We are about to begin a new era in Martin County. On November 22nd, the new BOCC will be sworn into office. With that Martin County should have a more pro-business and pro-growth county commission. Some residents fear what will happen in the western part of the county. Both Ed Ciampi and Harold Jenkens have stated that they do not want to see development outside the Urban Service Boundary. They claim that development should take place where the infrastructure already exists. I believe that also.
What can be more in keeping with new development within the existing USB than occurring within the City of Stuart? As a city, Stuart, already has the infrastructure to sustain new housing and new industries. If the City can work toward that goal, then Martin County can avoid similar sprawl that has occurred in other places in South Florida. How do we accomplish that?
The City has been given a grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. This grant will help to plot a course to realize our economic potential for both more jobs and businesses. One of the interesting facts that have come out of the study is that 21,000 people come to Stuart every day to work at our businesses. The reason they live elsewhere, is the lack of housing within the City. That is millions of dollars earned here but spent other places such as Port Saint Lucie. Those 21,000 additional people entering Stuart each day put additional strain on our police, fire/rescue, roads and other services. Those commuters pay not one dime in taxes to support the services that they consume. Those 21,000 commuters are more than the entire population of Stuart.
We desperately need housing within the City of Stuart. As the economic hub of Martin County, we are a net exporter of revenue to the entire Treasure Coast. We cannot afford to continue in this vein and remain a viable municipality. It is imperative that we have housing for every economic class. We can’t just cater to the poor or the rich…the young or the old. That is why I asked at the last meeting that staff look at increasing the number of units per acre similar to downtown within the Woodlawn area.
Presently that area has few residents. Colorado Avenue, which has been turned into a wonderful gateway to downtown, has been transformed with new businesses. However, many of those businesses are struggling because the area lacks the population to sustain them. The rest of the neighborhood has not been revitalized with private resources. It is imperative, if our tax base is to grow, that this area must become more economically productive.
The City of Stuart has many residential neighborhoods made up of predominantly single family homes. I do not want those single family neighborhoods to be anything other than what they are. It is important that we retain the character of those neighborhoods. As I said above we need housing to fit the needs of everyone.
Construction costs on a city lot are more expensive than sprawl development would be in western Martin County. This necessitates a builder constructs very expensive single-family homes that most employees of Stuart jobs would not be able to afford. Therefore, in underutilized areas such as Woodlawn, the traditional single family home is not feasible. That is why different housing options need to be made available.
The City of Stuart does not have to give up its character. I am steadfast in my commitment to maintaining our height limit. I am not looking to become Delray Beach. But we need to have homes for those that work in our City. Millions and millions of dollars each year are spent other places by people who earn that money within our borders. The clear majority of Stuart’s municipal employees live elsewhere because of the shortage of available housing.
Fifty years ago, the City of Stuart had 40% of Martin County’s population. We are now less than 10%. For political relevancy, economic stability and cultural diversity, we need to have more residents. Those that want to keep western Martin County rural and in agriculture, as I do, recognize the need to have places for new residents to live. There are 1000 new people a day coming to Florida. Stuart can continue to prosper and keep our cost of living affordable. For our own viability, we have to not only increase businesses and employment but also people and homes.