ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners has approved a final site plan for a new housing development along Kings Highway, clearing the way for more than 100 rental homes in the growing corridor.
The project, known in county documents as 4540 N. Kings Hwy., will include 165 Florida cottage-style units, a reduction from earlier proposals. According to county planning staff, the revised plan lowers overall density while maintaining key design elements from the preliminary approval.
Senior planner Irene Szedlmayer outlined how the updated proposal compares to earlier plans.
“The proposed final plan is very consistent with what was approved as a preliminary development plan. They have reduced the density to 4.5 dwelling units and that’s about a 14 percent reduction. They’re providing 165 dwellings. Common open space is about the same, 46 percent. Again, one, two, three, and four bedroom units and the dedication of right-of-way along the southern boundary for a future east-west road,” Szedlmayer said.
County documents show the project was scaled down from 191 units to 165, with density reduced from 5.22 to 4.5 dwelling units per acre. The site could have supported up to nine units per acre under its land use designation, according to the staff report.
Plans for the development also emphasize open space and recreational features spread throughout the property.
Szedlmayer described a layout that incorporates both natural and built amenities.
“The flowway makes up a big part of the open space. This will be dry detention. They have a community park or shared park here. There’s a walkway along the north-south route from the park up to the north and then it continues down through the south. They have a recreation and amenity center that has a little children’s play yard and the building has a gym. They have a swimming pool. There’s another little pocket park over on this side,” she said.
In addition to reducing density, the developer made adjustments to spacing between homes following feedback from county officials.
Szedlmayer said those changes addressed earlier concerns about proximity between structures.
“One of the requests from the board was that there be 15 feet between the dwellings. That has been met. Some of the garages are not 15 feet away from each other, but the dwelling units, the living quarters, are at least 15 feet. Many are more,” she said.
Parking availability was another area where the plan exceeds minimum county requirements, with a mix of garage, driveway and on-street spaces incorporated into the design.
“All the off-street parking is alley loaded. All the dwellings have two-car garages. I think some 19 dwellings also have driveway parking in addition to the garage parking and there’s some 136 on-street parking spaces,” Szedlmayer said.
Project representatives also said the development meets county standards related to infrastructure, safety and environmental impact.
Leah Heinzelmann, a partner with Cotleur & Hearing, pointed to findings included in the county’s review.
“Staff noted in the report that the design will not have any adverse effects on nearby properties. Compliance with adequate public facilities. Confirmation from fire that there is adequate fire protection. The site will be served by adequate school facilities and there are no negative environmental impacts. Additionally, the third-party traffic reviewer confirmed the site will not cause any level of service failures,” Heinzelmann said.
The county’s staff report also noted that an updated traffic impact analysis found the project would not require roadway improvements and would not degrade traffic conditions.
Commissioners highlighted the reduced density and added parking as key factors in their decision to approve the project.
Commissioner James Clasby said the proposal goes beyond baseline requirements.
“They could have built nine units per acre and they came down to 4.8, which I think is a big accomplishment. Two spaces per car and they’re offering 3.2 spaces per car, so I’m just saying that any developer that’s out there listening should take note that we want higher standards, not minimum standards,” he said.
Following discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to approve the final site plan.