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St. Lucie commissioners continue Indrio Groves Hamlet PUD and DA after hours-long traffic and road-rights debate
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Summary
A contested public hearing on the Indrio Groves Hamlet PUD — a proposed mixed-use community of about 3,081 units with a 24.4-acre school site and 14.8-acre civic parcel — was continued to April 7 so staff, a third-party traffic reviewer and the applicant can resolve timing and right-of-way conditions for a proposed east–west connector ("Russo's Road").
The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners continued consideration of the Indrio Groves Hamlet planned unit development (PUD) and its companion development agreement to April 7 after a multi-hour hearing that centered on traffic mitigation, construction triggers and right-of-way acquisition.
The proposal from Lennar and partners would rezone the site as a Hamlet PUD under the countyTowns, Villages and Countryside (TVC) framework and allow as many as 3,081 dwelling units in a mix of detached single-family houses, townhomes and apartments, with 9% of the total units set aside as workforce housing under current staff recommendations. The applicant also offered to dedicate a 24.4-acre parcel for a future kindergarten-through-eight school and to convey a 14.8-acre civic parcel to the county for park/library/4-H or similar civic uses.
Why it matters: The boards decision on the PUD and the development agreement will determine whether the project can proceed and on what timeline. The hearing focused on whether the project must fund and deliver an eastwest road shown in the countys right-of-way protection map (called Russo's Road), how construction triggers should be measured (by dwelling counts or estimated daily trips), and what remedies should apply when right-of-way cannot be acquired.
What was decided: Following lengthy public testimony (both support for the plan's green spaces and concern about traffic impacts) and cross-examination, commissioners voted to continue the matter so staff and the applicant can refine the development agreement language and the countys third-party traffic reviewer can complete its peer review. The DA second hearing was scheduled for April 7, 2026 at 6 p.m.
Key points of debate and pledge of commitments
- Transportation triggers and alternatives: Staff proposed a set of thresholds (measured either in daily trip counts or dwelling counts) that would require construction or funding of off-site capacity improvements at specified milestones. The applicant and staff disagreed about whether the project should be treated as "Russo's Road mandatory" (which requires acquiring multiple parcels of right-of-way across several owners) or whether alternative improvements previously modeled by the applicant could meet concurrency standards. The applicant said its earlier traffic analysis could meet concurrency without Russo's Road if certain intersection/widening projects were completed, but agreed to collaborate to pursue Russo's Road if the county continued to request it.
- Right-of-way acquisition: The DA draft under discussion allows the developer to attempt to acquire Russo's Road right-of-way and requires payment to the county (150% of appraised value) if acquisition by the developer is unsuccessful; the county would then attempt to acquire the right-of-way itself within a 24-month window. If the county cannot acquire the parcels, the DA provides alternative financial remedies (a later-stage payment equal to a percentage of estimated construction costs) or other options; commissioners requested clearer, unit-based triggers and protections against the county being left with incomplete infrastructure.
- Workforce housing and phasing: Staff reminded the board that workforce units must be built and certificate-of-occupancy (CO) obtained before a specified share of market-rate housing is occupied (the code requires workforce units to be completed before 60% of market-rate units are CO'd). Commissioners asked the applicant to explore modest increases in the workforce set-aside (e.g., 9% to 10%) and to diversify the product types used for the affordable units; the applicant said it would consider options but noted the need to balance affordable-unit counts against project financing and the cost of off-site infrastructure.
Quotes that frame the dispute
"If we can't obtain the right-of-way, the developer shall pay to the county 150% of the appraised value," (staff's summary of the DA remedies) — staff presentation (summary of DA terms).
"We had alternative improvement packages that were modeled and that satisfied concurrency without Russo's Road, but staff asked us to explore an alternative east-west route and we agreed to do so," — Greg Pettibon, Lennar Homes (applicant presentation).
What happens next
- The board scheduled the DA for a second public hearing on April 7, 2026, at 6 p.m., giving staff time to complete the third-party traffic review and the applicant time to respond to board and staff concerns. - Commissioners asked staff and the applicant to refine the DA language so triggers are clear (commissioners suggested dwelling counts be used where possible), to provide explicit deadlines and remedies that do not leave the county with incomplete crucial infrastructure, and to identify alternatives if the preferred Russo's Road alignment proves impossible to acquire.
Speakers quoted or referenced in this story include: Bob Raines (applicant counsel), Greg Pettibon (Lennar Homes), Troy Holloway (lead land planner), Brian Goode (engineer), Irene Sedlmeier (Senior Planner), the countys third-party traffic reviewer Salman Rathore; public commenters included residents who both supported open-space amenities and urged traffic protections.
Next procedural step: The development agreement and the PUD will return for additional consideration and a second DA hearing on April 7, 2026. If the DA remains unresolved, the item may be continued again.
