When Margaret Mucciolo first set eyes on her Heritage Oaks residence in Tradition and peered out to the backyard, she knew immediately that she wanted it to be home.
She now finds herself fighting for that beloved view.
She and her husband Joe Mucciolo began attending city meetings in April after they first learned that a zoning change could occur. For now, they are pleased that they’ve been granted a little more time before the next round.
The Port St. Lucie City Council voted unanimously on May 26 to table an amendment that seeks to rezone an 9.5-acre parcel located at the southwest corner of Crosstown Parkway and Fairgreen Drive from residential to commercial use, after commissioners expressed concerns about the type of commercial development that could ensue.
For now, permitted commercial includes office, medical, banks, restaurants including drive-thru, retail, daycare, car wash, service station, civic/cultural and light industrial.
The fate of the parcel will be determined at the City Council’s June 22 meeting, allowing time for city staff and attorneys to investigate the legal ability to restrict specific commercial uses and to craft conditions that address both the city’s and residents’ concerns.
Over the course of three meetings — one on April 7, when the Planning and Zoning Board tabled the project to request more traffic information and future development details; another on May 5, when the same board recommended approval with conditions; and last week’s meeting — residents expressed their concerns about traffic, privacy, wildlife habitat loss, and a vehement desire to not add another gas station or drive-thru to the area.
Conditions of the May 5 Planning and Zoning meeting included a 10-foot enhanced landscape buffer and an architectural wall with a 6-foot height minimum that matches existing Tradition walls; trees planted on a 1-foot berm every 20 feet on both sides of the wall with the trees being at a minimum of 12 feet tall; and the elimination of the right-of-way connection to SW Glenbrook Drive in order to prevent direct access from Heritage Oaks.
The project presented to the council would trigger intersection improvements at Crosstown and Fairgreen, with turn lanes and signal upgrades to be completed by December 31, 2027, or upon construction.
“How can you present this to Heritage Oaks and not tell them what’s going to be there?” said Margaret Mucciolo. “How can commercial development be approved so, so close to residential? I urge you to reconsider. There is wildlife there. It breaks my heart.”
“I know you all got a pretty long letter from me with some beautiful pictures of wildlife that is taken right out of my back door. So, this is what we’re talking about when we’re talking about preserving our peace and what this looks like,” said another Heritage Oaks resident, Sarah Pinto, at the meeting.
“We support private property rights. In this instance they are coming to us with a change. They’re not entitled to a change. We also need to look out for our residents. We’re balancing all of this,” said City Councilman Anthony Bonna Sr.
“I would not support a gas station at that location,” said Mayor Shannon Martin.
“I’m in support of limiting what can go there,” added Councilman David Pickett.
“The wall is like putting us in a prison,” Joe Mucciolo said. “We don’t want another gas station. I think there are other sites that these people can look at. We want to keep it free and open as it could be.”
While residents were outspoken in their preference that the land remain open space so they can enjoy the wildlife and nature, the property currently is zoned residential. In fact, 106 multifamily units were previously planned for the property, a project which goes back about 20 years; it was not built but the zoning has not changed.
“It’s either going to be homes or commercial,” said Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo. “Crosstown was meant to be free flowing.” Caraballo is also against a gas station.
Developers may also be getting mixed signals as the City Council has spoken about the desire to move toward more commercial development overall and to slow down on the residential in order to accommodate the commercial needs of the growing population.
“We’ve heard over and over there’s no appetite for more residential,” said attorney Lee Dobbins, speaking on behalf of the applicant,
Whatever the case, Margaret Mucciolo intends to fight till the end. She spends time doing research and trying to find out anything she can that can possibly help Heritage Oaks’ cause, including researching the need for gas stations and reaching out to environmental groups.
According to Mucciolo’s research there are five gas stations within roughly 2 miles of the site, with Circle K right at the corner. “Another gas station would not meet an unmet need and would instead bring more tanker traffic and late-night commercial activity into a residential area,” she said.
“Today it’s my block – tomorrow it’s yours. What affects one neighborhood today could affect another tomorrow,” Margaret Mucciolo said.