By CHRIS YOUNG (Scripps)
Despite some city officials' skepticism, the developer of the proposed hotel at Riverwalk South says the company will close on its land purchase.
Richard Mielbye, senior vice president of development for Innkeepers USA, wrote to the city that a revised planning document should be delivered today, putting it on track for review by the City Council early next year.
The site plan for the hotel, a seven-story Embassy Suites by Hilton, still would take at least through mid-2007 to be approved, Mielbye said.
Officials questioned the project's viability due to a disagreement between the city and Innkeepers USA plus another developer on how they would pay for road improvements through a special taxing arrangement called a SAD.
Councilman Jack Kelly is particularly riled about the timing. Kelly said when the city signed the contract to sell 9.75 acres near the St. Lucie River to Innkeepers USA in April, officials expected the sale to close by September.
"A deal was a deal," Kelly said. "They had no right to delay (the land purchase) for the SAD."
Mielbye said the land purchase could be speeded up if the city allowed it to submit multiple planning documents at the same time, which normally isn't allowed.
Innkeepers will close on the $4 million property after the city signs off on its site plan and other planning documents, he said.
Kelly scheduled a discussion to let Innkeepers expedite their plan submissions at the Nov. 6 City Council meeting.
"If the City Council approves it, there will be no more roadblocks to them closing on the property," he said. "That way they have to make a decision."
The City Council decided last week to scrap the special taxing arrangement with both developers and instead borrow $1.1 million to make sure intersection modifications at Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Westmoreland will continue as planned.
Innkeepers plans to build a 1,800-foot-long boardwalk to connect to the existing boardwalk north of Port St. Lucie Boulevard, scheduled a year after the hotel approval, Mielbye added.
The property will also have a 6,500-square-foot restaurant and some retail shops, with condos to be built in the future.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
PSL pool to get splashy additions with water park
By HILLARY COPSEY (Scripps)
Palm tree sprinklers, frog water cannons and a variety of geysers will splash into the Ravenswood pool next year.
St. Lucie County is building its first-ever "sprayground" — a water play area filled with splashing and spraying toys — in Port St. Lucie. The $727,000 project includes the 4,800-square-foot splash park, a ticket booth, a classroom and shade structures at the pool that sits just off the south side of Prima Vista Boulevard.
"We're just trying to build the pool up and make it grow," Manager Katie Grafton said.
St. Lucie County is getting the necessary permits now from Port St. Lucie and still must choose a contractor for the project. But if everything goes smoothly, the sprayground should be open by next fall, county spokesman Erick Gill said.
The county plans to build two smaller splash parks at the open space pool on Avenue M and in Lakewood Regional Park. Port St. Lucie also is thinking about building a sprayground of its own.
"It's an added feature that our parks lack," Councilwoman Michelle Berger said.
The city is about to start planning its $12 million Torino Regional Park. If residents want one, a sprayground could be part of the project, which is the largest park ever built by the city.
Residents can share their thoughts on Torino park — and its possible sprayground — during a Nov. 8 planning session from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Community Center on Airoso Boulevard.
SPRAYGROUND
St. Lucie County is building a water toy play area for $727,000 at the Ravenswood pool off Prima Vista Boulevard. The facility, which is slated to open next fall, will include:
• Palm tree sprinklers.
• Magic touch fire hydrant.
• Frog and seahorse water cannons.
• A variety of hoses and geysers.
Palm tree sprinklers, frog water cannons and a variety of geysers will splash into the Ravenswood pool next year.
St. Lucie County is building its first-ever "sprayground" — a water play area filled with splashing and spraying toys — in Port St. Lucie. The $727,000 project includes the 4,800-square-foot splash park, a ticket booth, a classroom and shade structures at the pool that sits just off the south side of Prima Vista Boulevard.
"We're just trying to build the pool up and make it grow," Manager Katie Grafton said.
St. Lucie County is getting the necessary permits now from Port St. Lucie and still must choose a contractor for the project. But if everything goes smoothly, the sprayground should be open by next fall, county spokesman Erick Gill said.
The county plans to build two smaller splash parks at the open space pool on Avenue M and in Lakewood Regional Park. Port St. Lucie also is thinking about building a sprayground of its own.
"It's an added feature that our parks lack," Councilwoman Michelle Berger said.
The city is about to start planning its $12 million Torino Regional Park. If residents want one, a sprayground could be part of the project, which is the largest park ever built by the city.
Residents can share their thoughts on Torino park — and its possible sprayground — during a Nov. 8 planning session from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Community Center on Airoso Boulevard.
SPRAYGROUND
St. Lucie County is building a water toy play area for $727,000 at the Ravenswood pool off Prima Vista Boulevard. The facility, which is slated to open next fall, will include:
• Palm tree sprinklers.
• Magic touch fire hydrant.
• Frog and seahorse water cannons.
• A variety of hoses and geysers.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Summit eyes housing costs
By Eve Samples
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
PORT ST. LUCIE — The real estate mantra "drive till you qualify" can mean an awfully long road trip these days.
With a median housing price hovering around $250,000, St. Lucie County - once a haven for affordable homes - is off that route for many service-industry and public-sector employees.
Yet the demand for such housing will only increase in the coming decades, experts predict, potentially trapping the region in an economic vise.
By 2025, the four-county area stretching from Palm Beach County to Indian River County will need about 120,000 new "workforce" housing units: homes that are affordable for people who make 60 percent to 120 percent of the median income.
That's about one-third of all homes the region is expected to build during the 19-year period, said Greg Vaday, economic development coordinator for the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.
"That's a significant number," he said.
Vaday outlined the figures, compiled by the University of Florida's Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing, on Friday during the Realtors Association of St. Lucie Inc.'s first housing summit.
The roughly 40 real estate agents and local leaders in attendance spent the day studying the problem and compiling seven recommendations that they will bring back to local governments.
At the top of their list: Create more diverse rental properties.
"I would estimate that 90 percent of the teachers that we hire and recruit want to rent," said Steve Valencia, personnel director for the St. Lucie County School District.
High rental costs are causing the district to lose teachers, he said, citing a popular, second-year band teacher who recently moved away.
"Students loved him. Teachers loved him. The community loved him," he said. "He was doing a good job, but he just couldn't afford to live in St. Lucie County."
The county's sheriff's office and fire district are facing similar recruitment roadblocks, even as they need more hires than ever to keep pace with record growth, leaders reported.
"We can't compete with the salaries that are being offered to the south of us at this point, particularly Miami-Dade County and Broward County," said Rick Carreno, human resources director for the St. Lucie County Fire District.
Meanwhile, the average rent for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in Martin and St. Lucie counties rose 9.5 percent during the past year to $1,058, according to the Novato, Calif., firm RealFacts.
Buying is even further out of reach for many workers.
Starting salaries for teachers, firefighters and sheriff's deputies in St. Lucie County are in the low $30,000s, below the $53,000 a household must earn to afford a $250,000 home.
Even if workers can get into a home, the rising costs of insurance and property taxes may prevent them from staying there.
"Getting approved for the mortgage is not really the issue," said Sheila Grandison, head of recruitment for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. "It is more the costs associated."
To alleviate that problem, the group recommended creating additional property tax exemptions for community service workers, similar to the senior homestead exemptions some counties have passed for the elderly.
That's something St. Lucie Property Appraiser Jeff Furst said he could support.
The group also wants local governments to create a "community land trust," which would purchase land and homes for affordable housing using money from a new trust fund.
That's among the ideas another housing group, the Attainable/Affordable Housing Task Force of St. Lucie County, plans to present to the county commission next week.
Palm Beach County has created a community land trust and is considering a bond issue to buy land.
But across the region, the fragmented movement to create more affordable housing during the past several years has created few bottom-line results.
Builders tend to oppose subsidizing affordable housing, while governments have limited resources with which to work.
"This is not an issue of fairness," Vaday said. "This is really an issue of sustainability."
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
PORT ST. LUCIE — The real estate mantra "drive till you qualify" can mean an awfully long road trip these days.
With a median housing price hovering around $250,000, St. Lucie County - once a haven for affordable homes - is off that route for many service-industry and public-sector employees.
Yet the demand for such housing will only increase in the coming decades, experts predict, potentially trapping the region in an economic vise.
By 2025, the four-county area stretching from Palm Beach County to Indian River County will need about 120,000 new "workforce" housing units: homes that are affordable for people who make 60 percent to 120 percent of the median income.
That's about one-third of all homes the region is expected to build during the 19-year period, said Greg Vaday, economic development coordinator for the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.
"That's a significant number," he said.
Vaday outlined the figures, compiled by the University of Florida's Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing, on Friday during the Realtors Association of St. Lucie Inc.'s first housing summit.
The roughly 40 real estate agents and local leaders in attendance spent the day studying the problem and compiling seven recommendations that they will bring back to local governments.
At the top of their list: Create more diverse rental properties.
"I would estimate that 90 percent of the teachers that we hire and recruit want to rent," said Steve Valencia, personnel director for the St. Lucie County School District.
High rental costs are causing the district to lose teachers, he said, citing a popular, second-year band teacher who recently moved away.
"Students loved him. Teachers loved him. The community loved him," he said. "He was doing a good job, but he just couldn't afford to live in St. Lucie County."
The county's sheriff's office and fire district are facing similar recruitment roadblocks, even as they need more hires than ever to keep pace with record growth, leaders reported.
"We can't compete with the salaries that are being offered to the south of us at this point, particularly Miami-Dade County and Broward County," said Rick Carreno, human resources director for the St. Lucie County Fire District.
Meanwhile, the average rent for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in Martin and St. Lucie counties rose 9.5 percent during the past year to $1,058, according to the Novato, Calif., firm RealFacts.
Buying is even further out of reach for many workers.
Starting salaries for teachers, firefighters and sheriff's deputies in St. Lucie County are in the low $30,000s, below the $53,000 a household must earn to afford a $250,000 home.
Even if workers can get into a home, the rising costs of insurance and property taxes may prevent them from staying there.
"Getting approved for the mortgage is not really the issue," said Sheila Grandison, head of recruitment for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. "It is more the costs associated."
To alleviate that problem, the group recommended creating additional property tax exemptions for community service workers, similar to the senior homestead exemptions some counties have passed for the elderly.
That's something St. Lucie Property Appraiser Jeff Furst said he could support.
The group also wants local governments to create a "community land trust," which would purchase land and homes for affordable housing using money from a new trust fund.
That's among the ideas another housing group, the Attainable/Affordable Housing Task Force of St. Lucie County, plans to present to the county commission next week.
Palm Beach County has created a community land trust and is considering a bond issue to buy land.
But across the region, the fragmented movement to create more affordable housing during the past several years has created few bottom-line results.
Builders tend to oppose subsidizing affordable housing, while governments have limited resources with which to work.
"This is not an issue of fairness," Vaday said. "This is really an issue of sustainability."
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Port St. Lucie City Council to set date to auction homes at interchange
By CHRIS YOUNG
PORT ST. LUCIE — With buyers dictating the local housing market, officials wonder how much taxpayer money they can recoup on a handful of houses originally purchased for an Interstate 95 access ramp.
The City Council is scheduled to set a date for an auction at its meeting on Monday. But with every passing day, the six homes near Becker Road the city bought are sitting without maintenance. Neighbors wanted the houses sold a long time ago.
"We need to sell them, now that they're totally worthless," said Michael Tomaselli, who lives across from several of the houses.
Some have swimming pools in the backyard, but Tomaselli said someone stole the metal enclosures for scrap several weeks ago. Tomaselli, 63, remembers them being "beautiful" when they were occupied, but time and weather has made them eyesores.
The city bought dozens of houses and vacant lots in 2004 for the I-95 interchange at Becker Road but found itself with the extra property when the interchange was redesigned in late 2004 with a smaller footprint.
Some former owners bought their homes back from the city and the city Community Services department is buying two for its housing program.
The city paid between $150,000 to $230,000 for them, according to county property appraiser records. City Manager Don Cooper suggested the auction use a minimum bid priceof what the city paid for each house.
Large white signs posted in the front yards read, "Property of City of Port St. Lucie. No trespassing. Violators will be prosecuted."
"All of a sudden, you're in a desolate area," Tomaselli said, gesturing at the block. Residents have said they couldn't sell their own houses with the expansion of the Becker Road area still being planned.
After inspecting the properties in June, the building department recommended demolishing two homes in the 4500 block of Cacao Street because of their poor condition, but those houses are still on the proposed auction list.
Councilman Christopher Cooper, whose district includes the houses set for the auction block, said he was worried the process had taken too long.
The auction company said the holidays are not a good time for an auction anyway, Cooper said.
"We probably will take a loss," he said. "They're fixer-uppers. Let's just get rid of them. I say, 'cut your losses and move on.'"
PORT ST. LUCIE — With buyers dictating the local housing market, officials wonder how much taxpayer money they can recoup on a handful of houses originally purchased for an Interstate 95 access ramp.
The City Council is scheduled to set a date for an auction at its meeting on Monday. But with every passing day, the six homes near Becker Road the city bought are sitting without maintenance. Neighbors wanted the houses sold a long time ago.
"We need to sell them, now that they're totally worthless," said Michael Tomaselli, who lives across from several of the houses.
Some have swimming pools in the backyard, but Tomaselli said someone stole the metal enclosures for scrap several weeks ago. Tomaselli, 63, remembers them being "beautiful" when they were occupied, but time and weather has made them eyesores.
The city bought dozens of houses and vacant lots in 2004 for the I-95 interchange at Becker Road but found itself with the extra property when the interchange was redesigned in late 2004 with a smaller footprint.
Some former owners bought their homes back from the city and the city Community Services department is buying two for its housing program.
The city paid between $150,000 to $230,000 for them, according to county property appraiser records. City Manager Don Cooper suggested the auction use a minimum bid priceof what the city paid for each house.
Large white signs posted in the front yards read, "Property of City of Port St. Lucie. No trespassing. Violators will be prosecuted."
"All of a sudden, you're in a desolate area," Tomaselli said, gesturing at the block. Residents have said they couldn't sell their own houses with the expansion of the Becker Road area still being planned.
After inspecting the properties in June, the building department recommended demolishing two homes in the 4500 block of Cacao Street because of their poor condition, but those houses are still on the proposed auction list.
Councilman Christopher Cooper, whose district includes the houses set for the auction block, said he was worried the process had taken too long.
The auction company said the holidays are not a good time for an auction anyway, Cooper said.
"We probably will take a loss," he said. "They're fixer-uppers. Let's just get rid of them. I say, 'cut your losses and move on.'"
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
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Monday, October 16, 2006
Developers of PSL's Riverwalk South want to step up process
By CHRIS YOUNG
PORT ST. LUCIE — Developers of a hotel and commercial strip at Riverwalk South are trying to keep their projects from stalling any longer.
Innkeepers USA and Gladstone Realty Investments plan to build a seven-story hotel off Westmoreland Boulevard, though city officials said their $4 million land purchase hasn't closed. Frank Poma of Palm City Holdings plans a commercial strip called City Fountain Center at Westmoreland and Port St. Lucie Boulevard.
Steve Ball, agent for both developers, said all the fees they have to pay was "much greater" than anticipated.
In lieu of paying for road improvements directly, they have proposed paying into a Community Redevelopment Area to cover the improvements. But the CRA, which currently includes the City Center project on U.S. 1, hasn't been expanded to include the Riverwalk area.
The City Council is scheduled to hear from the public on whether to expand the CRA at Monday's meeting, but a consultant report justifying the expansion is full of flaws, according to city staff.
Those flaws mean the CRA expansion will be delayed anyway.
City Manager Don Cooper said regardless of what the developers do, the city needs to get on with the road improvements the developers were supposed to contribute to.
"This is a project that needs to get done, it needed to get done yesterday," he said.
The city has planned to widen Westmoreland Boulevard to four lanes, add sidewalks and landscaping, and add turn lanes onto Port St. Lucie Boulevard.
Cooper recommended borrowing $1 million and using $1 million from a Conservation Trust Fund to help pay for the project.
He wrote in a memo that the City Council can compel the developers to pay the estimated $1.1 million of their share as part of their site plan approval or in another taxing arrangement called a special assessment district at a later time.
Poma said the special assessment district the City Council is considering on Monday should include other properties in the area that will benefit from the Westmoreland project.
"I just want to pay my fair share," he said. "I'm not the only one in that (intersection) who will benefit."
He said he plans to break ground on his project early next year.
Friday afternoon, Vice Mayor Patricia Christensen said the developers met with her and other council members individually, but they wanted to talk with Don Cooper about his memo, which they hadn't seen
Cooper said late Friday he hadn't met them.
"They may ask for another delay (Monday) to review Don's response," Christensen said.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Developers of a hotel and commercial strip at Riverwalk South are trying to keep their projects from stalling any longer.
Innkeepers USA and Gladstone Realty Investments plan to build a seven-story hotel off Westmoreland Boulevard, though city officials said their $4 million land purchase hasn't closed. Frank Poma of Palm City Holdings plans a commercial strip called City Fountain Center at Westmoreland and Port St. Lucie Boulevard.
Steve Ball, agent for both developers, said all the fees they have to pay was "much greater" than anticipated.
In lieu of paying for road improvements directly, they have proposed paying into a Community Redevelopment Area to cover the improvements. But the CRA, which currently includes the City Center project on U.S. 1, hasn't been expanded to include the Riverwalk area.
The City Council is scheduled to hear from the public on whether to expand the CRA at Monday's meeting, but a consultant report justifying the expansion is full of flaws, according to city staff.
Those flaws mean the CRA expansion will be delayed anyway.
City Manager Don Cooper said regardless of what the developers do, the city needs to get on with the road improvements the developers were supposed to contribute to.
"This is a project that needs to get done, it needed to get done yesterday," he said.
The city has planned to widen Westmoreland Boulevard to four lanes, add sidewalks and landscaping, and add turn lanes onto Port St. Lucie Boulevard.
Cooper recommended borrowing $1 million and using $1 million from a Conservation Trust Fund to help pay for the project.
He wrote in a memo that the City Council can compel the developers to pay the estimated $1.1 million of their share as part of their site plan approval or in another taxing arrangement called a special assessment district at a later time.
Poma said the special assessment district the City Council is considering on Monday should include other properties in the area that will benefit from the Westmoreland project.
"I just want to pay my fair share," he said. "I'm not the only one in that (intersection) who will benefit."
He said he plans to break ground on his project early next year.
Friday afternoon, Vice Mayor Patricia Christensen said the developers met with her and other council members individually, but they wanted to talk with Don Cooper about his memo, which they hadn't seen
Cooper said late Friday he hadn't met them.
"They may ask for another delay (Monday) to review Don's response," Christensen said.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Report for proposed PSL boat ramp due out soon
By CHRIS YOUNG
Despite strong neighborhood opposition to a proposed boat ramp facility off Southbend Boulevard, parks officials expect to give the City Council a detailed analysis of the site soon.
About 90 residents gave their comments at a public meeting last week, "a clear majority" in favor of the site, Parks & Recreation Director Chuck Proulx said in an e-mail to his staff.
City officials see the site, tentatively named Canal Park, as the best place to expand the city's boat launching facilities. Only one city site has ocean access, at Veteran's Memorial Park at Rivergate.
"The city is growing in leaps and bounds, and we haven't added other facilities," said Chuck Proulx, Parks & Recreation director. "You don't have to be a mental giant to know we need more boat ramps in this town."
He said another site, off Southbend Boulevard and Bay St. Lucie Drive, faces tougher permitting requirements and construction costs.
Boaters said the C-24 site is sorely needed, even though the trip from the site to open water is about 45 minutes.
However, nearby residents took a not-in-my-backyard stance.
"Don't put ramps in a residential neighborhood," said Peter Church, who lives across the canal from the site.
He and a number of other homeowners built their own boat lifts on the canal and said he was concerned about drunk boaters crashing into his dock or other boats or damaging the canal itself.
The city's other ramp at Rivergate is "nothing but chaos and mayhem," Church said.
J.J. White, a boater, said he understood why the neighbors wouldn't want the ramp near their property, but said it's necessary.
"By 10 a.m. Sunday, if I go to Rivergate, I can't get in the water. I park at the Post Office (across the street) if I'm lucky," White said.
The proposed 9-acre site would have two ramps accommodating four boats at one time, and between 60 and 90 trailer spots, plus car spaces.
The park could cost up to $2 million, but there is no funding yet, Proulx said.
Despite strong neighborhood opposition to a proposed boat ramp facility off Southbend Boulevard, parks officials expect to give the City Council a detailed analysis of the site soon.
About 90 residents gave their comments at a public meeting last week, "a clear majority" in favor of the site, Parks & Recreation Director Chuck Proulx said in an e-mail to his staff.
City officials see the site, tentatively named Canal Park, as the best place to expand the city's boat launching facilities. Only one city site has ocean access, at Veteran's Memorial Park at Rivergate.
"The city is growing in leaps and bounds, and we haven't added other facilities," said Chuck Proulx, Parks & Recreation director. "You don't have to be a mental giant to know we need more boat ramps in this town."
He said another site, off Southbend Boulevard and Bay St. Lucie Drive, faces tougher permitting requirements and construction costs.
Boaters said the C-24 site is sorely needed, even though the trip from the site to open water is about 45 minutes.
However, nearby residents took a not-in-my-backyard stance.
"Don't put ramps in a residential neighborhood," said Peter Church, who lives across the canal from the site.
He and a number of other homeowners built their own boat lifts on the canal and said he was concerned about drunk boaters crashing into his dock or other boats or damaging the canal itself.
The city's other ramp at Rivergate is "nothing but chaos and mayhem," Church said.
J.J. White, a boater, said he understood why the neighbors wouldn't want the ramp near their property, but said it's necessary.
"By 10 a.m. Sunday, if I go to Rivergate, I can't get in the water. I park at the Post Office (across the street) if I'm lucky," White said.
The proposed 9-acre site would have two ramps accommodating four boats at one time, and between 60 and 90 trailer spots, plus car spaces.
The park could cost up to $2 million, but there is no funding yet, Proulx said.
PSL subdivision construction shut down after damage to sewer
By CHRIS YOUNG
City officials have shut down construction on the Newport Isles subdivision after the determining the sewer system serving the entire development has been "infiltrated" by sand and debris because of building work.
"The magnitude of damage and destruction has assuredly placed the health, safety, and welfare of our current and future Newport Isles customers at risk and it must be immediately addressed," Utility Systems Director Jesus Merejo wrote in a memo last week.
Utility Systems spokeswoman Donna Rhoden said with so many vehicles and construction activity in the area, workers could have driven over parts of the water and sewer system.
As a result, the city building department won't issue any more permits or certificates of occupancy to the home builders, Lennar and Centex Homes, until they fix the damage, city officials said.
Lennar and Centex officials did not return a call for comment Monday.
Already, more than 500 homes have been built in Newport Isles.
The sewer system has to be inspected to find the extent of the damage and then cleaned, but City Manager Don Cooper said the debris will cause problems for the utility system regardless.
"You can never get all the sand out," he said.
City officials have shut down construction on the Newport Isles subdivision after the determining the sewer system serving the entire development has been "infiltrated" by sand and debris because of building work.
"The magnitude of damage and destruction has assuredly placed the health, safety, and welfare of our current and future Newport Isles customers at risk and it must be immediately addressed," Utility Systems Director Jesus Merejo wrote in a memo last week.
Utility Systems spokeswoman Donna Rhoden said with so many vehicles and construction activity in the area, workers could have driven over parts of the water and sewer system.
As a result, the city building department won't issue any more permits or certificates of occupancy to the home builders, Lennar and Centex Homes, until they fix the damage, city officials said.
Lennar and Centex officials did not return a call for comment Monday.
Already, more than 500 homes have been built in Newport Isles.
The sewer system has to be inspected to find the extent of the damage and then cleaned, but City Manager Don Cooper said the debris will cause problems for the utility system regardless.
"You can never get all the sand out," he said.
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