Martin County LPA recommends denial of Waterside comprehensive plan amendments

The Martin County Local Planning Agency voted 4–1 on Nov. 6, 2025, to recommend denial of a package of comprehensive plan changes proposed for the Waterside property that would reclassify roughly 396 acres from agricultural to low‑density residential and amend multiple policies and figures in chapters 1, 2, 4 and 11 of the comprehensive growth management plan.

Staff presented the request and recommended denial. Jenna Nabi, senior planner with the Growth Management Department, told the agency the proposed text changes include site‑specific policies limiting the Waterside parcel to a maximum of 1,050 residential units, a requirement that "prior to the issuance of the 100th building permit, a monetary contribution of a thousand dollars per residential unit shall be donated to the Martin County Community Land Trust," and a requirement that future development be processed as a planned unit development. Staff concluded the application did not demonstrate compliance with Policy 4.7.a.7 subsections 1, 2 and 5, which concern internal consistency with the comprehensive plan, compatibility with adjacent land uses, and demonstration that reasonable capacity does not exist on suitable land in the existing primary urban service district, and recommended denial of the text amendment and of the concurrent future land use map amendment (CPA 21‑12).

Applicant…