FORT PIERCE — State Rep. Dana Trabulsy urged the Fort Pierce City Commission to rescind any approval of a 192-foot tall hotel/residential development proposed for South Hutchinson Island because it fails to meet the requirements of state law meant to encourage the construction of affordable housing.
Tralbusy, R-Fort Pierce, in her Aug. 3 remarks, contended the proposed Causeway Cove development does not meet the requirements of Florida’s Live Local Act, which prohibits the city from denying the project.
The developers proposed, and city planning staff agreed, Causeway Cove — comprising 913 condos and apartments, 407 hotel rooms and a 218-slip marina — qualifies for the state’s Live Local Act because at least 40% of the units, 366, are set aside for affordable housing for 30 years.
City Planning Director Kevin Freeman granted the project administrative approval on June 26 on the basis that the project met the requirements of the Live Local Act. However, Trabulsy believes the project does not comply with state law. She told commissioners that uses such as a hotel and restaurant are not covered by the Live Local Act and would have to be approved separately by the city under a major site plan review.
A clerical error in the zoning map for the property, Trabulsy told the commission, impacts the uses and the number of units allowed, taking it from 30 units per acre to eight. Live Local Act applies only to commercial, industrial or mixed use zoned properties. The current zoning, A-2 or aquatic development, does not qualify under those designations, said Trabulsy, who voted in favor of the Act.
Moreover, according to Trabulsy, Causeway Cove, as approved, does not comply with Fort Pierce land development regulations, the city’s Comprehensive Plan or the Live Local Act.
Florida’s Live Local Act is a workforce housing law that requires cities and counties to allow apartments, condos or mixed-use housing in areas traditionally zoned for commercial and industrial use if at least 40% of the units are designated as “affordable” for 30 years.
Trabulsy urged the commission and the city attorney to direct the planning director to rescind any approval and enter into a contract with a private land-use attorney familiar with the Live Local Act to explore challenging and/or appealing any future state approval of the project.
“I am not against this project. I am against the size of this project,” said Trabulsy, saying the size not a good fit for Fort Pierce.
“This gives a lot of people hope,” Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said of the arguments presented by Trabulsy. “This is something we all need to work together.”
Commissioner Michael Broderick questioned the affordability of the units that would be rented out as affordable housing, arguing it could be as much as $3,000 a month. Causeway Cove, Broderick said, is an existential threat to the people of Hutchinson Island and their safety.
“What’s really troubling is they are taking away home rule,” Broderick said. “I think this bill needs a rewrite. It’s just ripe for problems.”
The tallest of the five buildings in Causeway Cove would be 192 feet and the shortest 127 feet. The height limit for the areas of South Hutchinson Island within Fort Pierce is 45 feet.
The five largest buildings proposed at Causeway Cove:
Building A:
Building B:
Building C:
Building D:
Building E:
In unincorporated St. Lucie County, the maximum building height on the island is 125 feet, with a few high rises that predate those rules stretching to 150-175 feet, according to county spokesperson Erick Gill.
The tallest structures anywhere on the island, the containment buildings of the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, are 190-200 feet, Gill said.
The marina portion of the proposed development has been owned by G Flash GP Inc. since 2003. That company is registered to Palm Beach-based real estate developer Ashton DePeyster, according to the Florida Division of Corporations.
DePeyster could not be reached for comment.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s St. Lucie watchdog, environment and fisheries reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: State Rep. Trabulsy urges Fort Pierce to reject massive Causeway Cove
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Timothy O'Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
