BY Melissa L. Meeker
Monday, April 12, 2010
On Tuesday, Martin County commissioners will consider a comprehensive plan amendment to create a new land-use category for Sunrise Groves, a dying citrus grove owned by King Ranch in western Palm City. This long-term and innovative land-use plan balances economic diversity (meaning new industries and new jobs) with environmental restoration and agricultural sustainability. It also removes the ability to build any homes on the property. It is a solid plan that our elected officials should feel good about supporting.
Our natural environment � a clean, healthy river and open space for a diversity of outdoor activities � are essential to our quality of life in Martin County. That said, I strongly believe Martin County can protect and enhance what makes us special while using our uniqueness to attract businesses that can feed our hungry economy � and its people.
Imagine a scenario in which there are jobs in Martin County that pay enough so that a portion of our residents don�t have to commute to Palm Beach County every day. We can do this if we plan for it, but it requires out-of-the-box thinking, like that proposed by King Ranch. Thinking that is often suffocated by the status quo.
As a former South Florida Water Management District Governing Board member, I�ve seen how decisions about specific projects can be influenced by political rhetoric. As our county officials review proposed land-use changes, they shouldn�t be deterred by the usual no-growth dogma. They can show real leadership and give our community desperately needed options for economic diversification, while preserving our environmental and agricultural heritage.
What sets this land-use change apart from irresponsible land speculators of the past is that the owners of the property � King Ranch � are not developers at all. They are agricultural landowners and outstanding environmental stewards. And they have the reputation, expertise and staying power to attract the kinds of employees we want here.
Sunrise Groves is situated at the northeast side of Interstate 95 with State Road 714 to the south and bordered by publicly owned Alapattah Flats to the west. Between two I-95 interchanges provides essential access to a major transportation corridor. Tradition�s science/technology corridor is just to the north. Martin County could be a beneficiary of St. Lucie County�s efforts to attract green, clean, high-wage industries.
The proposed land-use change � which does not ensure any development approval whatsoever � defines a trifecta of services: environmental (preservation, restoration public access, and river protection), agricultural uses (think green technologies and the potential with biofuel crops), and of course, jobs.
Approval of this amendment guarantees nothing but the ability to explore new opportunities for the land. Any future development must still undergo a full public review. What this change does, however, is provide hope for a stronger Martin County � for us and our children. Join me in encouraging our commissioners to be leaders in planning for our community�s future in a responsible way by supporting the land use change for Sunrise Groves.
Meeker, a Stuart resident, is an environmental consultant and a former South Florida Water Management District board member.