Residents press council to limit Florida Commerce grant study to town’s commercial boundaries

Town leaders and residents pressed staff and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council on April 7 to clarify the geographical limits and public-purpose intent of a Florida Commerce planning grant focused on the town’s Southern Boulevard corridor.

Treasure Coast presenter Jessica Seymour described the $75,000 planning grant as technical assistance to assess traffic, drainage, public safety and pedestrian/equestrian concerns and to develop gateway and fiscal/zoning recommendations for a “southern corridor” study area that includes Southern Boulevard and the collecting canal.

Several council members and multiple residents said the study’s public materials and the town’s website language had implied a broader push to promote a business district beyond the commercial areas defined in the town’s recently adopted comprehensive plan. Council member Manish Sud urged the manager to “formally notify Florida Commerce and all implementation partners associated with the Southern Boulevard grant to ensure the scope of the work is consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan and limited to the designated commercial areas only.”

Seymour and the town manager said the study’s deliverables focus on public infrastructure (drainage, traffic, safety) and that Treasure Coast’s public engagement—including two workshops and an online survey—had not produced public support for commercial expansion. She said the study’s illustrations will be drafted from public input and will emphasize buffers, drainage solutions and gateway design where appropriate.

Why it matters: Residents and council members said they fear grant-funded analysis could be interpreted to legitimize or facilitate commercial rezoning in residential areas. Local land-use outcomes hinge on whether study recommendations are advisory or are later used to support code or comprehensive-plan amendments.

What the council asked for: The council directed staff and Treasure Coast to reconfirm in writing to Florida Commerce and all partners that the study must align with the town’s existing comprehensive plan and that any recommendations contradicting the plan would be only advisory and subject to the council’s approval. The council also asked staff to bring the draft findings to a council workshop before final recommendations are finalized.

Public response: More than a dozen residents spoke at the meeting, many asking for clearer maps and direct links between the project page and the town’s adopted comprehensive plan. Several residents said earlier planning documents (2008 maps referenced on the website) conflicted with the 2025 comprehensive plan and that the website should point to the legal, adopted plan to avoid public confusion.

Next steps: Staff said the project team will continue collecting public input through the online survey (closing May 1) and will return to council with draft materials and a schedule so elected members can review recommendations and ensure they conform to the town’s legal land-use framework before any implementation action.

The Treasure Coast presenter asked the council for an additional workshop date in May to review the draft deliverables prior to submission to Florida Commerce and before staff posts any final recommendations.

Quote: “The deliverables really include an analysis of traffic and infrastructure, public safety and drainage... key to all of those deliverables was robust public outreach,” Treasure Coast’s Jessica Seymour told council members.