FORT PIERCE – The St. Lucie County Commission voted unanimously Oct. 21 to deny a Meritage Home request to rezone a 43.3-acre parcel in White City to planned unit development over concerns with increased density, native tree removals and compatibility due to the rural nature of the community that’s feeling growth pressures on all sides.
Senior Planner Thad Crowe provided a comprehensive overview of the request to change the RS-2 Zoning – which allows only two dwelling units an acre – to planned unit development so Meritage Homes could match the underlying land use, which allows five units per acre.
“It’s an area in transition,” he said of the land wedged between U.S. 1 and Oleander Avenue. “This is a large, vacant tract of land in an area gradually transitioning into more suburban use. If you start at U.S. 1 and work your way westward, you’ll see intensive uses along U.S. 1 give way to larger residential lots moving towards the St. Lucie River. It’s challenging for the county to handle this transition when you have existing neighborhoods and everyone’s affected by it.”…