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County transmits EAR‑based comprehensive plan updates to state, including population and policy revisions
Summary
St. Lucie County transmitted its evaluation and appraisal report (EAR) amendments to the state for review, updating population projections, vacant land analysis, transportation, housing, coastal management and other elements to reflect recent data and legislative changes.
County planning staff presented a comprehensive set of EAR‑based amendments to the St. Lucie County Comprehensive Plan and the board voted to transmit the package to state reviewing agencies for statutory review.
Summary of changes: staff and consultants (CGA) explained that the package updates population and demographic inputs, vacant land analyses inside the urban service boundary, maps and several plan elements to reflect new census data, the county’s 2024 housing needs assessment, the TPO Smart Moves 2045 transportation plan and recent state legislation. Notable changes include adding solar facilities as a permitted use in agricultural categories to comply with state law, addressing natural gas facilities in commercial/industrial land uses, strengthening transportation corridor protections and multimodal policies, adding policy language about workforce and affordable housing incentives (including optional density bonuses up to 30% for deed‑restricted projects), updating the transportation and port sub‑elements, and refreshing 26 plan maps.
Staff noted the vacant‑land analysis shows sufficient vacant land inside the urban service boundary to accommodate projected 10‑year population growth, so staff recommended no urban service boundary expansion at this time. The Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed the amendments at a special meeting and recommended transmittal with several suggested edits; the board accepted staff’s recommendation and approved transmission for state review.
Ending: The transmitted amendments will enter the state review period; the county will coordinate with state agencies and return recommended changes or adopt final amendments after the statutorily required review process.
