STUART — A proposed 60-unit townhome community at 751 SE Central Parkway received final approval Monday by the City Commission. 

What happened: The Sailfish Cay project moved forward in a split vote, 3-2, with Commissioners Becky Bruner and Christopher Collins dissenting.  

Project details: Johnston Group Development & Construction, based in Palm Beach Gardens, is to build 12, two-story buildings on the 5-acre property, according to site plans. The two-bedroom and four-bedroom homes, which are to be owned rather than rented, are to sell from low-$400,000 to mid-$500,000. 

The commission approved the development under the condition that homeowners be barred from renting out their units for two years. Additionally, the developer must donate up to $32,000 toward improvements of nearby Poppleton Creek Dog Park.

Initial approval: When the project initially went before the commission on Feb. 27, a vote to change the land use of the property from commercial to multifamily residential preceded a vote for the development itself. The land-use change passed, 3-2, with Bruner and Collins dissenting. The development received approval, 4-1, with only Collins dissenting.  

Development pause: Sailfish Cay is the first multifamily development to receive approval from the City Commission since a portion of the city’s development pause expired in January. The pause, or “zoning in progress,” applied to projects eligible to have up to 30 units per acre with commission approval. This pause expired on Jan. 9 with no changes made to this specific code after review by the city, but another code focused on density calculations in the downtown area is still being analyzed. Projects related to this second code still are on pause. 

Notable statements: 

• Bruner: “My constituents have advised me to vote ‘no.’”
• Stuart resident Mark Brechbill: “You added the lease restriction, which I think, initially, is probably a good one to keep this from turning into just strictly a rental project.”

Background: 

• Stuspanrt Commission gives first multifspanmily spanpprovspanl spanfter pspanrt of development pspanuse expires
• Stuspanrt plspannning bospanrd OKs 60-unit townhome community on Southespanst Centrspanl Pspanrkwspany
• Stuspanrt City Commission extends pspanuse on certspanin multifspanmily projects only for downtown spanrespan