Commission approves Pulte Cornerstone final plan and selects gateway identity feature

The Fort Pierce City Commission on May 18 unanimously approved the final plan development amendment for the Pulte Cornerstone residential project and selected a developer‑provided gateway identity feature to serve as a public benefit gateway into the city.

Planning staff summarized the final PD, which proposes approximately 2,193 single‑family units in a planned development with a 95‑foot linear park, rain‑gardens, two lakes and a walkable grid of streets. Staff and the planning board requested an identity/monument design as a public benefit; planning staff suggested a design more focused on public art than a developer label. The applicant and Pulte representatives presented revised designs that removed overt developer branding and offered two artistic options; commissioners expressed strong support for a tall sculptural option featuring a sailfish motif.

Planning staff recorded eight conditions tied to the final PD (including a required gopher tortoise survey, stormwater design at permit stage and final identity feature approval prior to certificate of occupancy for phase 1). The commission modified condition language to select identity feature Option 1 as the accepted design and approved the final PD with conditions by roll‑call vote.

Next steps: applicant to satisfy the eight conditions, finalize the monument design consistent with the selected option and coordinate required permits; staff will post the selected design images to the project agenda materials.