The Port District

The City of Port St. Lucie's Parks & Recreation Department and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) are in the process of developing a Master Plan for The Port District. Though the area was formerly known as the Riverwalk District, the development of a Master Plan represents an effort by the City to create an updated vision to include recreational and business opportunities while creating a sense of place. The recommended elements will build on the City's recent investment in the Boardwalk, Pioneer Park, Historic Homes and more! The final vision of the Master Plan should culminate in an iconic and memorable premier destination in Port St. Lucie.

The City will be seeking input from citizens through a survey and virtual public involvement meetings to identify the type of amenities, development and additional investment that residents, businesses and visitors would like to see in The Port District. Engaging the public provides local stakeholders with a chance to contribute to the development of plan recommendations.

• The Port District Master Plan(PDF, 27MB)
• Presentation(PDF, 57MB)

Funding

The City has identified several funding sources for the project:

• The major funding source is the City of Port St. Lucie Parks Impact Fee Fund. The Parks Impact Fee is collected at the time of construction of new residential development. The fee is collected to enable the City to provide the parks and recreation facilities to serve new residents.
• The relocation and restoration efforts of the historic homes is partially funded through State of Florida Division of Historic Resources' Special Category Grant funding.
• The Riverwalk Boardwalk received funding from the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) over multiple fiscal years.

Funding for the Riverwalk Boardwalk Extension and park project is identified in the General Fund Capital Improvement Budget #301(PDF, 15KB) of the City's Five Year Capital Improvement Program.

History

The process started more than two decades ago when the City began to develop the Riverwalk Boardwalk project along the North Fork to promote the waterfront area and to enhance the public's access to the river.

Beginning in the 2000s, the City added approximately 2,000 linear feet of boardwalk along the river, north of Port St. Lucie Boulevard, to provide public access to the river from both Veterans Park at Rivergate and Tom Hooper Park. At that time, the City also began exploring the idea of giving residents and visitors even more opportunities for entertainment and recreation along the river.

In March 2015, and with assistance from the American Institute of Architects (Treasure Coast Chapter), the City held a charrette at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens to solicit public input on the development of the park and boardwalk. Over 100 people attended the charrette and, based on the input received from the attendees, the architects provided the City with a conceptual master plan that was approved by the City Council in November 2015 as a guide for the development of the 9.75 acre Westmoreland Middle Tract future park site.

Design elements include a historic village, open pavilions, children's playground, open event space and the southern extension of the Riverwalk Boardwalk. The approved conceptual master plan also includes approximately 1 acre of leasable restaurant space for a private entity.