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Port St. Lucie CRA reports about $2 billion in taxable value; details Southern Grove and Port District progress
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Summary
CRA staff told the board taxable value across the agency’s districts has climbed sharply (figures through Sept. 30) and provided updates on Southern Grove development, Port District infrastructure and grant-funded projects, including ADA sidewalk work and remaining undeveloped parcels.
Frank Knott, CRA, told the Port St. Lucie Community Redevelopment Agency that taxable value in the CRA districts has increased substantially, noting the original CRA area rose from about $231 million to $677 million (figures through Sept. 30), and that the agency collectively is at approximately the $2 billion value mark through the same reporting period.
The update covered four CRA areas and a range of projects. Knott described recent property activity in the original CRA area — cleared buildings, a recently purchased tax collector’s office acquired with an 18-month leaseback, and an active hotel request-for-proposals process with staff saying proposals are due in late April though the presenter was not certain of the exact date. He said the stadium project team expects to submit a site plan in May and that developers have provided preliminary building floor plans currently under review by the building department.
Knott highlighted Port St. Lucie Boulevard work, including ADA sidewalk improvements, a planned left-turn lane at US 1, and milling and resurfacing. He identified Ranger Construction as the contractor and noted a target completion of September 2027 for that DOT project. He also described a conceptual Bridge Plaza parking plan following a recent City purchase and ongoing design proposals tied to park funding applications.
On Southern Grove, Knott said the area has seen the largest recent increases in value and development activity and that only about 20 acres of raw land remain in the CRA parcel inventory. Several site plans or pre-application meetings are in process — Knott cited submissions or pre-apps for Amadeen, Saint Matilda and other commercial users — and he said nearly half of the Southern Grove infrastructure value to date has been covered by grants. He added that market momentum from a recent Costco announcement has generated additional developer interest and staff will coordinate updates from marketing and real-estate partners.
Knott also reported project-level details: a designed but currently unfunded Hug and Slough project he estimated at about $14,000,000 if funding is secured; examples of infill and adaptive reuse (an IHOP, an academy in a former site, and a near-complete Murphy gas installation); and publicly funded improvements such as a new Pioneer Park sidewalk financed through CDBG funds and a planned sharrow/shared-lane on Rivergate Parkway awaiting CDBG releases.
Staff said they will follow up with memos after contractor scheduling meetings (a contractor meeting was scheduled for the afternoon after the presentation) and will return to the board with more concrete timelines and cost details on projects that require additional design or funding. Knott also reported that backbone power for roadway infrastructure (Mackie Marshall) was expected by May 8 but that power was live 'already today,' a development he credited to FPL and the CEI.
The board took no formal policy votes on these projects during the presentation; staff were asked to provide additional examples, cost estimates and next steps for items requiring further action. The meeting adjourned at the close of questions.
