PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Treasure Coast continues to grow exponentially, and the latest development will likely come to Tradition.
Last week, Port St. Lucie City Council approved the rezoning of a 41-acre plot of land off Village Parkway and Becker Road, paving the way for a development with homes, retail space and more.
According to the plans, which are in the name of Mattamy Palm Beach LLC, at least roughly a third of the land parcel would be residential, with the other two-thirds being commercial, which could include retail, office space, restaurants and more.
Included in the plan are a 5,915-square-foot convenience store and gas station along with a 136,789-square-foot home improvement store.
"I do have a little concern with both Home Depot and Lowe's being just an exit way," Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo said.
She worried another home improvement chain would create too much competition.
Mattamy Home's representatives didn't confirm which store it is, but Mayor Shannon Martin said in the city council meeting she doesn't think it will be an issue.
"Especially the way our city is growing by leaps and bounds," Martin said in last week's city council meeting.
Several residents, however, voiced concern about the growing pains that come when the city continues to grow.
"Yes, it's too much, if you ask me," resident Jane Wells said. "More development, more traffic, but it's going to grow whether we want it to or not."
"It's amazing. It’s amazing how much it's grown," added resident Bob Martz. "We knew this growth was coming, but to see it materialize so quickly is really astonishing to see."
WPTV contacted the city of Port St. Lucie to address those concerns. We were told Martin wasn't available for an interview but city staff said in a statement the development of the region was granted 20 years ago as part of an annexation.
The statement in full reads:
"Wilson Groves is a development of regional impact that was approved 20 years ago and all of the development rights were granted at that time. The current City Council cannot take away the rights that were granted and must today work with the developer. The City holds the developer accountable for all infrastructure that is required under the development order."
"For anyone that thinks we're just allowing more residential for the sake of more residential, or that there's some hidden benefit to it by the city council, that's completely false," Martin said in a March 25 city council meeting.
WPTV contacted Mattamy Homes, who declined to comment on the project, but according to the plan, are required to put in a traffic signal within 18 months of the project's approval.
"That's what we wanted to see," Martz said. "We wanted a golf cart community. We wanted amenities surrounding us."
The city said this was just the project's first reading. It has to go through a second reading before being officially approved.