After months of discussion, St. Lucie County Commissioners approved a controversial amendment to their long-range plan. The "Towns, Villages and Countryside" plan limits growth to towns or villages instead of subdivisions, and mandates open space.
The Towns, Villages and Countryside Plan affects 28 square miles of land beyond the County's urban service area boundary, and will allow clustering of development in exchange for preservation of land as agriculture, neighborhood parks, civic buildings or workforce housing in excess of that required by the Plan. The Town or Village must be a specified minimum size.
Proponents praise the plan as an example of controlled growth. Opponents are concerned about the emergence of a development pattern "worse than Miami's", and undue restrictions on private property rights. One County Commissioner fears the impact on small family farms.
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
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