Workshop explains land preservation plan

Date: May 10, 2005
Stuart News
Section: Local
Edition: Martin County
Page: B2

FORT PIERCE -- The County Commission and residents got a glimpse Monday of what it will take to institute the state's Rural Land Stewardship Area Program.

The program gives rural landowners incentives in exchange for protecting rural land in perpetuity by giving them "Stewardship Credits," based on the land's natural resources. Rural landowners involved in the program then can sell the credits to developers, who can then add more homes to their projects than allowed under county codes.

Current and future owners of rural property participating in the program wouldn't ever be able to develop the land.

If approved, the first stewardship project in the county would be Adams Ranch, a cattle ranch in unincorporated St. Lucie County west of Fort Pierce. The credits from Adams Ranch would be sold to Palm Beach County developer Enrique Tomeu, who owns about 7,000 acres in north St. Lucie County.

"This is the most progressive program I've ever seen in my professional career," Commissioner Doug Coward said. "We can point to plenty of examples of (what happens) if we do nothing, and it's called South Florida and Broward County."

Coward also assured residents the program would be voluntary after a resident voiced concerns about his property.

"I don't want anyone to think we're trying to take away property rights," he said.

The next step, according to Reynolds, is filing the plan with county staff and working out necessary changes before it goes to a public hearing.

[Last modified May 10, 2005, 13:01:08]

Article publishedon May 10, 2005 in the Stuart News

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