Kolter Group has been given the green light to develop three pods within the Verano South community, amounting to nearly 500 acres and more than 1,200 homes.
These next steps in constructing the development went before the Port St. Lucie Planning and Zoning board last week. Each pod received unanimous support, though the project drew questions from a Vitalia resident.
Cathy Powers raised concerns about the potential for traffic jams in the area given the sheer volume of homes planned for the Verano South project. “It seems we’re going to be really inundated on that road,” Powers said of Village Parkway.
Village Parkway will serve as the main road for Verano residents traveling out of their neighborhood and into the city. Vitalia also uses Village Parkway.
“They have addressed their impacts on public infrastructure,” Director of Planning and Zoning Patti Tobin responded.
Verano South, like Vitalia and Tradition, is a development of regional impact. In order to have gotten the approvals for such a large-scale development project, the developer had to show plans for mitigating the impact the community would have on surrounding roads, water/sewer systems and other infrastructure.
Powers asked if it would be possible to install a traffic signal along Village Parkway between Crosstown Parkway and Tradition Parkway. Tobin didn’t appear hopeful. “I don’t believe there would be another signal,” she said, explaining that Village Parkway is already four lanes and is designed to accommodate the increased traffic as is.
Dan Sorrow, a representative for Kolter Group, said most of the commuting traffic from Verano South will head out to Interstate 95 via Crosstown Parkway.
Verano South is being marketed as an active adult community. Only one neighborhood within the development – Cresswinds – is age-qualified. The others will be built in such a way as to appeal more to the soon-to-retire and empty-nesters who are quite active but don’t necessarily have young families.
Powers also raised a concern about noise and how it would be mitigated. She was not specific as to the noise from construction or from new neighbors.
The Peacock Canal separates Vitalia from Verano South and a wall runs along the canal as it is. Powers said she wants to make sure that the quiet community is maintained while development continues. “Verano loves landscaping,” Sorrow said on behalf of Kolter Group. “They love berms. They love providing buffering to our neighbors.”
Sorrow said the love of landscaping design isn’t only about tamping down the potential for noise, but also for its aesthetic benefits.
All three nodes now approved for construction will include recreational/open space as well as stormwater ponds or lakes. In each, Kolter Group could have built at a maximum density of five dwelling units per acre. Without factoring the need for infrastructure and other demands for land, the builder could have constructed a maximum of 2,479 homes.
Instead, the developer has planned an average 2.43 homes per acre over the three areas. “It’s all market driven,” Sorrow said of the timeframe for construction beginning and build out concluding.
Given the Planning and Zoning board’s approval, Kolter Group can now pursue the necessary building permits and get started.