I watched Stuart’s last LPA meeting. The public, the applicant, and the board were not on their best behavior.

Staff for their work received blame from members of the LPA. While sometimes I think that staff does phone it in, I do not believe they did so in this instance. They presented the information that they are legally obligated to do. Some LPA members took it out on them as if the development department has the option to reject projects because board members may not like them.

Members of the public brought up issues which the city has no control over such as traffic on county and state roadways. People forget developers pay impact fees for their projects to Martin County. The county seldom uses those impact fees to alleviate road problems where the new project is being built. Doing nothing gives a couple county commissioners an excuse to bash Stuart even though the results are because of their inaction.

The applicant, not his experts, believed he could roll over staff and the LPA. Meritage was condescending which does not help win favorable decisions. They seem to have an ongoing problem with playing nice with others.

A couple of members of the board, though, were way out of line. Perhaps it was sheer ignorance on their part about what their roles are. Mr. Campbell Rich, a board member, and Chair Kelly Laurine arrogantly shot question after question to staff and the applicant’s experts. Rich all but said that one witness was manipulating data even though she used data that she was mandated to use by law. And Laurine, at least at this meeting, played instigator instead of chairing and bringing a semblance of order.

If the LPA had been the final decision makers, then this may have gone to court to be overturned. It amazes me that members of this board don’t quite realize that they are advisory. Their decision is non-binding on the commission which will have the final determination.

With all that said, the 5-0 (one abstention and one absence) decision not to approve this project going forward was the right one. The zoning is currently commercial and other property in the area is commercial. That alone would have given this board (and I hope the commission) the reason to deny the RPUD. There didn’t need to be the histrionics that surrounded the meeting.

One thing that Rich said which is true is that there are several thousand units coming online within the next few years. While I do not think that this is too many units, I do believe the city should allow absorption of these new units to occur before allowing anything that isn’t “as of right” to be built except within the CRA.

Stuart needs to build their new fire/rescue station. They need to have storm water issues under better control especially in non-CRA areas. Do we need a Zoning-in-Progress (ZIP) to study the code? I do not think so. Outside the CRA you can build no more than 15 units per acre without going through the PUD process.

We have adequate zoning in place. The commission just needs to vote no in changing it if asked. There is no “Bert Harris” claim unless the commission does not allow someone to develop a piece of property using the zoning and codes that are currently in place.

The CRA is where density should be. That will give Stuart the walkable city…the supposed small town feel and not the suburban one so many push. You cannot have that without density. Within the CRA, there are no parcels of more than 2 acres. They will all be infill projects. Isn’t that what the city should be all about?

Not having a ZIP does not prevent the commission from looking at whether to change certain codes such as better and more innovative storm water concepts. Development as of right outside the CRA will prevent large projects for a while until absorption of the new units can occur and then the commission can reassess.

If they are absorbed quickly (within 18 months of a project’s completion), then it proves that the housing is needed and necessary. That would justify what the commission has approved. During this “break,” it should be incumbent on the city to pressure the county to make all needed improvements to roadways and use those impact fees for the benefit of the residents who are affected by new projects.