreland roundabout, changing the parcel’s designation from commercial to institutional and preserving a prior approval for a 150‑unit assisted‑living facility (ALF).

The change, approved unanimously, was presented by city planning staff as a technical correction to resolve an inconsistency created by a 2021 code revision that removed institutional uses from certain commercial land‑use categories. Council members were told refusing the correction could expose the city to litigation and significant costs.

Why it matters: The amendment does not create a new entitlement; planning staff and the applicant said the PUD already included approval for an ALF of up to 150 units. Council members and staff framed the vote as a corrective action so the PUD, the city code and the comp plan align; if the council rejected the correction the city attorney warned it would likely be sued and face damages and legal costs.

Staff presentation and technical findings Mary Savage Dunham of the Planning Department summarized the application and the history of entitlements on the Ravella PUD, noting the city removed institutional uses from the…