Martin County planning agency backs site plan for 99,922‑sq‑ft storage at Island Crossings

The Martin County Local Planning Agency voted unanimously on March 5 to recommend approval of a sixth amendment to the Island Crossings commercial planned unit development and the final site plan for Outparcel A, a two‑story, 99,922‑square‑foot residential storage facility known as Bridal Road self storage. John Sennett, principal planner with Growth Management, told the agency staff found the application compliant with county regulations and recommended approval.

The project site is about 6.83 acres at 11850 Southeast Federal Highway in Hobe Sound near Bridge Road and is depicted in the applicant’s revised master plan as having a 49,961‑square‑foot footprint and 68.52 percent open space. Mike McCarty of McCarty Land Planning, the applicant’s land‑use consultant, said the design keeps preserved native habitat on the west side of the property and adds pedestrian amenities at the southeast corner. “We’re vertically integrating,” McCarty said, describing the two‑story climate‑controlled facility and how the design reduces ground coverage while preserving landscape buffers.

Why it matters: staff and the applicant emphasized the development’s low traffic and utility demand compared with alternative retail uses for the parcel, added pedestrian connections and turn lanes to improve access, and a proposed $25,000 contribution to the Hobe Sound Historical Society for relocation and restoration of the Hope Sound Railroad Station. John Sennett noted the Board of County Commissioners is the final decision maker and that the item is scheduled to appear at the next board hearing.

During the presentation the applicant requested a parking‑rate adjustment under Martin County Land Development Regulations section 4.625; the plan shows 10 parking spaces for the outparcel. Sennett outlined that the site contains an existing roughly 2.3‑acre preserve that will remain and that exotic vegetation within the preserve area will be removed in accordance with the preserve area management plan. McCarty showed architectural elevations and said the façade treatment and pedestrian plaza are intended to align visually with the nearby CRA corridor.

There was no public comment. After brief board questions about the preserve area configuration, façade criteria, and CRA jurisdiction, a member moved to accept staff’s recommendation to approve and forward the application; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

Next step: the Local Planning Agency’s favorable recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners, which Sennett identified as the final decision maker for the PUD amendment and final site plan.