STUART — Stuart residents could soon have a say in the future of a roughly 2-acre parcel connected to Haney Creek, with city commissioners considering whether to ask voters to make the property permanent green space.
Haney Creek includes 4.4 miles of trails, dog parks, picnic areas and other spaces for residents to enjoy nature. The additional 1.97-acre parcel along U.S. 1 was acquired with the intention of generating revenue for the city and helping maintain Haney Creek and other environmental lands.
Jim Chrulski, the city's community services director, outlined the history of the property and the original plan for its use.
"In 2011, the City of Stuart and Martin County purchased 51 acres of Haney Creek. At that time, the city purchased a separate 2-acre parcel along US-1 with the idea of leasing it for commercial development and using the revenue to help maintain Haney Creek and other city-owned environmental lands. Later that year, voters approved the city to use the 1.97-acre parcel for a long-term commercial lease," he said.
The city's plans for the parcel have since shifted. Some commissioners now want to incorporate the property into Haney Creek as permanent green space rather than pursue commercial development.
Chrulski said the city had previously planned to use the U.S. 1 property as a trailhead before reconsidering its plans following an unsolicited proposal from RaceTrac.
"In 2025, the commission authorized a trailhead on the U.S. 1 parcel. Then in 2026, after receiving an unsolicited proposal from RaceTrac, the commission decided to relocate the trailhead to Baker Road," he said. "At that time, commissioners revisited the original proposal of a commercial parcel and began discussing whether it was the highest and best use was no longer commercial. Because of the original agreement with Martin County requires the property to remain available for revenue generating purposes, the agreement must first be amended before the question can be brought back to the voters for a referendum."
The city faces an Aug. 21 deadline to get the referendum onto the November ballot.
If commissioners miss the deadline, the referendum would have to wait until 2028 unless the city holds a special election, which could cost up to $20,000.
Commissioner Campbell Rich opposed moving forward with the referendum, citing the potential need for additional sources of city revenue amid looming property tax reform.
"A couple things concern me. First of all, if this referendum passes in November, this city and most municipalities will be desperate for diverse forms of revenue. We're not taking advantage of what we could do with this property," he said. "If this referendum passes, the first thing that gets cut are parks."
Rich estimated the property could generate up to $1 million annually, with the money going toward maintenance of the park.
Commissioner Laura Giobbi supported reconsidering the property's intended use, pointing to changes in the area since voters approved the commercial lease.
"2011 is 15 years ago, and a lot has changed over the last 15 years. As more and more development happened, more green space was lost," she said. "We have two things. There is, I believe, one entity that wants to purchase or lease the property, etc. But that would be something that would be absolutely detrimental to green space, which is right there. There's that parking lot, and then there's the Haney Creek. So, in the course of wanting to gain a million dollars over 10 years for the city, we would be jeopardizing the other green space that we have. That just doesn't make sense."
Haney Creek contains several rare habitats, including coastal scrubland and pine flatwoods.
The commission voted 3-1 to move the issue to a formal discussion scheduled for Aug. 17. Commissioners will then decide whether to place the proposed referendum on the November ballot.