Quasi-Judicial Hearing - Review and Approval of an application for Major Site Plan (Development & Design Review), submitted by property owner, Lawnwood Medical Center, Inc. and Representative Vanessa Mahoney, of Kimley-Horn, to construct a five-floor parking garage with surface parking, the parking garage grossing an approximate 50,432 square feet footprint and surface parking grossing 34,866 square feet with associated site improvements at 1700 S 23^rd Street, Fort Pierce, FL.  The property is zoned Planned Development (PD). Parcel ID: 2416-504-0200-000-2.
 

Staff Analysis:
 
Request
Request for review of an application for a Major Site Plan (Development & Design Review) to construct a five-floor parking garage with surface parking, the parking garage grossing an approximate 50,432 square feet footprint and surface parking grossing 34,866 square feet with associated site improvements.
 
Project Summary

This application is being submitted for a Major Site Plan approval for the development of a new 5-floor parking garage at the Lawnwood Medical Center campus, located in Fort Pierce, Florida. The proposed garage is an integral part of the hospital’s strategic plan to expand its infrastructure and improve accessibility for patients, visitors, and staff.

The proposed multi-level (5-floor) parking garage will provide a total of 591 parking spaces, covering 50,432
square feet of total footprint floor area. This includes 4 ADA-compliant surface parking spaces and 10 dedicated Electric Vehicle (EV) charging surface parking spaces, aligning with sustainability goals and anticipated future demand.
Additionally, the project includes the construction of 109 new surface parking spaces, which will
supplement the structured parking and improve access across the medical center campus. The total area for the surface parking is 34,866 square feet.
 
The subject site is located at 1700 S 23^rd Street in Fort Pierce, FL. It is comprised of approximately 22.36 acres of land and identified by the parcel number 2416-504-0200-000-2. The existing future land use (FLU) designation is Instutional (INST), and the zoning classification is Planned Development Zone (PD). The property is currently occupied by HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital. On December 21, 2020, the subject property was approved by City Commission to be rezoned to a Planned Development with a proposed Phase 1 Site Plan. The subject Planned Development (PD) intended to provide a process for the evaluation of the hospital as governed by an approved Master Site Plan (MSP). The standards and procedures of the MSP are intended to promote flexibility of design and permit planned diversification and integration of uses and structures, while at the same time granting the City the authority to establish such limitations and regulations as it deems necessary to protect the public health, safety and general welfare.
 
The five (5) sub-phases were approved for the following:
 
 • Phase 1: The construction of a three (3) story Medical Tower
 • Phase 2: A 3 rd floor shell build out of the Medical Tower with an Emergency Department Addition to the northern portion of the hospital
 • Phase 3: A 4 th Floor addition to the Medical Tower
 • Phase 4: A 5 th Floor addition to the Medical Tower
 • Phase 5: A Parking Structure.
 

The proposed Major Site Plan (Development) application adheres to the requirements of the City Land Development Code and guidelines of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Therefore, Staff recommends APPROVAL of the requested application with the following conditions:
 

1. A Landscape Maintenance Agreement will be required and approved by the Planning Department prior to Final Certificate of Occupancy.

 

2. A Landscape Inspection will be required and approved by the Planning Department prior to Final Certificate of Occupancy.

 

3. Prior to the issuance of any site clearing permits, the applicant shall provide a Tree Mitigation Survey and coordinate with the City of Ft. Pierce Arborist for the required mitigation of the City regulated trees proposed to be removed as a result of this site’s development/construction activity.

• Approval with alternate conditions
• Denial

Vennis Gilmore, Historic Preservation Officer/Senior Planner

Technical Review Committee
Planning Board