STUART – The Stuart City Commission voted unanimously Sept. 22 to approve a conditional use and three Creek District code waivers, giving Seacoast Bank the green light to build a new 58,647-square-foot headquarters and parking garage near the southeast corner of Federal Highway and Colorado Avenue.
The action came one week after the city’s Community Redevelopment Board also voted unanimously to recommend approval. Development Director Jodi Kugler outlined the project for commissioners, explaining that Seacoast was seeking approval for a private parking garage along with three code deviations under the city’s recently adopted form-based code.
The first waiver allows the main entrance of the building to face an interior neighborhood plaza instead of U.S. 1, which the code designates as a primary frontage. Seacoast officials argued the entrance orientation was needed for security, and both Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek and Stuart Police Chief Flamur Zenelovick supported the request…