Minutes from the May 12, 2025 meeting

PZFLU2025-00002
Future Land Use Map Amendment and Zoning Atlas Map Amendment - Moore's Creek Model Block Redevelopment
Parcel ID(s): 2410-604-0107-000-9, 2410-604-0112-000-7, 2410-604-0115-000-8 and 2410-601-0207-000-1

Mr. Freeman gave an overview of the applications and answered questions from the Board. He stated that in April 2023, the City of Fort Pierce, Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency (FPRA), and St. Lucie County entered into an interlocal agreement to collaboratively develop a number of lots on Avenue D between 7th and 8th Street and Avenue C. Mr. Freeman stated a request for proposal (RFP) went out for affordable housing and a bidder was chosen. He said the purpose of the Future Land Use Map Amendment and rezoning is to enable properties to be classed as commercial so they can use the Live Local Act to develop. Mr. Freeman explained, that unusually, in terms of the Live Local Act application, the city, county and Fort Pierce Redevelopment agency will have overall control of what gets built. The RFP proposed a mixed-use development with a small amount of commercial space, veterans housing and apartments. He said all four parcels are in St. Lucie county ownership and are designated Residential Medium Future Land Use and have a zoning of R-4. Mr. Freeman said they are still awaiting the final site plan proposal which will need to be approved by the three parties involved. He said most of the property in the block is already designated commercial and there is a church in the middle that has been approached to become part of the solution to the development of the property.

Ms. Clemons asked what the city has in place to mandate that the developer stay within the guidelines as opposed to going to the Live Local Act.  Mr. Freeman said the developer can use the Live Local Act, but they do not have control of the property. The City of Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County and the Fort Pierce Redevelopment agency will determine what gets approved on the site.  

PZANN2024-00003
Annexation - Tall Pines
Parcel ID(s): 1433-210-0003-000-9 and 1433-310-0002-000-9

Mr. Gilmore gave an overview of the application and answered questions from the Board.  He said the application is requesting the annexation of two (2) parcels into the City. The subject properties have a St. Lucie County Future Land Use Designation of RM, Residential Medium, and a St. Lucie County Zoning designation of RMH-5, Residential, Mobile Home – 5/du. The proposed Future Land Use Designation for the parcels is RL, Residential Low-Density, with a Zoning Classification of R-1, Single Family Low-Density Residential Zone. He said currently, the land is an existing 55-plus Mobile Home community.  Mr. Gilmore said the current taxable value of the property is $10,607,900.  He showed the Future Land Use comparison showing the maximum build-out potential with a decrease of 104 units.

Chairman Kreisl asked if a service agreement was in place with Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA).  Mr. Gilmore said they currently use water/wastewater with FPUA. Chairman Kreisl said the city should focus on annexations that are more contiguous to parts of the city and to be mindful if the annexation is helping the city or making it more difficult.

Erin Lees, Applicant Representative from WGI, gave a presentation on the annexation and master planned development. She stated Tall Pines is currently an RV park and the proposal is for a 33-lot long-term recreational vehicle park and an addition of eight (8) manufactured homes. Ms. Lees said the subject site received major site plan approval in 1990 and a minor site plan revision in 1994 through St. Lucie County. She said the property abuts the city to the south and is within the FPUA service area. Ms. Lees stated the site currently consists of 214 manufactured homes, 40 unoccupied manufactured home lots, a clubhouse, and amenities on 41.38 acres. She stated access to the site is available off Bryant Road and Cherokee Avenue and access to the RV park is through a gated entrance from Bryant Road. Ms. Lees said the parking lot to the east of the entrance is proposed to be improved, as well as the addition of a pool and cabana. She said the pickleball courts and bocce courts that are currently onsite will be relocated. Ms. Lees noted there are no current code enforcement violations in St. Lucie County. She explained four meetings with the residents were held and several changes or conditions were identified.  Ms. Lees highlighted the recent improvements to the property, including a new entrance sign, fishing pier, outdoor kitchen, pickleball court improvements, and clubhouse interior and pool renovations.

Ms. Lees answered questions from the Board about the unique setbacks, updated meetings with residents, and St. Lucie County zoning not allowing the requested recreational vehicle park.

Several Tall Pines residents spoke against the annexation. 

Stanley Czepiel, President of Tall Pines HOA, provided a handout to the Board, and he spoke about the conditions, buffers and width of the roads being an issue for the RVs.

Mike Befalco, resident of Tall Pines, provided a handout to the Board with lots of questions from the Tall Pine residents regarding the ordinances not being followed.  He asked what benefits the residents would get by being annexed into the City of Fort Pierce. Mr. Befalco also spoke about the road improvements needed and the buffer.

Peter Macomber, director of the Tall Pines HOA, said the project is impractical and is not going to fit.  Mr. Macomber, a two-year resident of Tall Pines, noted all the improvements shown in the applicants' presentation haven’t been made recently and there’s nothing new. He said the project would make their life at Tall Pines miserable.

Alan Kinney, resident of Tall Pines, voiced his concerns about the quality of the Fort Pierce Police department and the police department not being able to handle a new piece of property. 

Nancy Wall, resident of Tall Pines, provided handouts to the Board, and stated she does not believe the city would want to partner with the owner of Tall Pines because of disrepair.  She provided several examples in a handout to the Board.

Karen Ellsword, resident of Tall Pines, said the entrance to the park via Seneca Road is very busy and not wide enough for construction work trucks and big vehicles.

Christie Wicks, president of the social club at Tall Pines, said the area where the eight (8) mobile homes are going to be placed has been a dumping ground for past hurricanes and everything that was placed underground is rotting. Ms. Wicks said there is a problem with back taxes, and the owners of the mobile home park are putting it on the residents. 

Dan Terroni, resident of Tall Pines, stated he was concerned about the impact on law enforcement since the Fort Pierce Police department is understaffed and stressed.  He said the police department projected an additional 2.9 officers would need to be hired to satisfy the needs of the annexation, which would create eben more stress for the police department.

Chris Konow, resident of Tall Pines, said he is a second-generation resident of Tall Pines.  He said the RV park is the biggest issue for most of the residents.  

Sue Davidson, resident of Tall Pines, said the ground is sinking where an additional eight (8) homes are proposed to be built.  She also said the roads would not be able to handle the wear and tear of the garbage trucks for individual trash pick-up. 

Helen Rychlicki, a second-generation resident of Tall Pines, stated she does not want the noise from the RV park. She said it was stated that the entrance to the proposed RVs is from the west gate, which enters into the park where many residents live.

Sharon Minster, resident of Tall Pines, stated the pickle ball court has not been repaired and there are holes in the parking lot that the owner refuses to fix, and the owners won't listen to the residents. 

Michael Guay, a resident of Tall Pines, said he has mentioned to the workers that settling around a storm hole means there is a leak underground and the ground is washing away. Mr. Guay said it has been like that for three years and is getting worse.  He stated that half the lounge chairs by the swimming pool have been in a storage closet and half of the tables and chairs have been removed. Mr. Guay said locks have been put on the grills so they cannot be used at their leisure. He noted the planning is very poor, and Inspire didn't follow the county rules, so why would they follow the city rules.  Mr. Guay concluded by saying they would bring big dollars to the city and big problems.

Susan Dulick, a resident of Tall Pines, provided the Board with a handout of the repairs done on the roads. She stated the water quality is bad and brown.  Ms. Dulick said there is a lot of work that needs to be done, and she wouldn't want to give them anymore work because they can't take care of the current community.

Janis Scales, a resident of Tall Pines, said the only place to walk the dogs is at the back of the park where the RV park is proposed. There will be no place to walk the dogs except on the roads. She also said she has waterfront property now because of the way the streets were fixed.

Brian Nolan, a resident of Tall Pines, said he thought he was moving into a neighborhood, and Inspire wants to turn it into a resort. He said they have been waiting for the front gate for a while and the sign advertising the property on US Highway 1 has become an eyesore, and it doesn't reflect who they are as a neighborhood.  Mr. Nolan said there are a lot of empty promises and future headaches.  He noted that because of the ground sinking, residents are not allowed to walk in the area where the eight (8) mobile homes are planned to be built. 

Erin Lees, applicant, stated the St. Lucie County Future Land Use allows for nine dwelling units per acre, and they could rezone to 369 units in the development.  By annexing into the City of Fort Pierce, they are allowed 6.5 units per acre.  She stated there were no Code Enforcement issues as of three weeks ago. Ms. Lees said the RV storage area will be turned into an RV park with a minimum stay of three (3) months with an average stay of six (6) –12 months. She said $64,000 has been allocated for improvements to streetlights, the clubhouse, pool and pool bathrooms to meet the needs of the residents based on past meetings and HOA meetings. Ms. Lees said the eight (8) units being built will need to meet the code and be fully permitted and any issues with uneven ground or something underground being rotted will be addressed at that time.

Ms. Lees answered questions from Mr. Widing about the current number of units at Tall Pines, how long the current developer has been in place, the number of parcels being annexed and if the HOA has been turned over to the residents.

Chair Kreisl stated the discussion was not too far removed from what was heard at the December 2024 Planning Board meeting where the residents were not in favor of the annexation.  Further consideration was given to the developer and residents to address the problems. He said he is hearing the same complaints and nothing has been addressed.  Chairman Kreisl said the Board needs to make the best decision for the city and there is not enough for the city to potentially gain.

Mr. Collins asked if there was a projection on tax revenues the city would receive if the property was annexed.  He also wanted to know the estimated cost of maintaining the roads.  Mr. Collins said looking at this investment, it doesn't seem like a good deal for the city.

Mr. Freeman said at the Technical Review Committee meeting the county advised the city to take ownership of the roadways, most likely because the county does not want to pay for maintenance of the streets in the future. He said staff had not received any projections on future tax revenue.  If the city moves forward with the annexation, or an FPUA agreement, a list of roads will have to be maintained and at the moment the city is not equipped to maintain the roads.  Mr. Freeman said he would like to see a cost benefit analysis from the applicant to show how the annexation would offset the cost of providing police and road maintenance.

Ms. Carter said the Board is at the same place as they were in December 2024, and the developer has not had meetings with the residents.  She said it doesn't make sense with all the outstanding issues to give a positive recommendation.

Ms. Clemons said the city would be taking on a lot more burden as far as the cost is concerned and the city will not get that back in return for taxes.  She said she was not feeling comfortable with what had been presented.

Mr. Edwards agreed that the Board has been hearing the same issues since the December 2024 Planning Board meeting and the Board tried to give the applicant a chance to correct the issues.  The HOA and developer don't seem to be on the same page.

Mr. Widing said he was extremely uncomfortable, and he was hoping the developer was new, instead of having four (4) years to make improvements. He asked if there was any benefit to the city.

PD2024-00005
Master Plan Development - Tall Pines
Parcel ID(s): 1433-210-0003-000-9 and 1433-310-0002-000-9

Item 7b was not presented because item 7a, Annexation of Tall Pines, was unanimously denied by the Planning Board.

PD2024-00009
Final Planned Development- Symphony Lakes Planned Development
4300 Selvitz Road
Parcel ID(s): 2432-211-0006-000-3, 2432-211-0005-000-6, 2432-343-0001-000-4 

Mr. Freeman gave an overview of the application and answered questions from the Board. The proposed Pod 1 Final Planned Development site plan is consistent with the Master Site Plan. Pod 1 is approximately 88 acres, and the plan proposes 286 single-family residential units, which generates approximately 3.2 gross dwelling units per acre. The Master Site Plan requires a minimum of 20% Open Space in Pod 1. This Final PD Plan proposes a total of 37.9 acres, or 43% of Pod 1 as Open Space.

Mr. Freeman said the Master Plan Development was approved on June 3, 2024. He said the main access to POD 1 will be on Selvitz Road and the emergency access will be on Christensen Road. Mr. Freeman said the landscape plan includes most roadways, with one side of the roadway incorporated with street trees and other side a sidewalk.  There is a conservation easement which incorporates 3.8 acres and will be retained. The buffers have their own unique design. There is a raised berm with shrubs, understory plantings and trees incorporated into the boundaries to give a better visual shield. Staff requested a lot of attention to Christensen Road, which is where the proposed development interacts with existing residential areas to the east. There are a number of lakes included throughout the site, along with a recreational tract.  Staff encouraged that density be achieved with the landscape buffers. Staff encouraged berms with raised trees on both sides of the berm, understory trees and an unimpaired view.  

Mr. Freeman showed the traffic generation and stated the number of daily trips is quite high for the location and that is being accessed by the county at the moment.

Mr. Freeman provided two recommendations to the Board based off of items that needed to be resolved.

Ms. Clemons and Mr. Widing expressed concerns about not knowing what the developer was going to do because of many open items.  

Leah Heinzelmann, Applicant Representative from Cotleur and Hearing, stated the PD for Symphony Lakes was approved by the City Commissioner on June 3, 2024. She showed the construction period for each of the phases with Phase 1 - single family, Phase 2 - storage, Phase 3 - light industrial and Phase 4 - multifamily.  Ms. Heinzelmann said Phase 1 is 88 acres with an 8- foot right-of-way that will have canopy growth over the years. She noted Phase 1 will have five lakes, an amenity and recreational center, architectural elements and landscape features on the homes and a lush canopy for shade.   Ms. Heinzelmann said the streets will be 20 feet wide and have a 50-foot right-of-way. She stated the entryway on Christensen Road has been removed, and the berm is heavily buffered with a 55-foot FPL easement. Ms. Heinzelmann said the bus stop location would be before the gate, and before it turns out to Selvitz Road.  Seating will be provided at the bus stop along with parking for the drop-off and pickup of the students. She explained the off-site improvements on Selvitz Road will receive the review results in three weeks and the development agreement has been updated.

Mr. Freeman said he was asking for confirmation from the school district on the bus stop location, and he was asking the applicant to show the approved bus stop location on the site plan.

Tyson Waters, Attorney and Applicant Representative, stated the applicant had agreed and accepted the conditions, and they are waiting for the confirmation from the other review agencies to move forward.

Chairman Kreisl asked about the northern property line buffer.  He asked how comfortable the applicant is with the heavy industrial use impacting the northern residences.  Ms. Heinzelmann said there is an 85-foot canal between the existing use and the residences, along with a 25-foot buffer. The residences are 25 feet from the roadway along with a buffer.

Ms. Carter asked about noise and smell concerns from the wastewater treatment plant to the west, and she asked about a clubhouse, dog park and recreation center in Phase 1. Ms. Heinzelmann said the design and vision for Symphony Lakes started in 2005, before other projects on Selvitiz Road came up. She said the clubhouse, pedestrian pathways and existing conservation area will be coming at a later date.

Mr. Johnson asked about a buffer on Devine Road.  Mr. Freeman noted at the original Planned Development hearing, there was a large representation of the residences on Christensen Road. The access on Christensen Road is only for emergency access and there are buffers around the site to Devine Road.  

Mr. Freeman informed the Board that the city has received a site plan application for Precast and there have been discussions on the landscape buffer and repositioning of the major activities to the west to move away from the numerous complaints from the property owners at other developments.  Mr. Freeman explained that city staff had requested a berm and a variety of landscaping and variations of heights to create a visual buffer. The applicant showed this in their presentation, and they also showed the roadway improvements on Selvitz Road.  He noted that city staff have no involvement with the roadway and that is included in the development agreement.  He highlighted that the county has different response timelines, and it is very difficult to get the alignments in place.

Ms. Carter expressed concerns about rushing the project through and setting a precedent.  Mr. Freeman assured that was not the staff's intent, and it is rare that this happens.

Mr. Waters said they have addressed conditions and comments, and they are currently waiting on other agencies, which they have no control over.  

Shaun MacKenzie, from MacKenzie Engineering, stated the county requires a standardized methodology and two revisions have been sent to the county with quite a bit of roadway improvements and turn lanes into the site.  He noted that each additional phase will be evaluated separately.

Mr. Freeman stated that items A and B of the recommendations go together. He said the traffic impact analysis determines the roadway improvements to Selvitz, which is a county roadway.  The buffer to Christensen Road was defined on the landscape plan.

Mr. Widing asked about the bus stop, parent parking, shelter and turn around. Ms. Clemons asked for a bench for the students with a cover overhead. 

The Board expressed concerns about the checkboxes from the reviewing external agencies not getting checked off and having safeguards in place.

Mr. Waters said if the external agencies change approvals, and the plans change, the site plan for Pod 1 will have to come back to the Planning Board and every subsequent phase has to be approved by the Planning Board.

23-07000006
Site Plan and Conditional Use - Okeechobee Road Flex Space
Parcel ID(s): 2419-122-0001-040-6 and 2419-122-0001-050-9

Ms. Driver gave an overview of the application. She stated the applicant proposes to develop flex space for wholesale trade and warehouse freight on 3.57 acres of land. The property is in the C-3, General Commercial zoning district and has a future land use designation of GC, General Commercial. Ms. Driver showed the site plan, landscape plan and elevation details and reviewed the site plan details.  Ms. Driver said building A is around 22,000 square feet and building B is around 15,000 square feet. The proposed building height is 30 feet, open space is 31%, and the setbacks, parking and trees planted exceed the requirements.

Ms. Clemons asked if there had been talk of flooding in the area.  Chairman Kreisl asked if there is any on-site drainage retention. Mr. Johnson asked if there was a wall or buffer that buts up to the apartments.

Brendan Kelley, Applicant Representative, from Bowman Consulting, said the infrastructure had been neglected.  He said they have shared access to the adjacent commercial plaza. The two buildings will have two access points.  There is a small detention area to the north for stormwater.  They will be providing 31% open space, landscape buffers, easements, extra parking, and two (2) ADA parking stalls for each building.  The rear building will have roll-up doors with pedestrian access.

Chairman Kreisl said the color palette mutes the architectural elements of the buildings.  He said he would like to see other options for the color palette since Okeechobee Road is the entranceway into the city.

Chairman Kreisl asked about the type of landscape buffer to the north.  Mr. Kelley said there is a planted buffer and a fence. Ms. Clemons said she wants to see a wall instead of a fence on the side of the apartments. Mr. Kelley said the wall would take up more of the landscape buffer and there are underground utilities. Board discussion ensued on the type of buffer between the back building and the Portofino Landings apartments to the north.