City's plans to 'put the port in Port St. Lucie' have great potential | Opinion

Let's not sugarcoat this: Port St. Lucie is a city founded on a lie.

Not a big lie, maybe, but a lie nonetheless.

When General Development Corp. was trying to sell property in the area during the 1950s, the name "Port St. Lucie" sounded more marketable than plain old "St. Lucie."

The name stuck, even though the city doesn't have an honest-to-God port where big boats can dock to load or unload cars, flat-screen TVs or sunburned cruise ship passengers.

What it does have, though, is a Port District. Even though that district is 16 miles from the St. Lucie Inlet and 40 miles from Port Mayaca, it could become one of the city's hottest new gathering spots for recreational and cultural activities.

"The Port District has tremendous potential," said Port St. Lucie Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo, whose council district includes the area. "The visioning behind it was about putting the port in Port St. Lucie."

Forming a plan: Port St. Lucie hires consultant to develop the Port District

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A local tradition: Spend an evening at PSL's River Nights

The Port St. Lucie City Council has approved a master plan for the district that will begin taking shape over the next year or so.

Located along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River on either side of Port St. Lucie Boulevard, the district could be one of the city's best-kept secrets.

Although it's located in the heart of Florida's seventh most-populous city, roughly halfway between U.S. 1 and the Florida Turnpike, it's an urban oasis teeming with wildlife and plants.

On my first visit there, a great blue heron stood (and occasionally squawked) a few yards from the spot where I was interviewing Jennifer Davis, project manager for the city's Community Redevelopment Agency.

There are two sections of riverfront boardwalk already in place, separated by a gap under the Port St. Lucie Boulevard bridge. That gap will be filled with a new section of boardwalk as part of the master plan work, making it possible to follow the walkway from Tom Hooper Park to a spot in Westmoreland Park, near the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens.

The open area near the gardens is the site of River Nights, a monthly event where people can listen to music and gaze at the stars along the riverbank.

That area is scheduled for an upgrade under the master plan, with more parking, lighting improvements and a waterfront stage area. Work is also expected to begin early next year on Pioneer Park, a playground area on the district's south end.

There are plans for a riverfront restaurant, which could be considered the crown jewel of the entire project. After all, how many other restaurants in Port St. Lucie have water views?

Although city officials say they have been talking to some prospective operators, there's been no announcement about what type of restaurant it will be.

This may come as a disappointment to some local residents, but my hunch is it's not going to be a Cheesecake Factory. The latest intel I've received is the most likely candidates are regional, but not national, restaurant chains.

Don't feel too bad. I've lived other places that have Cheesecake Factory outlets, and trying to get through the menus there is a bit like reading "War and Peace."

Davis said one of the keys will be finding a dining option to appeal to a broad segment of the community, rather than something on either the high or low end of the pricing spectrum.

"We want it to be the right fit," she said. "That's the most important thing."

It's important to manage expectations about the types of events that will be held at the Port District, too.

Even after improvements are made, the district isn't likely to replace the MidFlorida Credit Union Event Center as the venue of choice for concerts by Foghat or The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

However, it's likely to be a setting for smaller concerts and other live performances that would fit more easily into a nature-friendly environment.

The master plan also includes renovation work to the Peacock House, built in 1917, and the Peacock Lodge, built in 1952.

The lodge is expected to house a museum, gift shop and meeting space when the work is completed. Davis said there's no definitive plan for how the Peacock House will be used.

Other phases of the project will include development of walking trails through woodland areas along the river, an observation deck, a kayak/canoe launch area and possibly a kayak/canoe rental place and a bait shop.

"We do want people to have different experiences when they come here," Davis said. "We don't want people to have to do the same thing every time."

When she was campaigning for mayor over the summer, I asked Shannon Martin if she had any interest in creating a true downtown for Port St. Lucie.

Because of the way Port St. Lucie was developed and the lack of available land, Martin said it would be practically impossible to create a downtown area at this stage in the city's history.

However, the new mayor said the Port District may become a centralized gathering spot to attract people from different parts of the sprawling city.

"Slowly but surely, we're getting there," Martin said. "It's exciting."

I agree.

It took chutzpah to put the word "port" into the name of a fledging city that was and is almost completely landlocked.

However, if plans for the Port District pan out, any lingering concerns about that bit of historical inaccuracy could soon be washed downriver and out to sea.

This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him via email at [email protected] or at 772-232-5424.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port District could become gathering spot in Port St. Lucie | Opinion