ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A proposed large-scale housing development known as Indrio Groves is facing another delay after county commissioners raised concerns about density, infrastructure and public safety, postponing a decision on the project until July.
The project, proposed by Lennar Homes, would bring more than 3,000 residential units to a site currently zoned for agricultural use. A request to rezone the property to a planned unit development failed to gain full support from the board during its latest review.
Commissioner James Clasby outlined a series of concerns in a detailed document, focusing in part on how the development would compare to surrounding land uses.
“Especially read the portion of the staff report addressing the surrounding zone land uses, including the statement regarding the proposed PUD zoning that would provide substantially more intensity and density than the existing uses to the northeast and south,” Clasby said.
Clasby also questioned whether public safety infrastructure would keep pace with the project’s growth, particularly the timeline for a planned fire station.
County staff acknowledged that while a future station is identified, its construction remains uncertain.
“Fire station seven located at 4900 Fort Pierce Boulevard is approximately 4.5 miles south and east of the subject site. Planning is underway for station number seven to be relocated to Taylor Dairy Road south of Indrio Road,” said Irene Szedlmayer, a senior planner with the county. “St. Lucie County Fire District 4 at 3601 Industrial, 33rd Street, is 11 miles away. A location for a new fire station is included in the approved Indrio and I-95 planned towns and villages about three miles from Spanish Lakes Boulevard entrance to the subject site. However, there is no committed timeline for construction equipment and staffing that station.”
Additional concerns were raised about access to medical care, with officials noting the distances residents could face when seeking emergency services.
“With regard to emergency medical services and to the hospital, the county does not have an adopted level of service for emergency response in terms of, for example, average response time within the urban services district or average response time outside the urban services boundary,” she said. “St. Lucie County's emergency medical needs are largely fulfilled by three area hospitals, Longwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute with approximate automobile travel times from the subject site being 20 to 25 minutes. St. Lucie Medical Center with average travel times ranging from 35 to 55 minutes and Tradition Hospital with travel times averaging 25 to 35 minutes.”
Traffic and roadway capacity also emerged as a key issue, particularly given the scale of the proposed development and its limited access points.
“Some 3,081 dwellings plus or minus 7,703 people will have only two certain connections to the exterior street network, Spanish Lakes Boulevard and Cobble Guard Road. And Spanish Lakes Boulevard and Cobble Guard Roads themselves are not a part of a robust roadway network. These roads merge and intersect Indrio Road,” she said.
Representatives for the developer said the project would bring community benefits, including infrastructure upgrades, expanded utilities, parks and educational opportunities such as a planned 4-H farm.
An attorney representing Lennar disputed some of the concerns raised and asked for more time to respond.
“I'm not too concerned about responding to these things. I think there was a lot of incorrect information. I think there's a lot of stuff that he left out that explains it further, but we'll do that at another time. So with that, I think it's only appropriate we should be allowed a continuance to come in and address all of these things, which we'll be happy to do, and we're confident we're going to be able to do,” said Bob Raynes of the Gunster.
The request marked another delay in a process that has already seen multiple continuances since March. County Attorney Katherine Barbieri advised commissioners to grant the request.
“For due process, I would recommend that they be granted another continuance,” she said.
Some commissioners expressed broader concerns about how the development could change the character of the area.
“This is outside the urban service boundary and we want this to continue to be rural St. Lucie County and not look like a project coming out of Port St. Lucie,” said Commissioner Erin Lowry.
Others emphasized the need to fully address outstanding issues before moving forward.
“We need to continue this and get all of the board's concerns out there and see if it fits within the code, what has been approved. Otherwise, we're getting sued,” said Commissioner Larry Leet.
Commissioners agreed to revisit the proposal at a future meeting, with July 7 set as the tentative date for further discussion.