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By Eric Pfahler

Thursday, February 5, 2009

PORT ST. LUCIE — A change in plans could help Port St. Lucie get 15,000 additional jobs in the Interstate 95 Jobs Corridor.

The original plan called for commercial space with the potential for 15,000 jobs. Increasing commercial space and lowering the amount of residential land could help Port St. Lucie double the jobs going to the area west of I-95 in Tradition over the next 25 years, said Wes McCurry, president of Tradition Development Corp., a subsidiary of Core Communities.

McCurry on Thursday told City Council members on the first of a two-day retreat he plans to submit a new regional impact plan in late spring, but is asking the city to increase the density restrictions so the company can keep the number of houses the same.

City Council intends for the job hub to be a major attraction for companies along five miles off the western side of I-95 in Tradition. The council hopes to further develop a bio-medical park that can bring high-paying jobs into the area while having spinoff companies providing services and manufacturing goods for the bio-medical industry.

If all goes well, the city hopes retail industry will come to serve the new workers.
The city will continue its retreat at 8 a.m. Friday at the Port St. Lucie Community Center. The city also addressed code enforcement issues, but the bulk of the retreat was spent talking about the I-95 Jobs Corridor.

To further attract companies, McCurry proposed creating an economic plan or task force combining public and private entities that could help work through big picture issues that could take more than a decade to accomplish like the lack of a commercial airport and potentially adding a university to the city.
“We need to let the surrounding communities know that this may be our plan but this is also how it might impact them and the benefits that they would receive,” Council woman Linda Bartz said.

The city council voted to consider such a plan, though some council members questioned whether it would add bureaucracy.
Vice Mayor Jack Kelly said the task force is the same idea as the Economic Development Council.
“Didn’t they work with you on getting Torrey Pines and everything else out there?” Kelly asked.

© 2009 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

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