This is from TCPALM:
So. Does Port St. Lucie need a water park?
How about an amphitheater, a public performance space?
Another movie theater? A Trader Joe's? Or what about some pickleball courts, maybe even a ice rink?
Dream and it might come true. And we'll get our first glimpse in just a few months.
All the above are ideas pitched by Port St. Lucie residents at a community workshop in December on the topic of Southern Grove — some 1,200 acres in the area commonly known as Tradition.
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This view, looking west from the area of the City Electric warehouse in the Tradition Commerce Center, gives an idea of the wide-open spaces available in Southern Grove.
This view, looking west from the area of the City Electric warehouse in the Tradition Commerce Center, gives an idea of the wide-open spaces available in Southern Grove. (Photo: City of Port St. Lucie)
Southern Grove is already home to Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, the Tradition Center for Innovation, Keiser University and other institutions. But there's room for so much more — commercial, industrial, residential.
It is, really, a blank slate.
So Port St. Lucie city officials were keen to see what residents thought might fit, what they think the community needs. Some 200 showed up and piped up at a December meeting; they'll get another chance Feb. 29 during the city's 2020 Citizen Summit, at 2 p.m. at the PSL Community Center.
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And in just three months they'll get their first glimpse at how city officials hope to stitch it all together into a cohesive, ambitious whole.
"We're going to have a draft master plan in front of council in May," said Teresa Lamar Sarno, Assistant to the City Manager for Land Development Services.
The plan will draw not just on community input but a 2004 study by the Urban Land Institute, along with a market study of the area to determine how much commercial and industrial space the region can absorb.
"It's always been marketed as a 'jobs corridor,' " said Lamar-Sarno — one which city officials think will ultimately result in 22,500 jobs.
Cleveland Clinic’s Tradition Hospital is seen at the north end of Southern Grove. On the west side of the lake is Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, which is expected to soon by acquired by Florida International University.
Cleveland Clinic’s Tradition Hospital is seen at the north end of Southern Grove. On the west side of the lake is Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, which is expected to soon by acquired by Florida International University. (Photo: City of Port St. Lucie)
"We've got the hospital there, some industrial and manufacturing uses, but what about everything south of there? The purpose of the master plan is to really drill down and ask, what makes sense, what can the economy sustain and what can we do" to turn dreams into reality.
"It's our last, great opportunity to do something special," said Lamar-Sarno.
Residents seem to think so, too.
"We heard some really interesting things," said Lamar-Sarno. "Lots of recreational uses came up — anything from passive parks to places to play hockey and basketball."
"And when you talk about commercial uses, people mentioned Trader Joe's and Whole Foods — something beyond your typical Publix.
As for restaurants, she said, there was a desire for upscale eateries. And some residents said government should have a presence: "Our tax collector just built a new facility out by Tradition, but residents suggested there be a place where you can pull a permit or a registration, and maybe even a police substation."
Another suggestion — and it would probably be a need — was a school. Or maybe more than one.
There may be a difference, though, between what residents want and what the area can support. That's where the market study comes in.
"It will help us say yes, Port St. Lucie can support another movie theater, or more golf, or whatever it is," said Lamar-Sarno. "We have some great economists who are very familiar with our area and the goal is to get the data and say 'yes, this will work here.' "
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Gil Smart (Photo: JEREMIAH WILSON/TCPALM)
Or maybe no, it won't.
That's going to be the interesting thing: Will the dreams work? Exactly how much of a lure will this region of western Port St. Lucie be to the Trader Joe's of the world?
Port St. Lucie has, after all, rolled out a red carpet for Costco, but the warehouse club remains interested in Martin County, where as a rule incomes are higher.
But St. Lucie West in particular isn't that far behind. And one would think that if enough residents express interest in, say, a water park, that should signal there's a market for such an attraction — and lure the entrepreneurs who might build it.
So you could have some family entertainment, which is in relatively short supply in PSL. You could have a walkable entertainment/cultural district, new homes laid out in a classic neighborhood style.
"Southern Grove can be all these things and more because of its strategic location, entitlements and size," said Mayor Greg Oravec in a recent column.
"What is Port St. Lucie's ceiling?" he asked; "can Port St. Lucie be one of the country's greatest mid-sized cities?"
Yikes.
Talk like that suggests there's a lot riding on this.
So if you live in Port St. Lucie and haven't pitched in your own two cents — now's the time to start.
Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion; if you like what you read please consider subscribing to TCPalm. Gil can be reached at
gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at (772) 223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.
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