STUART — Martin County commissioners approved the final site plan Tuesday for the Ranch planned unit development (PUD) in Stuart.
The plan includes 175 single-family lots, two 18-hole golf courses, a short course, a range house and training center, golf practice facilities, a clubhouse, golf cottages, recreational and accessory uses, a residential multi-slip docking facility, maintenance facilities and supporting infrastructure. Residences will not be built in the first phase.
Phase 1 covers 1,842 acres, including 500 acres of bona fide agriculture and 196 acres of wetlands preserves.
“Phase 1 consists of just over 1,800 acres, a little less than half of the overall site,” said Tyson Waters of the law firm Fox McCluskey.
Waters emphasized the environmental component of the project.
“I think most notably, there's over 200 acres of wetlands that will be covered and restored and enhanced as part of this final site plan approval,” he said.
State Rep. and environmental consultant Toby Overdorf also highlighted the environmental benefits.
“What we have seen over the last few years on this particular piece of property is that the wetlands have been degraded,” Overdorf said. “This applicant has said, ‘I want to restore this area to a place that I'm going to be really proud of.’”
Overdorf said the project would improve water quality, reduce nutrient loading, assist with stormwater management and restore the land’s historical hydrology.
“I'm really excited to be a part of this project, to be a part of something that I think is going to leave the land a lot better than it was when we started,” he said.
Tom McNicholas noted off-site benefits of the project, including $50,000 for the restoration of Banner Lake, $750,000 for the South Fork High School golf course and 20 acres of land and $50,000 for a future UF/IFAS site.
Commissioners praised the proposal.
“This will have to be the premiere IFAS location in the county,” Commissioner Edward V. Ciampi said. “When it's time, I would love to put a motion in to accept staff's recommendation for the first phase of what's going to be an incredible project.”
Commissioner Stacey Hetherington said the plan addressed her concerns.
“It allayed any of my concerns of adding nutrients, particularly in this location,” she said.
A motion was filed, which passed unanimously.